What would Britain be like if Henry VIII converted to Islam instead of Anglicanism?

Question

Henry VIII wanted a male heir so created Anglicanism so that he could marry again.

If he converted to islam instead he would have been allowed have 4 wifes and divorce too and he would have even more choice of male heirs.

So what is the possibilty that change to Islam and how would UK and world be today if it happened

Dr John and others I'm well aware that Henry was a devout Catholic and still believed and that Anglicanism was just a convenience

But this is a 'WHAT IF' question.

You need to learn how basic comprehension skill and learn how to answer questions probably.

I asked what would happen if Henry did convert to Islam, not whether he was a Catholic or not.

Thank you to all those that answer but don't insult me

Those you waste their time by writting to tell me that my question is absurd or 'rubbish': you have no imagination

also you do not grasp basic concepts, I want to know what would happen , not how likely it was to happen.

Please no one answer, if you are going to diss me.

Answer 1

Interesting What If - - - - and here is the rub // \\
One man even a King can squat under a Yew tree switch religions declare the Sun to be Green and mutter obscene things against his former religious procivity BUT if that King has few allies he will fail. It happened once to an Egyptian King )Pharoh( who decied One God was Supreme and ordered his Subjects to change their beliefs. WIthout allies, the King failed and was eventually deposed.

If King Henry had truly converted to Islam, and bear in mind his Angelicanism was half hearted and mostly spearheaded by a strong Protescent Movement that moved along without Henry or his Heirs - - - but if Henry had truly been passionate, read the Koran and wrote scholarly books in support of the Koran as he once wrote learnedly in defence of Catholicism, all he would have done was create a vast schism between himself and his loyal subjects and most likely would have been deposed. Especially if the only issue was having multiple wives - - - that issue never set well with English who think one wife is enough and perhaps a mistress or two on the side. Mormonism never gained headway in England until they dropped polygamy.

So bannished any dreams of an Islamic England simply because the bulk of English would have said 'No.' A religious movement has to seize an entire people not just one person. Many of the land 'conquered' by Islam was polytheiastic 'countries' tired of the chaos such practices inadvertabtly promote, they adopted Islam becuase it brought stability and purpose.

And I have to stress that Henry did not create the Anglican Church. The Protestcent movement in England had a life of its own and if anyone is deemed the creator than that falls to Crammer and Laud....

Peace.................... pppfftytttttttttttzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Answer 2

Why should we answer "what if" questions that are blatantly absurd? The fact of the matter is that Henry VIII could not have converted to Islam and retained his hold on the throne for long. Mary was his only legitimate heir at the time, so she would have taken his place and promptly returned the country to Catholicism. Islam would have been completely unacceptable to the English people, even assuming the absurd notion that converting to Islam would have been considered by Henry himself. We are talking about a country where having a Protestant (Elizabeth I) rather than a Catholic on the throne sparked rebellion less than 50 years later.

Answer 3

The "what-if" form of history can be an interesting game to play but in this case there is no precedent for a christian king converting to Islam just for the sake of male heirs.

Western Europe had been at war with Muslims for hundreds of years prior to the 15th century and is it such an unlikely thing to have happened. He most certainly would have alienated every western European leader and probably have had to go to war before even managing to produce a male heir.

It is likely that his own people would have risen up against him, or at least the lords would have. For centuries Islam had been used by the church and state as an example of irreligious and unchristian and ungodly - everything that was bad came from the east etc. I think that the country just would not have accepted it.

And there is always the interesting thing that Henry might not even have been able to produce healthy male children

Answer 4

Henry VIII didn't convert to anything. The liturgy of the Anglican and Roman church are still almost identical. Henry simply said, he wasn't going to be ruled by the Pope, at a time when the Pope was under pressure from the Holy Roman Emperor.
Islam was not an option at the time.

Answer 5

The Tudor monarchy was already brainwashed by the catholic religion, so King Henry 8th changed a few rules that the catholics did not like or agree with.

so the Church of England is a fake religion, as is the Catholic one made up after the alleged death of jesus, as is islam that was created about 1400 years ago by a fanatical radical obscure outspoken political leader.

As for King Henry 8th converting to islam,,,, nice thought but take into consideration that parts of Europe were at war with the middle east at that time....

Its all a load of rubbish

Answer 6

Henry VIII was born catholic and only started to question his faith when he wanted to divorce his first wife Catherine of Aragon. He used both religions to please people he really didn't care everything to Henry was more of a power issue than a religious one.

He used religion for his own use, therefore If Islam had been a practising religion in England he would have used that to his advantage as well, whilst still remaining a Catholic.

Which just goes to show how shallow so-called Religious people can be.

It's all a load of clap-trap anyway.

Answer 7

I would suspect that his conversion would have been short-lived. The impetus for his conversion was firstly to dissolve the marriage to the now unsatisfactory Catherine and provide a situation which would allow him a new, younger wife (Anne Boleyn) who could produce an heir.

Might he not have been tempted to take the maximum number of wives, produce the heirs, and when he felt it was safe to do so, convert back to Christianity? Henry was devout and truly believed in the Christian faith so it's hard to see how he could have tolerated a switch after his needs had been accomplished.

Answer 8

You are wise to ask this question. It is also good that you are investigating various religions and spiritualities. You are also, in my opinion, probably too young to make an informed decision on this yet. Continue to read and learn from various sources: there are hundreds of books around and many different views. I have read much on religion and spirituality and I think I have found the answer, a book called "A Course in Miracles", which teaches the importance of peace and love, and the need to set aside all thoughts of attack in order to see literally a better world. If you, or anyone else, have any questions at all on spiritual issues, feel free to e-mail me and I will give you my honest view.

Answer 9

do not underestimate the power of religion. Henry VII get away with this conversion only because Anglicanism was already getting acceptance and it was still christian religion. had he had converted to Muslim, lets say Britain would have had one of The bloodies civil war in the world. in my country, around 17th century, the king were considered as messengers of god. but when he converted his region, wow the effect lasted for the next two centuries. he had even apologies and re converted to his previous religion and resigned from the kingship.
i just want to tell you, religion is one of the things most people especially in those days would not compromise for anything.

Answer 10

Hard to say; probably there would have been a revolt ending in his exile or demise. But of course Henry didn't convert -- he simply stopped recognizing the authority of the Roman Pope. That did not mean that he stopped calling himself Catholic.