Reformation And Formation Of Britain As A Nation-state

The British Empire which was known as the empire where the sun never sets was the true master of the world in the modern history especially in the 19 th century,for it ruled nearly one-fifth of the world's territory depending on the mere tiny place.Achieving this success is mainly because of taking lead in becoming a modern sense nation-state.Thus any attempt to analyze the forming of the English state-nation must mention the Reformation.Reformation was a social reform movement that Europe against the Roman Catholic Church in the 16 th century.During this period,European feudalism has started to break,capitalism has arisen,and national state has formed gradually.But The Roman Catholic Church led by the Pope still struggle to maintain the old feudal system,which hindered the development of the society.Thus it became a contradiction.Britain before the Reformation was under the rule of Tudor.Meanwhile,with the strengthen of autocracy,Western European dual regime with the Coexistence of Royalty and magisterium faced a crisis,which provided a premise for the English Reformation.John Wycliffe set off the Reformation in Britain in the name of puring the church in the14 th century,so we can say that the Reformation has a far-reaching historical tradition.Henry VIII,the second king of the Tudor,did not give birth to a legal male heir,therefore the kingship is seriously challenged.To ensure the stability and longevity of the kingdom,Henry cut off the relationship between the Church of England and the Holy See on the pretext of divorce.From then on,the British Reformation began.The process of the Reformation is complicated,It roughly passed through four stages of the rule of Henry VIII,Edward VI,Mary I,and Elizabeth I.Henry VIII cut off the relationship between the Church of England and the Holy See,and Edward VI made outstanding contributions to the National Church in terms of religious etiquette and doctrine.Although Queen Mary's Catholic Restoration interrupted the process of the English Reformation,it stimulated British nationalism in a sense,Elizabeth I eventuallyestablished the British National Church.British after the Reformation,established its own national church,and formed a unified national language.What's more,National consciousness has begun to awaken,the national system has improved gradually and the national economy has developed.These elements are the necessary conditions for the formation of Britain as a Nation-State.This article focuses on analysis how Reformation promotes the development of these elements and eventually formed the prototype of the nation-state.