Dissolution of the Monasteries system

Timeline

1. 1536Westminster · EnglandThe Act for the Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries authorized the closure of monasteries with lower revenues and questionable morals, based on visitation reports led by Thomas Cromwell, initiating systematic confiscation of church property.
2. 1538–1539England and Wales · United KingdomNumerous religious institutions, including large monasteries such as Glastonbury and Reading, were forcibly closed, with lands and buildings transferred to the crown or granted to new favorites; local resistance such as the aftermath of the Pilgrimage of Grace persisted.
3. 1540England · EnglandBy 1540, the English monastic system as an independent church property system had essentially ended; the disposal of remaining property was integrated with the newly established parish structure, providing resources for subsequent national church finance and local governance.