English Reformation


  • Dissolution of the Monasteries: Henry VIII’s Monastic Purge (1536–1540)

    Dissolution of the Monasteries: Henry VIII’s Monastic Purge (1536–1540)

    In four brutal years, Henry VIII’s government dismantled England’s monastic world, confiscating land, melting down treasure, and uprooting communities that had anchored local life for centuries. The Dissolution of the Monasteries was not just a religious shift, but a state-sponsored transfer of wealth and power that sparked rebellion, destroyed libraries, and permanently remade England’s social…