1.3 - Challenges to the religious settlement

Question 1

Who were the Puritans? What did they want?

Answer 1

• Puritans were radical Protestants who wanted to “purify” the Christian religion by getting rid of anything that wasn’t in the Bible.
• They wanted : to develop their own Church, without the control of the queen and where priests would not wear vestments; to ban “sinful” activities such as gambling; to have a simpler style of worship, without crucifixes and statues, which were seen as ungodly and too Catholic.
• Minority of Puritans believed the monarch could be overthrown in certain circumstances.

Question 2

Describe the nature of the Puritan challenge.

Answer 2

Crucifixes : Elizabeth, anxious not to upset her Catholic subjects, demanded that a crucifix be placed in each church. Puritans opposed this and when some Puritan bishops threatened to resign, Elizabeth backed down, as she could not replace them with educated Protestant clergy of similar ability.

Vestments : Elizabeth wanted the clergy to wear special vestments, as described in the Royal Injunctions. Puritans resisted this, arguing clergy should wear no vestments. In 1566, the Archbishop of Canterbury required priests in his Book of Advertisements to attend an exhibition showing the vestments they must wear.

Resulted in resignation of 37 Puritan priests.

Question 3

Describe the extent of the Puritan challenge.

Answer 3

• Puritans were a vocal group within English society and were openly anti-Catholic.
• Government ignored most Puritan demands for reform of the Church of England, including the Admonition to Parliament in 1572, suggesting that Puritanism’s support was limited

Question 4

What was the Counter Reformation?

Answer 4

The Catholic Church’s attempt to reverse the Protestant Reformation in Europe and stop its spread was known as the Counter Reformation. Protestants in Europe were charged with heresy.

In 1566, the pope issued an instruction to English Catholics to not attend Church of England services.

Question 5

Describe the nature of the Catholic threat at home.

Answer 5

• Counter Reformation in Europe attempts to reverse spread of Protestantism.
• Catholic hostility towards Protestants.
• Pope instructs English Catholics not to attend CoE services.
• One-third of the English nobility and a large part of the gentry are recusants.
• Revolt of the Northern Earls (1569-70)

Question 6

What are recusants? Why did Elizabeth tolerate them?

Answer 6

Recusants practised the Catholic religion in secret. Elizabeth tolerated them initially, as she did not want to turn them into religious martyrs and to avoid a Catholic rebellion.

Question 7

Describe the extent of the Catholic threat.

Answer 7

• Catholic nobility tended to be from traditional and powerful families that prospered under Mary Tudor. They resented their loss of influence under Elizabeth and disliked the growing influence of her favourites, such as Sir William Cecil, who they saw as Protestant upstarts.
• The nobility in the north were very influential and had always enjoyed the independence from the Crown, so they were well placed to incite a rebellion against Elizabeth.
• The threat was increased by the pope’s instruction that Catholics were not to attend CoE services. Gave them a powerful religious reason to rebel.

Question 8

What were the the three main Catholic threats abroad to Elizabeth?

Answer 8

• France
• The papacy
• Spain

Question 9

Describe how France was a threat from abroad in 1570.

Answer 9

When religious war began in France, in 1562, Elizabeth backed the French Protestants, hoping to take back Calais in return. Yet this policy failed, as French Protestants made peace with the Catholics later that year.

Question 10

Describe how the papacy was a threat from abroad in 1570.

Answer 10

• The Counter Reformation meant the pope was prepared to end Protestant rule in England. He disapproved of the steps that Elizabeth had taken to suppress Catholicism following the revolt of the Northern Earls.
• The pope had already excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570. This could only encourage Catholic powers, such as France and Spain, to attack England.

Question 11

Describe how Spain was a threat from abroad in 1570.

Answer 11

• In 1566, the Dutch rebelled against Spanish occupation and Elizabeth outwardly condemned the Dutch rebels, but many made their way to England. Spanish atrocities against Protestants put Elizabeth under pressure to shelter rebels, who attacked Spanish ships in the Channel.
• Spain further angered by England’s seizure of the Genoese loan in 1568. Ships carrying the loan, toward Spain, sheltered in English ports, where Elizabeth seized it.
• By 1570, Spanish rule in Netherlands secure. The Privy Council feared a Spanish invasion, as Spanish troops were in the Spanish Netherlands close to England.
• The presence of MQoS as an alternative Catholic monarch encouraged the Spanish government to plot against Elizabeth.