Final answer:
Henry VIII established the Church of England and became its head after Pope Clement VII refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. This led to the English Reformation and significant religious and political changes in England.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Pope Clement VII refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII reacted by rejecting the authority of the Catholic Church. A devout Catholic, Henry initially stood against the Reformation until his desire for a male heir led him to seek an annulment of his marriage to Catherine. The Pope's refusal, influenced by political pressures and the risk of suggesting papal fallibility, prompted Henry to establish the Church of England with himself as its supreme head.
This act of defiance against the Pope's denial was formalized through the Act of Supremacy in 1534. Henry's actions effectively initiated the English Reformation. Parliament, supporting Henry's decision, passed the Act in Restraint of Appeals and the Act of Submission of the Clergy, which severed England's ties with the Roman Catholic Church and made the monarch the spiritual leader of the newly formed national church.
Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury who harbored Protestant sympathies, eventually granted the annulment, enabling Henry to marry Anne Boleyn. The monarch's subsequent marriages, religious reforms, and the consolidation of church wealth under the crown, marked significant religious and political shifts in England.