Chapter 6: Religious changes 1547-58 Flashcards
Evidence of Protestant change under Somerset
Traditional practices were attacked and destroyed
Royal visitation
July 1547: Book of Homilies in every church -> provided model sermons etc.
Services now in English and had to have English Bible in every church
Superstitious images and statues had to be taken down
1547 Chantries Act: dissolved them (might have been for money though)
Repealed Treason Act -> radicals free to discuss + demand demand reforms (led to iconoclastic attacks on images and alters)
Act of Uniformity passed in Jan 1549: order clergy to use no. of Prot. practices (limited sacraments to 5, allowed clergy to marry, made services in English, stopped singing in masses for souls of the dead)
clergy forced to use the new service
laity educated on new religion
visitation monitored spread of Protestantism
Evidence of limited or no progress of Protestant change under Somerset
England had socially always been Catholic (difficult to change that)
At the beginning, little evidence of putting in a reformed church
majority of the lower clergy and population opposed change (only people in south near London really agreed)
Jan - April 1548 (acts to limit who can preach) and Sept. 1548: Council banned all public preaching -> response to repelling of Treason Act
Act of Uniformity did not eliminate all Catholic practices (e.g Holy Days remained, belief in Purgatory neither upheld or condemned)
laity not punished for not attending church
unrest broke out in Devon, Cornwall, Yorkshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire
people did not socially follow all change
nobles/gentry not willing to accept radical change
Change under Somerset - learning summary
Protestant change:
- 1547 Chantries Act
- 1549 Act of Uniformity
- Repealed Treason Act (IMPACT: freedom of religious speech)
- attacks on iconography
Barriers to Somerset’s change:
- Reaction to repealing Treason Act = unrest
- Some Catholic traditions continued (mainly due to society)
- SOCIAL: not all changes were followed
- Protests across England: open opposition
Change had to be carefully managed
How radical were the changes under Northumberland:
Changes he made:
-Jan 1550 - new Ordinal
- July 1547-49 - Royal Injunctions
- 1551: Conservative bishops deprived of their sees
- January 1552: New Treason Act
- March/April 1552: Second Act of Uniformity
1552: Second Prayer Book
Jan 1550 new Ordinal
revised procedure for ordination of priests
->resulted in battle bet. Ridley, Cranmer & Hooper (declined post of Bishop of Gloucester & imprisoned for failure to stop preaching) Hooper annoyed at swearing oath
Not that radical
form of indoctrination (swear an oath to king) BUT been done before so not that radical
July 1547-49 Royal Injunctions
On removal of superstitious images, all images had to be removed and proclamation order destruction of all remaining images
Very radical
- > changing church - very noticeable
- radical on social and religious level
1551 Conservative Bishops (e.g Gardiner) deprived of their sees
Gave reformists a majority among the bishops
Radical: allowed for new wave of legal protestant reform, removed political power of bishops (Catholics no longer welcome in court) Messed balance of patronage
Jan 1552: New Treason Act
made it an offence to question royal supremacy or any beliefs of the church
Very radical
- legal offence to question reform that = punishable
- Northumberland planning lots more changes
- encompasses social, religious and political
March/April 1552: Second Act of Uniformity
further explains some of the problems in imposing the new religion
Very radical
- People will be punished, cannot skip church
- Act of Parliament
- strict Catholics get in trouble
1552 Second Prayer Book
Became basics for Church services and had to be used (introduced in every Parish within given time frame)
Radical on social level
-in English and no pictures
- changing church and changing what people hear
BUT away from London, change dispense out
How Protestant was England by the death of Edward VI?
Politically = 10/10
- Parliament passed laws which made failure ti go to church punishable
- Treason Act meant more changes were planned, Catholic Bishops removed from power in court
- England legally = v Protestant
Religiously = 8/10
- removal of iconography changed the church and the way religion was practised
- Second Prayer Book changed way religion heard ‘in every parish’ (did not happen in every parish though)
- altars were replaced
Socially = 7/10
- Act of Parliament, 2nd Prayer Book and removal of icons were noticeable and changed peaoples reception of religion
- Protestantism did not spread 100% past London and Kent
- people = religiously indifferent and accept change
What were Mary’s religious aims?
CATHOLIC AIMS
- undo changes since 1529
- restore papal authority
- restore traditional Catholic practices and belief in transubstantiation
- reestablish religious houses that had been dissolved
- end clerical marriage and restore the status of priests
- secure a long-term future for Catholicism by marrying and having children
- persecute those who did not agree with her views
Why were these his aims?
- mother = CofA -> Catholic and Spanish
- > Catholic country and Mary married Philip of Spain (Catholic connections)
-CofA treated badly
What obstacles prevent her from reaching these aims?
marry staunch Catholics had remained loyal to Henry and Edward and profited from change
concerns about restoring papal authority
concerns about restoring monastic property
people worried she will proceed too quickly and provoke unrest
Evidence Mary’s religious changes were popular politically
Act of Repeal (undid changes done under Edward: England back to 1547)
1553: Mary= not supreme head of church
Royal Injunctions in Spring 1554
Second Act of Repeal in Nov. 1554
- > repealed religious legislation since 1529
- > unanimous decision
Heresy laws reintroduced in 1554
gov. sent letters to JPs to report Protestants in London/SE
