How popular was the Roman Catholic Church in 1529
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How Popular was the Roman Catholic Church in 1529?
The popularity of the Roman Catholic Church before the English Reformation is a crucial question that has been much debated by historians. The traditional view, held by researchers such as J. A. Froude and J. H. Green, is that the Church was in a very poor condition by 1529, and was unpopular with the people for a variety of reasons. This view implies that a reformation was inevitable, and it was therefore easy for Henry VIII to break with Rome and take much of the power and wealth of the Church. However, more modern revisionist historians have put forward the view that the Church in England was not on the brink of collapse, and the faults it did have were to be expected of such a large, multi-faceted organisation. The church was central to the lives of most people, and was therefore bound to come in for some criticism when it did not live up to their expectations, however this does not mean it was universally unpopular...