HOW DID THE REFORMATION SHAPE THE FUTURE OF THE NATION?
02.11.2026HNC’s A Level History students have recently welcomed Professor Sarah Bastow, a specialist Medieval and Early Modern Historian to College for a lecture on the Henrician Reformation.
In A Level History, students explore a number of time periods throughout history, including the period ruled by the Tudors (1485-1603). We recently welcomed Professor Bastow to share more with our Year 13 A Level Historians about the Henrician Reformation – a tumultuous time in history which saw the country start a transition from following the Catholic church to the Protestant church under the rule of the infamous Tudor monarch, Henry VIII.
Students taking part in the lecture were asked to evaluate two key questions. Question number one focused on ‘to what extent was Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon the primary cause of the English Reformation?’, and question two explored whether ‘England had become a Protestant nation by 1547.’ For the first question, Professor Bastow explored various causes of the Reformation, including Henry’s personal monarchy and his desire for power, the importance of key individuals such as Thomas Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell and Anne Boleyn, and the role factions in court – including early reformers who wanted to see religious reform – played. The second question explored the complexities of the Reformation – developing a deeper understanding that the Reformation was a process rather than a single point in time, and one that continued and fluctuated over time under the Tudor monarchs of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.
Emily Briggs, Teacher of A Level History comments “What a genuinely enlightening lecture! In A Level History we explore the Tudor reign – one of the most famous from History – and the how the decisions made during this time went on to shape the country England became. In this lecture, our students were really encouraged to think deeply and critically about how the changes during the Henrician Reformation came about, providing an alternative perspective to one of history’s well-known events. It is this depth of knowledge that supports students to achieve well, and just one of the ways we enrich our History students’ experience. Thank you to Professor Bastow for joining us”.
Join us for our upcoming Open Event on Wednesday 11 November to find out more about studying A Level History at HNC.
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