The Church of England is an ancient church with roots extending back to the times when the Romans controlled England. Ancient historians make reference to the existence of a church in the area that's now England in the 3rd Century.
The first members of this English church were evangelists who spread the gospel in the other parts of the British Isles, what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. However invasions by the heathen Angles and Saxons routed many of the church's institutions.
The Celtic Church that survived developed religious practices differing from those in Europe. To correct this, Pope Gregory sent Saint Augustine of Canterbury in 597. His aim was to introduce discipline and uniformity. Over the succeeding centuries, the Church of England developed from these roots and the Norman conquest of 1066 helped standardisation. But this development was fraught with conflict. A most famous example was the murder of Thomas a Becket on the orders of King Henry II.
The Church of England remained Catholic until what became known as the reformation. The spark for this was the refusal of the Pope to annul the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. But this spark lit an already strong nationalistic belief that the Church of England should be under the authority of the British monarchy.
The following centuries saw some see-sawing as under Mary I, the Church of England rejoined Rome, and then Elizabeth I who came to the throne in 1558 restored independence. This oscillation continued as the religious climate of the country was buffeted by events such as the Civil War.
The first members of this English church were evangelists who spread the gospel in the other parts of the British Isles, what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. However invasions by the heathen Angles and Saxons routed many of the church's institutions.
The Celtic Church that survived developed religious practices differing from those in Europe. To correct this, Pope Gregory sent Saint Augustine of Canterbury in 597. His aim was to introduce discipline and uniformity. Over the succeeding centuries, the Church of England developed from these roots and the Norman conquest of 1066 helped standardisation. But this development was fraught with conflict. A most famous example was the murder of Thomas a Becket on the orders of King Henry II.
The Church of England remained Catholic until what became known as the reformation. The spark for this was the refusal of the Pope to annul the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. But this spark lit an already strong nationalistic belief that the Church of England should be under the authority of the British monarchy.
The following centuries saw some see-sawing as under Mary I, the Church of England rejoined Rome, and then Elizabeth I who came to the throne in 1558 restored independence. This oscillation continued as the religious climate of the country was buffeted by events such as the Civil War.