Finalising the script

To get the final script I just took my initial draft and refined it, and took out bits. 

Here is the final script:

The Tudor era witnessed the most sweeping religious changes in England since the arrival of Christianity, which affected every aspect of national life. The Reformation eventually transformed an entirely Catholic nation into a predominantly Protestant one.

 

At the beginning of the early modern era, people started to question traditional beliefs, one of these being religion. Some felt that the catholic church was taking advantage of people for money through a scheme where they said that people had to pay their way into heaven. This led to conflicts about religion and many people died because of their views. 

 

The Reformation began in 1517 when a German monk called Martin Luther protested about the Catholic Church. 

 

Many people and governments adopted the new Protestant ideas and found themselves attacked by those who remained faithful to the Roman Catholic religion. This led to a split in the church.

 

During the Reformation, the king replaced the Pope as the Head of the Church in England, causing a bitter divide between Catholics and Protestants.

 

In 1509, Henry married his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Catherine of Aragon had been the wife of Henry’s older brother, Arthur, who had died aged 15. When Arthur died Henry became first in line to the throne. 

 

Although Catherine was pregnant seven times during her marriage to Henry, only one baby survived past infanthood – their daughter Mary. This was bad news for Henry, who wanted a male hair to carry on the Tudor line. 

 

For a Tudor king, having a strong line of succession and a male heir to the throne was imperative. After Henry VII defeated Richard III in 1485 he became the first Tudor king. 

 

Although he had secured the throne, the fact that he had so through violence rather than lineage made his position unstable. This meant for his son Henry VIII, a male heir was key to continuing the line of Tudor kings. Having a male heir would stabilise Henry’s power.

 

After Catherine’s ‘failure’ to produce an heir, Henry became interested in one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn. 

 

Henry wanted to marry Anne Boleyn, and believed she could produce an heir, but he was still married to Catherine.

 

When he discovered that Anne was pregnant, Henry arranged to marry her in secret at Whitehall Palace - this marked the beginning of the break with Rome.

 

Henry had asked Pope Clement VII for his marriage to Catherine to be dissolved, but the Pope would not agree. 

 

When Henry secretly married Anne, he was excommunicated from the Catholic church.

 

In 1534 however, Henry pushed through the Acts of Supremacy. The Act made him, and all of his heirs, Supreme Head of the Church of England. This meant that the Pope no longer held religious authority in England, and Henry was free to divorce Catherine. 

 

This break with Rome not only meant that Henry could divorce Catherine of Aragon. It also made him very wealthy.

 

The Crown seized the land that monasteries were stood on, and the good and riches inside of them were sold off. The monasteries were disbanded, Henry claimed their income, and the money was used to fund wars abroad and pay off debts. 

 

This was known as the dissolution of monasteries.