English Reformation with a more decentralised England

[Fabius Maximus]

Let's say the POD is that the Wars of the Roses are even more messy than IOTL, causing a great loss of royal power and authority. Henry VII is able to stabilise the situation, but nevertheless the king only really directly controls the southern and central parts of the country, with the north, south-west, and Wales essentially being semi-independent. (Think of the situation in the HRE for an analogy.)

Now, let's say that the Reformation still happens as IOTL, and that Henry VIII still marries Catherine of Aragon and still decides to break with Rome in order to get rid of her. And for the sake of an interesting TL, let's further say that the semi-independent lords in the north and west want to remain Catholic. What would happen? Would Henry be able to force them into line, or would they be strong enough to make Henry back down? Or would we get a long-term religious division like in France or Germany?

 

[Madhukar_Shah]

I think if England was more decentralised, it’s more likely the reformation would happen the other way around- that is, with royal power much more closely aligned with the Catholic church because that’s an institution that does extend over the entire kingdom, the support of which clearly elevates the king over his great earls. The earls on the other hand would be more incentivised to break with Rome, because that also means breaking with Cambridge and therefore local control over ecclesiastical resources. Still, it’s plausible it’ll be as otl a centrally directed reformation, especially if it allows the king to seize the prince bishopric of Durham.

Also I’d probably guess any war of the rosé’s decentralisation is more likely to give you surviving/expanded counties palatine, including the prince bishopric of Durham, maybe you could separate the county palatine of Lancaster from the crown. In wales as well as the earldom of Pembrokeshire staying independent, you could make the justiciarship of north and south wales hereditary.

In any case, without a division of the actual English heartland in the south, it feels like the centre should be able to bully the provinces considerably, and they’ll be forced to follow.