<P> The title was created for King Henry VIII , who was responsible for the English Christian ( protestant ) church breaking away from the authority of the Roman Catholic Church after the Pope excommunicated Henry in 1533 over his divorce from Catherine of Aragon . By 1536 , Henry had broken with Rome , seized the church 's assets in England and declared the Church of England as the established church with himself as its head . The Act of Supremacy of 1534 confirmed the King 's status as having supremacy over the church and required the nobility to swear an oath recognising Henry 's supremacy . Henry 's daughter , Queen Mary I , a staunch Catholic , attempted to restore the English church 's allegiance to the pope and repealed the Act of Supremacy in 1555 . Her half - sister , the Protestant Elizabeth I , took the throne in 1558 and the next year , Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy of 1559 that restored the original act . The new Oath of Supremacy that nobles were required to swear gave the queen 's title as Supreme Governor of the church rather than Supreme Head , to avoid the charge that the monarchy was claiming divinity or usurping Christ , whom the Bible explicitly identifies as Head of the Church . </P>
<P> The title was created for King Henry VIII , who was responsible for the English Christian ( protestant ) church breaking away from the authority of the Roman Catholic Church after the Pope excommunicated Henry in 1533 over his divorce from Catherine of Aragon . By 1536 , Henry had broken with Rome , seized the church 's assets in England and declared the Church of England as the established church with himself as its head . The Act of Supremacy of 1534 confirmed the King 's status as having supremacy over the church and required the nobility to swear an oath recognising Henry 's supremacy . Henry 's daughter , Queen Mary I , a staunch Catholic , attempted to restore the English church 's allegiance to the pope and repealed the Act of Supremacy in 1555 . Her half - sister , the Protestant Elizabeth I , took the throne in 1558 and the next year , Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy of 1559 that restored the original act . The new Oath of Supremacy that nobles were required to swear gave the queen 's title as Supreme Governor of the church rather than Supreme Head , to avoid the charge that the monarchy was claiming divinity or usurping Christ , whom the Bible explicitly identifies as Head of the Church . </P>
who declared himself the head of the english church
who declared himself the head of the english church
King Henry VIII
King Henry VIII