At the beginning of the 16th century, England was Catholic. But some scholars abroad began to argue that the Catholic Church had become excessively rich, corrupt, and was turning away from the Bible.
Henry VIII, chasing imperialist dreams. He was opposed to the spread of Lutheranism in England. He was the Head of the Church, in fact he had appointed himself autonomously in order to obtain a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, but his Church had remained an English Catholic Church. The king needs money to pay for his court and expensive war expenses. He knew that the church had a large estate and that there were treasures of gold, silver and jewels in the monastery. The church also reduced the royal family's income because people had to pay taxes to the royal family.
During the reign of Edward VI, there were more Protestants in England and Wales, and their prayer books and services in English were more abundant. However, after the death of Mary I, the country completely reverted to the Catholic faith, burning more than 280 Protestants during her short reign. Therefore, when Elizabeth became queen, both Protestants and Catholics were eager to see which religion she followed and whether she would suffer religious persecution.