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HistoryThe English Reformation, 1509–160338 min★★ difficulty

Lesson 1: England on the eve of Reformation

Before judging change, establish the world people thought they were living in.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Britain 1066-1901: Understand the development of Church, state and society in Britain 1509-1745, including the English Reformation and its impact
  • Historical enquiry: Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims
  • Britain 1066-1901: Understand the development of the Church, state and society in Britain 1509-1745, including the theory and practice of monarchy and the origins and progress of the English Reformation

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Understand religion, monarchy and society in England in 1509

Key learning points

  • • A Catholic kingdom
  • • Church and Crown
  • • Start with evidence

This lesson at a glance

  • 38 minutes
  • 19 parts to scroll through
  • 3 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

religionmonarchysocietyenglandcatholic

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 19 · Discover5%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 19

Watch first

Lesson 1: England on the eve of Reformation

An English teaching video on this topic from The Northern Historian. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Understand religion, monarchy and society in England in 1509

2

What you already know

Part 2 of 19

Before we start

What you already know

You should already know that England in 1509 was a Catholic country, that the Pope led the western Church, and that Henry VIII became king in that year.

3

Key words

Part 3 of 19

Key words

Words you'll need today

Mass
The central Catholic service, understood as a re-offering of Christ's sacrifice.
Pilgrimage
A journey to a holy place, often to a saint's shrine.
Churchwarden
A parishioner responsible for church money and property.
Purgatory
The state Catholics believed souls passed through before heaven, shortened by prayers.
4

Your lesson plan

Part 4 of 19

Lesson brief

How Catholic was England when Henry VIII became king?

By the end, you will be able to

  • • Describe parish religion in 1509
  • • Explain links between belief and community
  • • Test what surviving church evidence can show

Resources

  • • English Reformation document set (c.1527–1590)
  • • Lesson notes and marked knowledge check
4 minRecall the chronology and frame the enquiry
15 minRead the textbook explanation and build the argument
11 minInterrogate the archive evidence in context
8 minAnswer the checks and write a supported conclusion
5

Learning cycle

Part 5 of 19

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Religion in 1509

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

6

Explore the idea

Part 6 of 19

Learn

A Catholic kingdom

The Mass, saints, pilgrimage, confession and prayers for the dead shaped the year and the life cycle. Parish churches held images, lights and objects paid for by local people.

7

Explore the idea

Part 7 of 19

Learn

Church and Crown

The Pope led the western Church, while Henry ruled England. This divided authority was familiar rather than automatically a crisis.

8

Quick check

Part 8 of 19

Quick check

Who led the western Church in 1509?

9

Reset break

Part 9 of 19

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
10

Quick check

Part 10 of 19

Quick check

Which source best reveals parish spending?

11

Learning cycle

Part 11 of 19

Learning cycle 2 of 2

What the evidence shows

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 19

Learn

Start with evidence

Wills, churchwardens' accounts and surviving objects suggest substantial participation, while criticism of clergy and demands for reform also existed.

13

Quick check

Part 13 of 19

Quick check

Which judgement is strongest?

14

Investigate evidence

Part 14 of 19

Evidence 1 of 1

primary

English Reformation document set

Tudor officials and subjects, c.1527–1590

Royal orders, inventories and petitions show official religion changing repeatedly across four reigns.

The collection places documents from Henry VIII through Elizabeth I side by side, allowing change and continuity to be tested rather than assumed.

Think like a historian

Which changes would an ordinary parishioner have seen, heard or lost?

Source: The National Archives, English Reformation c.1527–1590

View the archive record ↗
15

Common mix-ups

Part 15 of 19

Common mix-ups

Things people often get wrong

  • People often think everyone hated the Church before 1529. Most evidence shows heavy investment in parish religion alongside real criticism.
  • People often think divided authority between Pope and king was already a crisis. For most people it was simply normal.
16

Challenge round

Part 16 of 19

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

17

Challenge round

Part 17 of 19

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

The Pope led the western Church, while Henry ruled ____.

18

Mastery quiz

Part 18 of 19

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Lesson 1: England on the eve of Reformation

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. Prayers for the dead were linked to belief in…

  2. 2. Wills are useful because they…

  3. 3. Criticism of clergy in 1509 shows that…

  4. 4. The strongest judgement about 1509 religion is that it was…

19

Lesson round-up

Part 19 of 19

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Source

A factory inspector's notebook, 1842

"I visited the mill at seven in the morning. The machines were already running. I counted fourteen children at the frames, the youngest no more than nine years of age. The overseer told me they work from six until seven, with forty minutes for dinner."

"The air is thick with cotton dust and the windows are kept shut so the thread does not break. Two of the children showed me hands cut by the shuttles. The owner assured me that the work is light and that the families beg him for the places, since without the children's wages the rent cannot be paid."

"I have written to the magistrates. I doubt much will follow from it."

Original source-style text written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. Who wrote this, when, and why might that make it useful to a historian?
  2. What does the source tell you about children's work — and what does it not tell you?
  3. How far does this source show that mill owners were to blame? Answer with a judgement and evidence.

Source for this lesson

Use this for the source work task below.

English Reformation document set

primary

Tudor officials and subjects, c.1527–1590

Royal orders, inventories and petitions show official religion changing repeatedly across four reigns.

The collection places documents from Henry VIII through Elizabeth I side by side, allowing change and continuity to be tested rather than assumed.

Source: The National Archives, English Reformation c.1527–1590

View the original record ↗

  • Source work

    Reading

    Read the source closely. Write who made it, when, and what it tells you — then what it does not tell you.

    2 paragraphs

  • Essay answer

    Writing

    Answer the enquiry question with a clear judgement. Use two pieces of evidence and finish with a sentence that weighs them up.

    300–400 words

  • Timeline

    Diagram

    Draw a timeline of the events in this lesson with dates, then photograph it.

    6–8 events

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 19 · Watch & discover

How this is going

  • Not looked at yet

    Understand the development of Church, state and society in Britain 1509-1745, including the English Reformation and its impact

  • Not looked at yet

    Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims

  • Not looked at yet

    Understand the development of the Church, state and society in Britain 1509-1745, including the theory and practice of monarchy and the origins and progress of the English Reformation

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