How far did religious identities change in England and Wales from c.1533-c.1547
My essay was about religious change during Henry VIII’s reign between 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry VIII’s reign saw a huge amount of change in England and Wales, most noticeably the ‘break from Rome.’ This period saw Henry gain significant influence over all aspects of religion in 1534 with ‘The Act of Supremacy.’ This act meant that Henry VIII could establish the Church of England and proclaim himself to be the ‘Supreme Head of the Church’ therefore severing ties with the papacy in Rome.
My poster has taken inspiration from the time of Henry VIII’s reign and how a poster created by Henry VIII could have influenced the citizens who saw it. In the centre of the image, it reads ‘Are you loyal to your King?’ I have decided to use a question for my title due to the inherent nature of a question which means that that reader should start thinking about how they are loyal to their king. Furthermore, it also entices the viewer to read further on and find out what makes someone loyal to the king. This is important when you want to spread a message such as Henry VIII wanting to promote Protestantism in England Wales. By only using six words, it means the reader only needs to take a quick glance in order to understand the theme of the poster. By using fewer words in the poster, it means that my point is easily conveyed.
I have used white text with a black outline and a red background as my main colour themes for this poster. The black outline around the letters is purely there to make the text easier to read for people viewing the poster. I used white text and a red background in order to symbolise the ‘Tudor Rose’ which is shown at the top-middle of the poster. The red representing the rose from the House of Lancaster while the white representing the rose from the House of York. The use of the colour white also symbolises purity which coincides with the religious theme of this poster. The use of the colour red symbolises death with this particular shade of red, looking like blood. This works well with the text at the bottom of the poster, as most treasonous acts committed during Henry VIII’s reign would likely result with a hanging or beheading. Furthermore, the white and red contrast each other quite well.
I have also used a photo of the front cover of the ‘Great Bible’ which was the first English written bible for Henry VIII to authorise in England and Wales. On the right-hand side, I have used a partial image from a painting of King Henry VIII to remind the viewers that Henry VIII is their King and so must be loyal to him. Overall, the poster is there to indoctrinate the viewers that Protestantism is the only religion you can follow without committing treason.
