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Henry VIII wanted the monastries' wealth. This was something that encouraged a number of rulers in Europe to break with Rome. At the time, the amount of property (real estate) owned by the church was immense and the Church was often referred to as the dead hand [in property]. The point was that an organization like the Church never dies, and so the property doesn't change hands - and isn't subject to inheritance tax. The Church had no incentive to use its property well ... So there was an economic problem. Henry closed down the monasteries so he could collect the taxes as he just wanted more money basicly!

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14y ago

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