What English king seized Catholic Church wealth and established his own Protestant Church in the sixteenth century?

Answer 1

King Henry VIII was made the supreme head of the Church of England in 1534. The reason for this massive change has much to do with what Henry VIII believed about his marriages and his heirs, all of which derived from his belief in the divine right of kings and concluded with the English Reformation and Henry's transformation into a tyrannical ruler.

A much longer explanation of how, why, and when these events happened:

Henry VIII was married to Catherine of Aragon in 1509, less than two weeks before they were crowned king and queen. Catherine was his older brother Arthur's widow. Arthur, who was the heir to their father Henry VII's throne died in 1502 after being married to Catherine for only 20 weeks. She claimed that the marriage was never consummated. A papal dispensation was given for the marriage. After a few years and a few miscarriages, Catherine gave birth in 1516 to the healthy Princess Mary (later Mary I). Henry had several mistresses, one of which bore him a son named Henry FitzRoy who Henry made the Duke of Richmond.

Seeing that his wife could not bear him a son, Henry grew impatient. He fell in love with one of Catherine's ladies-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn, all while contemplating his 'great matter' — how he would find an heir to his throne. He thought of three options: legitimizing FitzRoy, marrying Mary to someone to produce a son, or divorcing Catherine and finding a new wife. As he was in love with Anne Boleyn, he wished for the last option. He worked for years to receive a papal annulment from his marriage.

While at first, the issue was about the 'great matter,' at some point, Henry became convinced that the reason his marriage was childless (without a son), was because according to a passage in Leviticus, marrying your brother's widow will mean you will not have children (again, he had a child with Catherine, but not a son). Henry came to believe that the Pope who issued the dispensation for his marriage did not have the authority to allow the marriage, which called into question the papal supremacy, which until this point had been unquestioned and absolute.

Catherine was banished from court and Anne moved into the palace. Henry and Anne were married in secret in 1532; she quickly became pregnant so they had a second wedding service in 1533. Later that year, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who had been building the case for the marriage annulment, declared Henry and Catherine's marriage null and void and Henry and Anne's marriage to be valid. A Reformation Parliament was convened to support Henry's cause. Dissenters were few because Henry was ruthless against all opposition.

1533 saw the Act of Succession, which made Henry's first daughter, Mary, illegitimate, and made any of Anne's children next in line for the throne, which included their newly born daughter, Elizabeth. The Acts in Restraint of Appeals of 1532-1533 abolished the right of appeal to Rome, effectively ending England's relationship with the Roman Catholic church. Through this act, Henry was granted the divorce from Catherine; Henry and Archbishop Cranmer were excommunicated shortly thereafter. The Acts of Supremacy, in 1534, recognized the King's status as the head of the church in England, officially establishing the Church of England, which still exists today.

Throughout his reign, Henry continued to dissolve monasteries, destroy churches, and take Catholic Church property for his own. He executed hundreds, if not thousands, of Catholic rebels in order to solidify his position. It wasn't until his daughter, Elizabeth, came to the throne in 1558 that England saw any semblance of religious peace.

Answer 2

King Henry VIII