Was King henry VIII KEEN TO BE MORE POWERFUL THAN THE POPE?
No, because there was no chance of that. He didn’t have a prayer. When you consider that, apart from his general influence as a religious leader, the Pope directly ruled considerable territories as well as having much input into the choice of priests and bishops in very many other areas (with economic as well as ideological consequences), there was no hope of any other ruler – not even the King of Spain, who ruled the richest and most powerful state in Europe – directly challenging papal authority. What Henry wanted developed as the situation rolled on, and what he achieved also developed. All he wanted at first was the continuation of limited autonomy for the English church – and of course a divorce. Then came the Pope’s refusal, followed by the break with Rome, and so Henry made himself head (under God, but above the Archbishops) of the Anglican Church. However he still had no ambitions to challenge the Pope in either his temporal or spiritual capacity. He wanted his own way inside E
