Using examples from the Henrician Reformation of the 1530s; explain why religion has often been the cause of particularly bitter conflict.
             The causes and features of the Reformation have been the source of many differing views between historians; whether it arose solely from the ambitions of Henry VIII and his ministers or if it was an event that would have happened regardless, due to corruption within the church and the spread of Protestantism on the continent. It is also debatable how far the conflict was religious, how deep the opposition to the Reformation was, and why the opposition didn't escalate further. However the period was deeply momentous and religion – which was interweaved into all parts of life at the time – was the source of conflict for many different reasons.
             Historians generally fall into two categories regarding the Reformation, 'top-down' or 'bottom-up'. Top-down historians, such as Geoffrey Elton hold the traditional view that the Reformation was a product of high politics and state. The bottom-up school of historians was pioneered by A.G Dickens in his 1964 book 'The English Reformation', arguing that the actions and beliefs of the ordinary people would do more to explain England's conversion to Protestantism (the so called 'popular Reformation') than that of Kings, Queens and politicians.
             What began the process for England's break with Rome was Henry's desire for a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, which people often assume was triggered by his desperation for a male heir and lust for Anne Boleyn. Although these two points were important, it would be wrong to think that these were the deciding factors in such an important event covering several years; his ambitions were varied and only collectively would they lead to something as drastic as the break with Rome. Henry had several motives. His principal argument to the Pope that ...