Church of England: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 13, 2026

News •

Could a law change 'complete' Daniel O'Connell's legacy? • Nov. 9, 2026, 1:22 AM ET (BBC)

Trans law risks criminalising prayer, warns Church of England • Nov. 6, 2026, 3:20 PM ET (The Telegraph)

The Church of England is punishing the people who keep it alive • Oct. 25, 2026, 3:00 AM ET (The Telegraph)

Photos and Videos

Canterbury Cathedral

St. Augustine, in white robes, gestures while preaching to King Aethelberht I and his court, who are seated under a tree, in a 19th-century colored wood engraving.

Portrait of King Henry VIII of England wearing ornate 16th-century royal attire with a fur-lined cloak, gold jewelry, and a feathered hat, standing against a dark background.

John Henry Newman

Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, both in ceremonial robes and mitres, during a Vespers Service at Saint Gregory Church on Caelian Hill in Rome, Italy.

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Anglican Communion

Sarah Mullally, wearing ceremonial bishop robes and miter, speaks while holding a book during her installation as Bishop of London at St Paul's Cathedral, with clergy and lit lamps behind her.

Why did Henry VIII form the Church of England?

The video thumbnail image includes a 17th century artwork showing men fighting at a gambling table, surrounded by a Christmas garland and overlaid on a photograph of a snowy forest.

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Topics

Low Church High Church Anglicanism What happens when the archbishop of Canterbury is enthroned?Convocations of Canterbury and York Nonjuror Congé d’élire latitudinarian Protestantism Lutheranism Baptist mainline Protestantism Methodism Calvinism Church of Christ free church Society of Friends The Protestant Heritage Congregationalism

Key People

Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I

queen of England

Hans Holbein the Younger: Portrait of Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII

king of England

Portrait of Sir Thomas More by Hans Holbein the Younger, showing More in dark robes and a black hat, wearing a gold chain of office, seated against a green and yellow draped background.

Thomas More

English humanist and statesman

St. John Henry Newman

St. John Henry Newman

British theologian

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Saint John Fisher

English priest

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John Biddle

English theologian

Manning, Henry Edward

Henry Edward Manning

British cardinal

William George Ward, engraving

William George Ward

British theologian

Whiston, oil painting by an unknown artist after a portrait by Sarah Hoadly, c. 1720; in the National Portrait Gallery, London

William Whiston

Anglican priest and mathematician

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John Whitgift

archbishop of Canterbury

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Lodowick Muggleton

English religious leader

William Cunningham, detail of a portrait by Eric Kennington, 1908; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

William Cunningham

British economist

Frederick William Faber, engraving by Joseph Brown

Frederick William Faber

British theologian

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Joan Bocher

English Anabaptist

Richard Hooker, engraving by E. Finden after a print by W. Hollar.

Richard Hooker

English theologian

John Jewel, portrait by an unknown artist; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

John Jewel

English bishop

Andrewes, Lancelot

Lancelot Andrewes

English theologian

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Cyril Forster Garbett

British archbishop

Holy week. Easter. Valladolid. Procession of Nazarenos carry a cross during the Semana Santa (Holy week before Easter) in Valladolid, Spain. Good Friday

Christianity Quiz

If You'd Only Be My Valentine, American Valentine card, 1910. Cupid gathers a basket of red hearts from a pine tree which, in the language of flowers represents daring. Valentine's Day St. Valentine's Day February 14 love romance history and society heart In Roman mythology Cupid was the son of Venus, goddess of love (Eros and Aphrodite in the Greek Pantheon).

The Love Quiz