<P> Many Protestant leaders also disapproved of Catholic monasticism because they believed it was unnecessary for salvation and harmful to those who practiced it . The practice of penance and the belief that good works could balance the punishment of sin or lead to salvation were particularly common among the monks living in monasteries . Protestants rejected this doctrine, believing that good works alone could not allow one to enter heaven . Rather, Protestants rely on the doctrines of sola scriptura and sola fide . </P> <P> During the 16th and 17th centuries, nearly all the monarchs and resulting governments of Scotland, Ireland, and England were defined by either Catholicism or Protestantism . </P> <P> Henry VIII was the first monarch to introduce a new state religion to the English . In 1532, he wanted to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon . When Pope Clement VII refused to consent to the divorce, Henry VIII decided to separate the entire country of England from the Roman Catholic Church . The Pope had no more authority over the people of England . This parting of ways opened the door for Protestantism to enter the country . </P> <P> Henry VIII established the Church of England after his split with the Pope . However, England stayed much the same, even with the new state religion . Its doctrines and practices were, at first, very similar to those of the Catholic Church . The king did not establish the Church of England as a result of religious differences with Catholicism; his motives were mainly political, and he persecuted radical Protestants who threatened his church . </P>

Who changed the church in england from catholic to protestant