ed to the break with Rome and the Royal Supremacy. Whether or not they were as a direct result of Henry's divorce proceedings is debatable (this is the whole basis of the 'top-down'/'bottom-up' argument). The church at this time was a hugely important but unpopular institution, central to the lives of the entire population. Around half of the working population were churchmen– a huge proportion compared to today's figures, and the church owned up to a third of the land in England. There was growing discontent with the way in which the church was run, and the corruption within it; in the words of G.R Elton, "people in England thought little of priests". Though this is true, displeasure with the church amongst the common people was not enough to cause any significant conflict. The condition of this vast institution had not changed greatly in several centuries; it was a part of every day life and dissatisfaction with it would not be a direct source of conflict, but rather a contribution to any other disag
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