Canterbury as the New Rome: Dispensations and Henry VIII's Reformation

Abstract

An important way in which the late medieval papacy exercised its authority over the English Church was by granting dispensations, special graces that allowed exceptions to canon law in certain instances, notably permitting marriages between close kin. In 1533 the Dispensations Act forbade Henry VIII's subjects to petition the papacy for favours. But dispensations did not disappear after the break with Rome. The archbishop of Canterbury's Faculty Office continued to issue almost all those previously available from Rome. This article explores the transition to this new office, noting how Cardinal Wolsey's legatine activity in the 1520s prepared the way.