Act of Supremacy

<span class="date">1534</span>. This piece of legislation passed by the English Parliament during the reign of <span class="auto-link">[[Henry VIII]]</span>* declared the king to be “the only supreme head on earth of the <span class="auto-link">[[Church of England]]</span>.” Although it was repealed during the reign of the Roman Catholic queen <span class="auto-link">[[Mary Tudor]]</span>,* it was restored under <span class="auto-link">[[Elizabeth I]]</span>* in 1559, except that the reference now was to “supreme governor.” This is the basis on which diocesan bishops are still appointed by the sovereign on the advice of the prime minister.<br /><br />