More is Less
With a quick look at one of the teen magazines on the rack reveals the present role of the monarchs in western society. Prince William is considered a star and is valued primarily for entertainment purposes. His ancestor, Edward III, would certainly be shocked, and would no doubt question the validity of referring to someone such as a future monarch in this fashion. *In the past, monarchs have not been viewed as sources of entertainment, but rather as rulers of the country. In contrast to today, monarchs have been rulers of their countries in which they rule the state, but never the church*1. As time went by, the monarchy grew more powerful, and after Henry VIII, king of England, established the Church of England, monarchs began to rule both the church and the state. As various monarchs have attempted to dominate over both the church and the state, they have not only been unsuccessful in their quests, but it has also led to the loss of government control. The evolution of the monarchy into the present state of figurehead has roots that can be traced through a complicated set of political interchanges between monarchs and their subjects as far back as the sixteenth century. To discuss the evolution of the monarchy, a monar
ch must be viewed in the situation in which he/she only had control over the state. Edward IV, king of England, is a prime example of a monarch who had no power over the church. Edward IV married a commoner named Elizabeth Woodville. He had already been precontracted to a princess in France, however, and because he did not have the approval of the Pope *until after the marriage,*2 the validity of his marriage to Elizabeth was always questioned. Edward IV was completely powerless to make the decision, as the choice was left to the Pope. The Pope was considered to be a messenger sent from God, and any ruling he made was considered to be the correct and only ruling. No one questioned their declarations until the mid-1500s. If the Pope had told Edward IV he could not marry Elizabeth Woodville, it would not have mattered that they had married in front of a priest. Their marriage would be considered invalid, their children illegitimate, and he would have to choose a new bride. The power of the Pope changed when the church and the state were combined. Henry VIII was the very first monarch to combine both the state and the church successfully. He united the church and state by declari
Some common words found in the essay are:
Church England, Henry Catherine, God Pope, Elizabeth Woodville, Edward III, Edward IV, Henry VIII, Pope Pope, Anne Boleyn, Pope Clement, church england, edward iv, head church, head church england, henry viii, church england referred, messenger sent, henry catherine, sent god, referred pope, king england, england referred pope, messenger sent god, declared head, declared head church,
Approximate Word count = 807
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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