The Church of England (C of E) is the officially established Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the historic mother church of the Anglican tradition, and its members are known as Anglicans. The church traces its roots to Christianity in Roman Britain by the 3rd century and to the Gregorian mission to Kent in 597, led by Augustine of Canterbury.
In 1534, under King Henry VIII, the Church of England broke with the authority of the papacy through acts of Parliament, launching the English Reformation. A central architect of early Anglican theology and worship was Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who shaped doctrine and produced the church’s signature liturgy, the Book of Common Prayer. Papal authority was briefly restored during the reign of Mary I, but the separation was renewed under Elizabeth I. The Elizabethan Settlement (1559–1563) established a lasting framework for a church that described itself as a via media—a “middle way”—often understood as holding elements associated with both Reformed Protestantism and historic catholic practice.
Throughout the Reformation era and beyond, English religious life was marked by conflict. Both Catholics and Protestants suffered persecution at different times, and later laws penalized Catholics as well as Protestant groups outside the Church of England. Debates over doctrine and governance continued into the 17th century, intensifying during the English Civil War. Under the Puritan-led Commonwealth, bishops and the Book of Common Prayer were abolished, but both were restored after the Stuart Restoration in 1660.
The Church of England has long worshiped primarily in English and is often described as a broad church, containing multiple traditions—commonly associated with Anglo-Catholic, high church, central church, and low church/evangelical streams. In modern times, tensions between conservatives and liberals have been especially visible in debates over issues such as the ordination of women and questions surrounding same-sex relationships.
Constitutionally, the British monarch (currently King Charles III) is the church’s Supreme Governor, while the senior cleric is the Archbishop of Canterbury—Sarah Mullally, confirmed in office on 28 January 2026. The church is organized into dioceses led by bishops and subdivided into local parishes. Its legislative body, the General Synod, includes bishops, clergy, and lay members, and its measures require approval through the UK’s established church procedures.
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