What did edward change the Catholic church into?

Answer 1

The previous answer was entirely incorrect. Edward did more than Henry did when it comes to changing religion. Henry broke away from Rome in 1534 when he had the Act of Supremacy passed, which made him Supremum Caput (Supreme Head) of the Church of England. He later dissolved the monasteries in two stages, with two acts of Supression (one in 1536 and the other in 1539). He broke away from Rome for a number of reasons, ranging from the desire for a male heir, which is current wife Catherine of Aragon couldn't provide, to genuine religious reasons, such as his conviction that the marriage to Catherine was not valid anyway, as it says in Leviticus XVIII that any man who lies with his brother's wife shall remain childless. Henry decided that this meant, by sleeping with his brother's widow (Catherine was originally married to Henry's older brother Arthur) he had doomed England to be ruled by a woman after he died. When he broked away from Rome, he was able to grant himself an annulment (NOT A DIVORCE!) Despite all of these movements, Henry was a Catholic, and, when he died, that Act of Six Articles was in place, making England a firmly Catholic country.

When his 9 year old son Edward VI came to the throne when Henry died on 28th January, 1547, his Protector the Duke of Somerset, and Edward himself (Edward was a ridiculously bright child, and definitely influenced religion in his country. Later on in his reign, when he became a teenager, he was directly embroiled in religious debates with fellow reformers and Catholics alike) immediately began to change England into a Protestant country. Edward was a fanatic Protestant. (A Protestant is a Christian who protests against Catholic beliefs). Edward was held in high regard by leading Protestant reformers. Martin Bucer, for example, even stated that Edward was "godly to a marvel". Throughout Edward's reign, churches were emptied of their Catholicism and wealth, chantries were closed, Catholics were persecuted, and the structure of church services and episcopacy itself changed. Transubstantiation was denied, the Eucharist became known as the Lord's Supper, and act upon act was passed. I won't mention them all, because it would probably just confuse you.

So, to say that Edward didn't change the church is ridiculous. I don't think people should answer questions without knowing the full details. Edward changed the church from a Catholic institution to a Protestant one, and, although his reign was tragically short, his work couldn't be undone entirely by his half-sister Mary I (Bloody Mary), and, when she died, Elizabeth I revived her half-brother's more moderate laws and died, leaving England a Protestant country. If I recall correctly, the Pope's excommunication sentence on England that was put in place in 1570 continues until this day.