- See of Rome Act 1536
An Act extinguishing the authority of the bishop of Rome ("28 Henry VIII, c. 10") was an
Act of Parliament passed by theParliament of England in 1536. It consisted mostly of a violent attack on the "pretended power and usurped authority" of thePope and his seditious "imp s", and declared that those who committed the following offences liable for prosecution under theStatute of Praemunire 1392 :If any person or persons...shall, by writing, ciphering, printing, preaching or teaching, deed or act, obstinately or maliciously hold or stand with to extol, set forth, maintain or defend the authority, jurisdiction or power of the
bishop of Rome or of his see, heretofore used, claimed or usurped within this realm...or by any pretence obstinately or maliciously invent anything for the extolling, advancement, setting forth, maintenance or defence of the same or any part thereof, or by any pretence obstinately or maliciously attribute any manner of jurisdiction, authority or preeminence to the saidsee of Rome , or to any bishop of the same see for the time being, within this realm...that then every such person or persons so doing or offending...being thereof lawfully convicted according to the laws of this realm, for every such default and offence shall incur and run into the dangers, penalties, pains and forfeitures ordained and provided by the statute of provision andpraemunire made in the sixteenth year of the reign of the noble and valiant prince King Richard II against such as attempt, procure or make provision to the see of Rome or elsewhere for any thing or things to the derogation, or contrary to the prerogative royal or jurisdiction, of the Crown and dignity of this realm.The Act also required all religious and secular officers, those taking
Holy Orders , and those starting a degree at university to take an oath renouncing the jurisdiction of Rome and acknowledging Royal Supremacy.References
*G. R. Elton, "The Tudor Constitution: Second Edition" (Cambridge University Press, 1982).
*"The Statutes of the Realm: Volume III" (London: Record Commission, 1817), pp. 663-6.
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