Annates were annual payments made by bishops to the Pope when first taking their positions, making up a significant source of the papacy's income. In 1532, with the failure of Henry VIII's annulment and desire to break from papal authority, the Act in Conditional Restraint of Annates was passed, stating that such payments would no longer be made to Rome but to Henry instead. This was an economic attack on the papacy that challenged centuries of tradition and could provoke anger in Rome, so Henry and Cromwell had to proceed carefully despite their radical new legislation.

1. Annates

2. What are annates?
• Annates were the payments made to Rome by
bishops when they took up their post for the
first time. In return for papal consecration a
payment was made that roughly equated to
one third of a year’s income. Annates were
paid across western Europe and deeply
resented. They were also a large source of
income for the papacy.

3. Henry was breaking away from the
papacy
• The Church in England was effectively under
Henry’s control by 1532 and the way to the
Supremacy was becoming clearer. After the
failure of the annulment, Henry and Cromwell
had to sever links with Rome in order that
Catherine’s appeal to the papacy could be
made invalid. They did this by making the Act
in Conditional Restraint of Annates in March
1932.

4. The Act in Conditional Restraint of
Annates
• The Act in Conditional Restraint of Annates took place
in 1532 and was an economical attack on the papacy in
Rome. The act stated that annates should no longer be
paid to the papacy but to Henry instead. Annates were
the papacy’s main source of income from Henry’s
kingdom, and their proposed abolition was likely to
cause anger in Rome.
• The decree stated that if the Pope were to refuse to
consecrate bishops as a result of annates being
abolished, those bishops would be consecrated by
English authority.

5. • Traditional bishops voted against the
legislation . Although they would benefit
financially from the decree, they were
reluctant to see papal power dissolved. Henry
and Cromwell had to tread carefully after
making this radical legislation because it
challenged centuries of tradition. The
repercussions within Europe could have been
serious. Therefore the Act remained until
1533.