Collectanea satis copiosa facts for kids
The Collectanea satis copiosa (which means ‘The Sufficiently Abundant Collections’ in Latin) was a special collection of old writings. It was put together to help King Henry VIII show that he, and England, should be independent from the Pope and the powerful Roman Catholic Church.
This important collection was likely created around 1530-1531. People like Thomas Cranmer and Edward Foxe helped gather the texts. The Collectanea provided the main ideas behind the Royal Supremacy. This was the belief that the King of England was the supreme head of the Church in England, not the Pope.
Why Was This Book So Important?
The Collectanea aimed to prove that English kings had always been in charge of their own country. It argued that no one on Earth, not even the Pope, had more power than the King in England. To make this point, the book used many different sources. It included parts of the Bible, old church rules, and ancient English laws from Anglo-Saxon times. It also used writings from famous historians like Bede, Matthew Paris, William of Malmesbury, and Geoffrey of Monmouth.
King Henry VIII himself was very interested in this book. He wrote many notes in the copy that still exists today. This shows how much he thought about the ideas and arguments in the Collectanea.
How Did the Collectanea Help Henry VIII?
The Collectanea had two main goals for King Henry VIII and England:
- First, it helped Henry VIII get his marriage to Catherine of Aragon ended. He wanted to do this without needing the Pope's permission.
- More importantly, it provided the reasons for England to break away from the Pope and the Roman Church. This was a huge change for the country.
The ideas from the Collectanea were later used in an important law called the Act in Restraint of Appeals. This law said that England was an "empire" and that its king was the supreme ruler. It stated that the king had full power to make decisions and give justice to everyone in England. This meant that people could not appeal to any foreign ruler or authority, like the Pope, for decisions made in England.
