Download or read book The Gospel and Henry VIII written by Alec Ryrie and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003-10-09 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last years of Henry VIII's life, 1539-47, have conventionally been seen as a time when the king persecuted Protestants. This book argues that Henry's policies were much more ambiguous; that he continued to give support to Protestantism and that many accordingly also remained loyal to him. It also examines why the Protestants eventually adopted a more radical, oppositional stance, and argues that English Protestantism's eventual identity was determined during these years.