Book dossier

The thirty-nine articles of the Church of England

by Church of England

The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, established in 1563 and finalized in 1571, is the final incarnation of the doctrine of the Church of England. The Articles arose out of the English Reformation, which originated with the excommunication of Henry VIII in 1533, as well as the first issue of position statements in 1536, and continued through revisions taking place under the reigns of Edward VI and Elizabeth I, the latter of whom was excommunicated in 1870. The Articles had a lasting effect on religion in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, due to the Articles' propagation into the Book of Common Prayer, and the Anglican Church continues to invoke the Articles to the present time.