This book is part of a series which provides an analysis of complex issues and problems in important A level modern history topics. Using supporting documents, the books aim to give students a clear account of the historical facts and an understanding of the central themes and differing interpretations. The book deals with the highly controversial question of the state of the Catholic Church in England in the decades preceding and leading up to the break with Rome. It focuses on such issues as the role of the episcopate, the quality of the clergy - both secular and regular, heretical movements, lay attitudes towards the Church, pressures for reform and the beginning of the Reformation.