The first Act of Supremacy was passed on 3rd of November in 1534 by the Parliament of England. The Act granted the King of England supremacy over the ecclesiastic bodies of that time i.e the Church of England. He was now to be the supreme head of the Earth and the Church. Previously the Pope enjoyed complete control in the religious realm. The political realm was in many ways subsumed in the religious. This Act marked a momentous shift in England and triggered the English leg of reformation. This break from the Roman Church was prompted by a very personal reason. King Henry VIII wanted to divorce his current wife and remarry. This was impossible under the Catholic Church so the ambitious King sought to reform the system. He established the Church of England and lo and behold, the Acts of Supremacy were passed. Although the Act was motivated by personal interests of King Henry the eighth it restructured the political and religious sphere in England.

“...king’s Majesty justly and rightfully is and ought to be the supreme head of the Church of England...” –Acts of Supremacy, 1534