Cambridge and the English Reformation
The University of Cambridge's contributions to the Church of England
Nov 18, 2008
The Importance of Cambridge and Oxford
Arguably the University of Cambridge made a greater contribution to the English Reformation than the University of Oxford did. The universities of Cambridge and Oxford were the only English universities at the onset of the English Reformation. The fact that there were only two universities in Britain meant that both institutions had the opportunities to contribute to the ways in which the Reformation developed in England.
The University of Cambridge would also contribute to the English Reformation due to the ways in which it influenced the development and spread of Protestantism, and provided clergy and theologians for the emerging Church of England.
Thomas Cranmer, And Matthew Parker
By the 1520s, the University of Cambridge already had a reputation for academic excellence, which had led to patronage from both the monarchy and the high-ranking clergy in England (MacCulloch, 2004 p. 83). However, the University of Cambridge authorities had tried to control the spread of Protestant ideas or other reformed doctrines. The attempts to control religiously suspicious ideas by the university were part of the broader efforts of the English government to stop the growth of heresy in England (Ashley, 2002 p. 237).
Henry VIII attempts to end his marriage inadvertently proved to be the catalyst for the English Reformation, a process that was controlled by the monarch using Parliamentary legislation (Vale, 2006, p.12). Aside from Henry VIII, the man that arguably had the most impact upon the direction of the English Reformation was the Cambridge don Thomas Cranmer. Cranmer had the good fortune to have gained Henry VIII’s confidence and was to his surprise made Archbishop of Canterbury after the death of William Warham. Cranmer was able to push forward religious reforms in partnership with Thomas Cromwell and Anne Boleyn (Ayris & Selwyn, 1999, p.19).
Cranmer was not the only University of Cambridge academic to contribute to the English Reformation. Other academics like Miles Coverdale, Matthew Parker, and Thomas Bilney were heavily influenced by Protestant doctrines (MacCulloch, 2004 p. 200). Miles Coverdale worked with the Oxford graduate William Tyndale on the latter’s translation of the Bible and would continue to contribute to other translations, most notably the Psalms in the Common Book of Prayer. Matthew Parker was closely linked with Anne Boleyn and was her personal chaplain. Matthew Parker had a reputation of being a fine theologian, Elizabeth I entrusted him with implementing the Elizabethan Settlement as Archbishop of Canterbury after 1559 (Gardiner & Wenborn, 1995 p. 124).
Parker And The Elizabethan Settlement
Matthew Parker played a significant part in promoting Protestantism during the English Reformation. The Prayer Book and the Forty-Two Articles were the foundations of the Elizabethan Settlement, demonstrating the influence that Cranmer had even after his death. However, it has to be remembered that the monarch had the final decision when it came to determining the direction of the English Reformation.
Bibliography
Ashley M, (2002) A brief history of British Kings & Queens, Robinson, London
Ayris, P & Selwyn D, (1999) Thomas Cranmer - Churchman and Scholar, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, Suffolk
Bromley, G W (1956) Thomas Cranmer Theologian, Lutterworth
Press, London
Gardiner & Wenborn (1995) The History Today Companion to British History,Collins and Brown Ltd, London
MacCulloch D, Reformation – Europe’s House Divided (2004) Penguin Books, London
Plowden, A (2002) Tudor Women, Queens and Commoners, 2nd Edition Sutton Publishing Limited, Stroud
Vale B, (2006) A History of the Church of England 1529 –1662, authorsonline.co.uk
