The Dissolution of the Monasteries

 

 

The Dissolution of the Monasteries

The monasteries were centres of learning many centuries ago. The monks who lived there were devoted to the cause of education. It functioned as hospitals. The poor and orphaned were taken care of there. But in course of time the monasteries degenerated. Martin Luther, a German monk objected the commercialization of the church. All the protesters against the corrupt Roman church stood behind Luther. The anger of the people against the monasteries reached the boiling point in the age of Henry VIII. In England the clash was due to personal reasons, so the king decided to dissolve the monasteries. The monks were the supporters of the Pope. The closing down of the monasteries and disbanding of the unfaithful monks was Henry’s indirect revenge on the Pope. Henry’s treasury was empty, because of his several wars with France and other neighbouring countries. To satisfy the demands, he seized the wealth of the monasteries.

The Act 1536 empowered the king to dissolve 276 small monasteries at first. The Duke of Suffolk led the military force to destruct a monastery in Lincolnshire. The Pilgrimage of Grace in Yorkshire was popular. In 1536, it was destructed. A lawyer called Robert Aske joined with the rebellious monks and captured York. Seeing the strength, the king offered a general pardon of the rebels. But the King reacted ferociously in 1539. He ordered the soldiers to kill the rebels. Following this, many abbeys were dissolved in 1539. The famous shrine of Becket at Canterbury was looted and its offerings confiscated in 1538

Effects of the Dissolution

The monastic income was one-third of the total income of England. The king and his greedy courtiers swallowed most of it. A new middle class arose. They bought monastic land at a cheap rate and remained loyal to the king. The original abbey buildings were ruthlessly destroyed. Most of the noblest monuments were lost. The libraries in many abbeys had rare manuscripts. They were all destroyed. Monks became jobless. The gentlemen helped by the monasteries were now abandoned. The destruction of the Sea-side abbeys left the nation unprotected.

Thus in many ways the dissolution of the monasteries caused an heavy loss to the nation. It was all due to the sloth and luxury of the monks.