The English Reformation c.1520–c.1550 OCR GCSE History A 9-1 Lesson Resources

This depth study focuses on the English Reformation from religious, social and economic perspectives as well as the psychological impact of religious change on the ordinary people of England. Learners will not be required to know about Henry VIII’s break with Rome and the international political issues associated with that except as background supporting knowledge.

• English Reformation c.1520–c.1535
  • Role and importance (including wealth) of the church in England c.1520;
  • Religious practice and the relationship between the church and ordinary people;
  • The role and impact of the Lollards’ and Luther’s ideas;
  • Critics of the English church in the 1530s;
  • Popular attitudes towards reform of the church;
  • Henry VIII’s desire to annul his first marriage;
  • The legislation of the Reformation Parliament 1529–1534.

• Dissolution of the Monasteries, c.1534–c.1540
  • Thomas Cromwell and the Valor Ecclesiasticus;
  • The Visitation of the Monasteries;
  • The process of dissolution;
  • Suppression Acts 1536 and 1539;
  • Immediate reactions to Dissolution including support, those who took advantage and those who opposed;
  • The effects of Dissolution on religious orders;
  • The effects on the lives of ordinary people, especially the old and poor;
  • Cultural impacts;
  • Resistance and protest, including the Lincolnshire Rising and the Pilgrimage of Grace 1536–1537.

• The impact of the Reformation in English parishes c.1534–c.1550
  • Development and changes in religious policy under Henry VIII and Edward VI;
  • Effects on religious worship, including church services, prayer books and the issue of the Bible in English;
  • Impact on the fabric of churches;
  • Effects on the clergy;
  • Enforcement of new religious policies;
  • Response of ordinary people to religious changes;
  • Resistance and protest, including the Prayer Book Rebellion 1549.

Resource Examples

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