Abstract
The English Reformation differed in an important way from other efforts at reforming the church in the sixteenth century. Reform of the Church of England, however, began at the very top of the government itself. This decisive role of the crown meant, that the fortunes of reforming efforts would change dramatically depending on who sat on the English throne. Although some sought to reform the Church of England further so as to bring it into doctrinal alignment with Protestant movements unfolding in continental Europe, during Henry’s reign, they were unable to act on their convictions in a comprehensive manner. As the British Empire grew to dominate the globe, the reach of the Church of England expanded with it, and as a result Anglicanism has shaped Christian theology and worship far beyond the island on which it began in the sixteenth century.