Unit 7 - Was the dissolution of the monasteries pre-planned?

Was the dissolution pre-planned?

Questions -

> What were the King's motives for dissolution and did they change?

> To what extent did Henry and Cromwell plan the total dissolution of monastries from the start?

Cromwell's masterplan

• One argument is that Cromwell had a masterplan fro the dissolution in place from the 1530s and that he always intended to dissolve all of the religious houses in England
• This argument sees Cromwell's motives as both financial and biblical
• Cromwell had promised to make Henry very wealthy at the expense of the Church and the monasteries were an easy target in his eyes
• Also, the dissolution…