The Reformation

In the sixteenth century there was a great change in religion when new kinds of Christianity developed. This reform, which is called the "Reformation", began in Germany when people began to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. These protesters said that the Pope and the priests were not following the ideas or words of God and Jesus Christ closely enough. They said that the Church and its priests were too rich and that complicated services in Latin did not help the ordinary people to understand their religion.

These protesters, or Protestants, began their own kinds of Christian religion in different parts of Europe. There were many Protestants in Germany and the Netherlands. England also left the Roman Catholic Church. Henry VIII began the Church of England and he became the head of the Church instead of the Pope. But that was only the beginning of change in England. The ideas of the Church of England later changed from reign to reign.

Changes in religion had many effects on the people of Britain. Many people wanted to stay Roman Catholic, but the law said they had to belong to the Church of England. People were still not allowed to choose their own religion.

Charles Maltman and Ian Dawson: The making of the United Kingdom; Oxford University Press, 1992/2000, page 11