Henry VIII and the Reformation Parliament

John Patrick Coby

Description

Henry VIII and the Reformation Parliament transforms students into English lords and commoners during the tumultuous years of 1529 to 1536. Cardinal Wolsey has just been dismissed as lord chancellor for failing to obtain an annulment of King Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Thomas More, the humanist author of Utopia, is named as Wolsey's replacement. More presides over Parliament, which the king has summoned in the hope that it somehow will find the means to invalidate his marriage, thus freeing him to marry his new love, Lady Anne Boleyn. Matters of state also apply, because Henry has no male heir to carry on the Tudor line, and Queen Catherine has passed her childbearing years. But will Parliament be content with solving the king's marital and dynastic problems? For there are some in Parliament who wish to use the royal divorce to disempower the English church, to sever its ties to papal Rome, and to change it doctrinally from Catholicism to Lutheranism. Others, however, oppose the divorce, oppose secular supremacy and independence from Rome, and oppose this heretical creed filtering in from the continent. More is their leader, for as long as he can survive. Thomas Cromwell, reputed a Machiavellian, leads the king's party. The king himself is ambivalent about the reformation unleashed by his "great matter," as the divorce campaign is called, and so the conservatives are loosed to prosecute reformers as heretics, while the reformers are loosed to prosecute conservatives as traitors. Meanwhile, outside England sits the greatest power in all of Europe, the Holy Roman Empire under King Charles V of Spain--who happens to be the nephew of Catherine! How will the emperor respond to this effort to put aside his aunt?

At issue in the game is the clash of four contending ideas: traditionalist Christianity, reformist Protestantism, Renaissance humanism, and Machiavellian statecraft. Depending on the outcome of this contest, the modern nation-state will, or will not, be born.

Sujets

• Catholicisme
• Christianisme
• Europe
• Henry VIII
• History
• Réformation
• Great Britain
• Henry VIII of England
• Protestant Reformation
• Renaissance humanism
• Reformation Parliament
• Histoire
• Protestantisme

Informations

• Publié par: The University of North Carolina Press
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781469647562
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 6 Mo

Extrait

Henry VIII and the Reformation Parliment
 
REACTING TO THE PAST is an award-winning series of immersive role-playing games that actively engage students in their own learning. Students assume the roles of historical characters and practice critical thinking, primary source analysis, and argument, both written and spoken. Reacting games are flexible enough to be used across the curriculum, from first-year general education classes and discussion sections of lecture classes to capstone experiences, intersession courses, and honors programs.
Reacting to the Past was originally developed under the auspices of Barnard College and is sustained by the Reacting Consortium of colleges and universities. The Consortium hosts a regular series of conferences and events to support faculty and administrators.
Note to instructors: Before beginning the game you must download the Gamemaster’s Materials, including an instructor’s guide containing a detailed schedule of class sessions, role sheets for students, and handouts.
To download this essential resource, visit https://reactingconsortium.org/games , click on the page for this title, then click “Instructors Guide.”
 
Henry VIII and the Reformation Parliment

SECOND EDITION
JOHN PATRICK COBY

The University of North Carolina Press
Chapel Hill
 
© 2022 The University of North Carolina Press
All rights reserved
Set in Utopia and The Sans by Westchester Publishing Services
The University of North Carolina Press has been a member of the Green Press Initiative since 2003.
Cover illustration: Portrait of Henry VIII. Painting by Joos van Cleve, circa 1535. The Burghley House Collection.
ISBN 978-1-4696-4755-5 (pbk.: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4696-4756-2 (e-book)
 
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
What Is a “Reacting” Game?
How to Play This Game
1. Game Setup
2. Game Play
3. Game Requirements
4. Skill Development
Prologue: A Parliamentarian’s Tale
Chronology
Significant Characters of the Period
2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The King’s “Great Matter”
The Wars of the Roses
Henrician Diplomacy before the King’s “Great Matter”
Contending Ideas at the Time of the Reformation
Medieval Catholicism
Lutheranism
Renaissance Humanism
Machiavellianism
The Rise of the Nation-State
3. THE GAME
Setting: Parliament, 1529–1536
Major Issues for Debate
Major Legislation Brought before Parliament
Game Layout and Class Sessions
Presentation of the Laws and Use of the Game Model
Rules and Procedures
Parliament
Parliamentary Leaders
Henry and His Queens
Patronage and Patronage Chits
Convocation and Ecclesiastical Courts
Attainder Trials
Rules of Evidence
Spying
Embassies Abroad
Revenues and Currency
Styles of Address
Victory
Assignments and Grading
Game Quiz and Study Guide Questions
Papers
Class Preparation
Grades
4. FACTIONS AND ROLES
Factions
Nobility
Clergy
Commoners
Boleyn-Howard Faction
Cromwell Faction
Lutheran Faction
Aragon Faction
Foreign Powers
Factional Alliances
Roles
Members of Parliament
Indeterminates
5. CORE TEXTS
Church and State
Thomas Aquinas, On Kingship: To the King of Cyprus , 1260–1265
Marsilius of Padua, Defender of the Peace , 1324
Martin Luther, Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Respecting the Reformation of the Christian Estate , 1520
Martin Luther, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church , 1520
Martin Luther, Concerning Christian Liberty , 1520
Simon Fish, A Supplication for the Beggars , 1529
Ethics and Statecraft
Thomas More, Utopia , 1516
Desiderius Erasmus, The Education of a Christian Prince , 1516
Niccol ò Machiavelli, The Prince , 1513
Appendix: Statutes of the Reformation Parliament
Bibliography
Reserve Books
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Historical Novels
Films
Acknowledgments
 
Illustrations Maps Tables
ILLUSTRATIONS
Old London Bridge / 5
Genealogy of Henry VIII / 14
Westminster Palace / 29
MAPS
Tudor London, circa 1530 / 6
Western Europe, circa 1530 / 17
English and Welsh dioceses before the Reformation / 46
English counties during the reign of Henry VIII / 47
TABLES
Game Model / 33
Patrons and Insignia / 37
Patronage Chits and Minimum Votes / 39
Game Characters / 50
 
Henry VIII and the Reformation Parliment
 
1
Introduction
WHAT IS A “REACTING” GAME?
This is a “reacting” game. Reacting games use complex role-play to teach about particular moments in history. Students read from specially designed game books that lay out the background history and explain the ideas and issues in conflict at the time. The class becomes a public body; students, in role, become particular persons from the period, often members of factional alliances. Their purpose is to advance a policy agenda and achieve their victory objectives by formal speeches, informal debate, negotiations, vote-taking, and conspiracy. After a few preparatory lectures, the game begins, and the students are in charge; the instructor serves as an adviser. Outcomes sometimes vary from the actual history; a debriefing, postmortem session sets the record straight.
HOW TO PLAY THIS GAME
The following is an outline of what you, the students, will encounter in reacting and of what you will be expected to do.
1. Game Setup
The instructor will spend some time before the beginning of the game helping you to understand the historical background. During the setup period, you will read several different kinds of material: The game book (from which you are reading now), which includes background history, rules and elements of the game, primary sources, and essential documents One or more accompanying books, which, if recommended, provide additional information and arguments for use during the game A role sheet, describing the faction to which you belong and, in many cases, the historical person you will model in the game
Read all of this contextual material and all of these sources and documents before the game begins (or as much as possible, catching up once the game is underway). And just as important, go back and reread these materials throughout the game. A second and third reading while in role will deepen your understanding and alter your perspective, for ideas take on a different coloration when seen through the eyes of a partisan actor. Students who have carefully read the materials and who know well the rules of the game will invariably do better than those who rely on general impressions and uncertain memories.
2. Game Play
Once the game begins, usually one student, randomly chosen, elected, or identified by role, will preside over the class sessions. Your instructor then becomes the Gamemaster (GM) and takes a seat in the back of the room. While not in control, the Gamemaster may do any of the following: Pass notes to individual players or to factions Announce the effects of game actions on outside parties (such as neighboring countries), or the effects of outside events on the game (such as declarations of war) Perform scheduled interventions, often determined by die rolls Interrupt proceedings that have gone off track or debates that have become overheated
The student serving as president or chair may still act in a partisan fashion, speaking in support of faction and individual interests. But this person is nonetheless expected to observe basic standards of fairness. As a failsafe device, some reacting games employ the “Podium Rule,” which allows a student who has not been recognized to approach the podium and wait for a chance to speak. Once at the podium, the student has the floor and must be heard.
Most role descriptions contain private, secret information which students are expected to guard. You are advised, therefore, to exercise caution when discussing your role with others. Faction-mates are generally safe and reliable, though even they may not always be with you. Unfortunately, keeping your own counsel, or saying nothing to anyone, is not an option. You must speak with others, because never will a role contain all that its player needs to know, and never will one faction have the voting strength to prevail without allies. Collaboration and coalition-building are at the heart of every game.
In games where the factions are tightly knit groups with fixed objectives, finding a persuadable ally can be difficult. That is why characters called Indeterminates are often included. Indeterminates operate outside the established factions. They tend to be minor historical figures, composite characters, or representative types. Not all Indeterminates are entirely neutral; some are predisposed one way or the other, and all decide for this or that faction as the game nears its close. If you belong to a faction, cultivating these Indeterminates is in your interest, because they provide the most obvious source of outside support.
The classroom may sometimes be noisy with multiple points of focus, because side conversations, note-passing, and players out of their seats are common and accepted practices in reacting. But these practices also are disruptive and can spoil the effect of speeches at the podium. Nothing is accomplished by trying to talk over the din to persons not listening, so insist on order and quiet before proceeding. Ask the president or chair to assist you, if necessary, and the Gamemaster as a last resort. And never be friendless at the podium. Arrange to have at least one supporter second your proposal, come to your defense, or admonish those in the assembly not paying attention.
Always assume, when spoken to by a fellow student—whether in class or out of class—that that person is speaking to you in role. If you need to address a classmate out of role, employ a visual sign, like crossed fingers, to indicate your changed status. It is inappropriate to trade on out-of-class relationships when asking for support or to attack classmates directly. You are characters in a