rs as they all died for refusing to take the oath. By mid-1534 many men and even some women from across England were asked to swear the oath and almost all did, despite the strong hostility towards the Boleyn marriage. There was still some resistance and Henry was nervous, and had good reason to be. On April 20th the people of London were asked to swear the oath in their guilds and all, according to records, complied. At Ashleworht in Gloucestershire the vicar refused to call the villagers to swear the oath and this happened in other villages across the country side but eventually most citizens were brought into compliance with the act. The year 1534 not only saw the Act of Succession but many other laws were passed through Parliament that cemented Henry's power as head of the church in England. During the parliamentary session from November through December 1534 many act were passed to cement Henry's role as supreme head of the church.23 The Act Concerning Ecclesiastical Appointments and Absolute Restraint of Annates gave Henry the power to appoint clergy to positions and cut all fees to Rome off. This ended the financial relationship with Rome as well as taking the pope's ecclesiastical power and removing it from England. But the most important act was yet to come. The final act that cemented Henry's power as head of the church in England was the Supremacy Act. This bill received little parliamentary resistance as Henry was now in control and setting parliament's agenda.24 This act did little more than state what was already a fact, Henry or any ruler of England would be known as the supreme head of the Church of England. The Church of England at this time was not Protestant but, in fact, it was still Catholic. They were simply known as English Catholics. The Supremacy Act did one important thing for Henry, it neutralized the coming excommunication from Rome. The bill passed as drafted in the end granted Henry little o...
