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THE MAKING OF RELIGIOUS POLICY, 1533–1546: HENRY VIII AND THE SEARCH FOR THE MIDDLE WAY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 1998

G. W. BERNARD
Affiliation:
University of Southampton

Abstract

Too often religious policy in Henry VIII's reign after the break with Rome has been seen as fluctuating and inconsistent as he was influenced first by one group of ministers and courtiers and then by another. Here it is argued by contrast that Henry VIII was very much the dominant force in the making of religious policy and that his policy, which he pursued skilfully and consistently, is best characterized as a search for the middle way.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1998 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

I wish to thank the Leverhulme Trust for the award of a Leverhulme Research Fellowship. Mr C. S. L. Davies, Mr P. J. Gwyn, Mr T. B. Pugh, Dr M. J. Stoyle, and Dr G. Walker offered helpful suggestions on earlier versions. Drafts were read to Dr N. Tyacke's seminar at the Institute of Historical Research, to the Southampton Historical Association, and to the sixth-forms of Brighton College, Dulwich College, and Bancroft's School: I am most grateful for many valuable comments on those occasions.