5.1 Elizabeth - Religion Flashcards
what were the four main pieces of religious legislation during the reign of Elizabeth?
- supremacy 1559: Papal supremacy rejected, heresy law repealed, powers of visitation revived, Elizabeth became Supreme Governor and oath of supremacy to be taken.
- Act of Uniformity – single Book of Common Prayer (modified version of the Cranmer prayer book of 1552 – it contained some elements of the 1549 Prayer Book too). Variations in Eucharistic belief were possible, black rubric removed
- Injunctions of 1559 – suppression of superstition, Eucharist should be performed at a simple table, not an altar, pilgrimages and candles dismissed as ‘fantasies’. Parish churches had to have a bible in English
- 1563 – 39 Articles of Religion
what domestic factors influenced Elizabeth’s religion?
- she had been brought up protestant by her tutor, Robert Ascham
- she was influenced by Catherine Parr
- there was a religious split in the privy council (Dudley was more extreme, Cecil was more moderate)
- at the beginning of her reign about 80% of the population were Catholic and the other 20% protestant
what foreign factors influenced Elizabeth’s religion?
- her religious policies were taking place during the religious counter-reformation with a big Catholic push-back against Protestants
- they were working to improve the Catholi image with less corruption
- there were ongoing religious civil wars which made Elizabeth particularly conscious to avoid this in England (French Wars of Religion and the War in the Netherlands against Philip)
when was the Elizabethean settlement?
1559-1563
what legislation made up the Elizabethean settlement?
- the act of supremacy, 1559
- the act of uniformity, 1559
- royal injunctions, 1559
- the act of exchange, 1559
- 39 articles of faith, 1563
what was the Act of Supremacy?
- she reversed Mary’s pro-papal policies
- compromised and used the title ‘supreme governor’ instead of ‘supreme head’ (to satisfy those who thought a woman could not lead the church)
- legislation from HVIII’s reign was restored and heresy laws introduced under Mary were revoked
- clergymen, church officials and anyone with a position of authority had to take an oath to the supremacy
- around 2000 clergymen refused to take the oath
what was the Act of Uniformity?
the rigid structure of the church was maintained
- bishops, deans, priests etc.
she set out the appearance of the church
- altars to be replaced by communion tables (later revoked) but crucifixes and ornaments can still be put on them
- priests were still allowed to wear vestments
set out the nature of church services
- hybrid of the 1549 Prayer Book and the 1552 Prayer Book which was a bit of a cop out
- she did get rid of the black rubric (the practice of kneeling in front of the bread and wine)
there were fines imposed on those who did not attend CoE services
- non-attenders known as recuscants
the act, due to its ambiguity, became known as the via media or middle way
what five royal injunctions were issued?
- preachers had to be licensed
- preachers had to preach at least once a month to be licensed
- every parish had to have and Enlgish bible
- outlawed pilgrimages
- altars could not be destroyed
what were the 39 articles of faith?
- it was suppoesed to be a definitive statement of what Anglicanism actually means but it was more just a list of the legislation passed
- it was made an act of parliament in 1571 after the rebellion of the Northern Earls in 1569
what was the act of exchange?
- any church contributions to Rome would now remain in England
- Elizabeth could also take over the property belonging to bishops and force them to rent land to her (as she was very short of money because of Mary’s war in France)
what were immediate domestic reactions to the settlement?
- the nature of the via media approach meant reaction was fairly muted
- 400 members of the clergy did resign and all Catholic bishops appointed by Mary lost or left their positions fairly quickly meaning she could appoint bishops more supportive of the settlement
- there weren’t any unusually high emigration stats unlike in Mary’s reign
- in a 1564 survey of JPs only about half were reliably backing up the settlement
overall the reaction is pretty calm though
what were foreign reactions to the Elizabethean settlement?
Spain
- Philip II was prepared to give Elizabeth the benefit of the doubt (arrogant?) thinking she would quickly be won back to Catholic status
France
- Henry II of France died unexpectedly this year
- Francis II came to the throne and married MQS giving the feeling England was surrounded by Catholic powers
- but then Francis II dies descending the country into the wars of religion
- issue for providing aid for Elizabeth but also means France is preoccupied
Scotland
- the Scottish protestant nobility rebelled against the regency under Marie de Guise
- Elizabeth was persuaded by Cecil to send support ending in 1560 with the treaty of Edinburgh, French troops withdrawn from Scotland
Overall
- threat from the French/Scottish but it was resolved
- Philip too arrogant to be bothered
Catholic reactions to the settlement 1560-1570?
- latin was found to still be used in local areas
- not huge evidence of recusancy fines (fines were 1 shilling which was a large sum of money for anyone below the gentry) but if the JP was Catholic it was unlikely they would enforce it
- in 1563 an act was passed claiming all office holders had to take an oath to the supremacy or face the death penalty but no one was ever asked twice…
- no priests were executed for saying mass seeming to suggest authorities weren’t cracking down on religion
- in 1563 Elizabeth allows for the production of Foxe’s book of martyrs
- instead of persecuting Catholics she is deploying propoganda against them
Catholic reaction to the settlement from 1567-1572?
saw a massive rise in the fear of Catholicism
1567:
- the pope instructs catholics not to attend anglican services
- the arrival of the Duke of Alva in the Netherlands causes anxieties
1568:
- MQS arrives in England, potential Catholic contender for the throne
- Catholic missionary priests arrive from Douai in the Netherlands
1569:
- rebellion of the northern earls (earl of Westmoreland and Northumberland)
- wanted to get MQS on the throne by trying to marry her to the Earl of Norfolk
- rebellion received popular support, mass was heard at Durham cathedral
- Catholicism has now become a threat to dynastic security as a result Elizabeth reinstitues the Council of the North
1570:
- Pope Pius V excommunicates Elizabeth meaning no Catholic owes loyalty to her, anyone opposing her would be commended
1571:
- Ridolfi plot involving the Spanish ambassador for England and MQS (he is subsequently expelled from England
- Liz introduces a new treasons act, if you denied her supremacy or published the pope’s excomunnication order you could receive the death penalty
1572:
- massacre of St Bartholomew’s in Paris demonstrating violent potency of religious conflict
what impact did the Douai priests have?
- the Catholic Douai priests were set up in 1568 but the majority start to arrive in the 1570s
- in 1580-85 179 arrive
- this suggests a lot of gentry houses were holding them (although it would have been hard for them to travel and most likely would have stayed in the south where they arrvived
- in 1585 an act was passed saying the act of being a Catholic priest could incur the death penalty