The Act of Supremacy

The Act of Supremacy was a law passed in 1534 by the English Parliament, declaring King Henry VIII as the supreme head of the Church of England. It marked the official break from the Roman Catholic Church, enabling the king to control religious matters and dissolve monastic institutions. This legislation allowed Henry to establish independence from papal authority and set the foundation for the Protestant Reformation within England. The act also required people to acknowledge the king’s supremacy in religious affairs, making disobedience a punishable offense.