Westminster Abbey:

Henry VIII assumed direct royal control in 1539 and granted the abbey the status of a cathedral by charter in 1540, simultaneously issuing letters patent establishing the Diocese of Westminster. By granting the abbey cathedral status Henry VIII gained an excuse to spare it from the destruction or dissolution which he inflicted on most English abbeys during this period.

Please answer a question about this article. If the question is unanswerable, say "unanswerable". When did Henry VIII take direct royal control?
1539