Anglicanism

The word Anglican means English. The Anglican Church therefore, simply means the English Church, or Church of England. There are now Anglican churches all over the world which are historically linked to the Church of England. The Church of England, as a Church that is independent from the Pope, was founded by King Henry VIII in 1534 AD. Before this time, England was largely a Roman Catholic country.

Henry wished to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry Anne Boleyn. However, the Pope, who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church, would not grant Henry a divorce. Henry was resentful of the Pope having control over England and its monarch, and felt that the ruler of England, and not the Pope, should be the head of all the churches in England. So Henry declared himself head of the Church, granted himself a divorce and married Anne Boleyn. Their marriage lasted for four years, after which time he had her publicly executed.

Many other Christians at this time were dissatisfied with the Roman Catholic Church and broke away from its rule. This movement away from the Catholic Church is known as the Reformation.