Supreme Governor of the Church of England

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Supreme Governor of the Church of England
Flag of England and the Church of England
Acting Governor of the Church of England

Elizabeth II

since 1952

Salutation Her Majesty ( Her Majesty )
Official seat Buckingham Palace
Creation of office 1558
First official Elizabeth I.
Predecessor Head of the Church of England ( Supreme Head of the Church of England )

The Supreme Governor of the Church of England ( English : Supreme Governor of the Church of England ) is the nominal head of the Church of England ( German : Church of England ). The office is held by the British monarch . Although the monarch's authority over the Church of England is largely ceremonial, the position is still of great importance to the Church and is mostly perceived symbolically. As Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the monarch formally appoints high-ranking church officials based on the proposals of the Prime Minister , who in turn is advised by church leaders.

history

In the course of his divorce from Catherine of Aragon , Henry VIII of England broke away from the Pope by 1536 and founded the Church of England with himself as the Supreme Head. The Act of Supremacy 1534 confirmed the king's supremacy over the church and obliged the peers to swear an oath by which they recognized Henry's supremacy. Henry's daughter Maria I tried to subordinate the English Church to the Pope again and in 1555 revoked the Act of Supremacy. When Elizabeth I ascended the throne in 1558, Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy, which restored the original act. To appease critics, the title of the monarch in the supremacy was only as Supreme Governor ( Supreme Governor ) instead head ( Supreme Head reproduced). This choice of words prevented the possible accusation that the monarchy could claim divinity for itself or appropriated a title which, according to the Bible, belongs to Jesus Christ . In addition, there were criticisms that with Elizabeth I a woman would hold an office within the church. Through this regulation, the monarch holds an extra-church office, but is still the head of the Church of England.

The title " Defender of the Faith " ( Fidei Defensor , German: Defender of the Faith ) was part of the title of the English (or since the union with Scotland British) monarch, since Henry VIII the title of Pope Leo X in 1521 as recognition for Heinrich's opposition to the Protestant Reformation. The Pope later withdrew the title, but it was during the reign of Edward VI. re-awarded by parliament.

Thirty-nine articles

The position of the monarch is enshrined in the preface to the thirty-nine articles of 1562:

“Being by God's Ordinance, according to Our just Title, Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church, within these Our Dominions, We hold it most agreeable to this Our Kingly Office, and Our own religious zeal, to conserve and maintain the Church committed to Our Charge, in Unity of true Religion, and in the Bond of Peace ... We have therefore, upon mature Deliberation, and with the Advice of so many of Our Bishops as might conveniently be called together, thought fit to make this Declaration following ... That We are Supreme Governor of the Church of England ... "

Article 37 elaborates the claim of the royal supreme authority:

“The Queen's Majesty hath the chief power in this Realm of England, and other her Dominions, unto whom the chief Government of all Estates of this Realm, whether they be Ecclesiastical or Civil, in all causes doth appertain, and is not, nor ought to be, subject to any foreign jurisdiction. ... [W] e give not to our Princes the ministering either of God's Word, or of the Sacraments ... but only that prerogative, which we see to have been given always to all godly Princes in holy Scriptures by God himself; that is, that they should rule all estates and degrees committed to their charge by God, whether they be Ecclesiastical or Temporal, and restrain with the civil sword the stubborn and evildoers. The Bishop of Rome has no jurisdiction in this Realm of England. "

Church of Scotland

The British monarch vows to uphold the constitution of the Church of Scotland (a Presbyterian national church ) but does not hold a leadership position. However, the monarch appoints the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland as his or her personal representative with a ceremonial role. The Queen herself performed the function twice when she herself inaugurated the General Assembly in 1977 and 2002 (her Silver and Golden Jubilee of the Throne ).

List of Supreme Governors

Surname Years Remarks
Henry VIII of England 1536-1547 As the Supreme Head .
Edward VI. from England 1547-1553 As Supreme Head , approved the Book of Common Prayer together with Thomas Cranmer .
Lady Jane Gray 1553 As the Supreme Head .
Mary I of England and Philip 1553 / 54-1555 As Supreme Head (since 1554 the couple omitted the title) promoted the Catholic Reformation in England and Wales.
Elizabeth I of England 1559-1603 See thirty-nine articles .
James I of England 1603-1625 Approved the King James Bible .
Charles I of England 1625-1649 Martyrs of the Church of England.
Commonwealth of England 1649-1660
Charles II of England 1660-1685 Converted to Catholicism at the deathbed .
James II of England 1685-1688 Last Catholic to hold the title.
Mary II of England 1689-1694 Ruled together with her husband (and cousin) Wilhelm III.
William III. from England 1689-1702 Initially ruled together with Maria II (1689–1694), Calvinist .
Anna of Great Britain 1702-1714 Married to George of Denmark , a Lutheran.
George I. 1714-1727 Lutheran Elector of the Holy Roman Empire .
George II 1727-1760 Lutheran Elector of the Holy Roman Empire.
George III 1760-1820 Head of the Lutheran Church in Hanover
George IV 1820-1830 Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 decreed the emancipation of Catholics
William IV 1830-1837
Victoria 1837-1901 Separation of the Church of Ireland by the Irish Church Act 1869
Edward VII 1901-1910
George V. 1910-1936 Separation of the Church in Wales under the Welsh Church Act 1914
Edward VIII 1936 Forced to abdicate
George VI. 1936-1952
Elizabeth II since 1952

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b The Monarchy Today> Queen and State> Queen and Church> Queen and Church of England. Retrieved February 21, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Henry VIII. Retrieved February 21, 2020 .
  3. ^ The Thirty Nine Articles. Retrieved February 21, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Royal thanks at church assembly. In: BBC News. May 25, 2002, accessed February 21, 2020 .