Context: 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.

Question: When did Henry VIII take direct royal control?
Answer: 1539

Question: Who gave the abbey status of a cathedral in 1540?
Answer: Henry VIII

Question: What did the cathedral status save the abbey from?
Answer: destruction

Question: What did changing the status of the abbey create?
Answer: the Diocese of Westminster

Question: When did Henry VII take direct royal control?
Answer: Unanswerable

Question: When did Henry VIII take indirect royal control?
Answer: Unanswerable

Question: Who gave the abbey status of a cathedral in 1504?
Answer: Unanswerable

Question: What did the cathedral status not save the abbey from?
Answer: Unanswerable