Edward VI: Somerset - Religious Changes Flashcards
What were the main religious changes made between 1547-1549?
- 1547 - Six Articles reversed
- Feb 1547 - denunciation of images in London
- July 1547 - injunctions issued
- Dec 1547 - dissolution of chantries and religious guilds
- January 1549 - Act of Uniformity
- May 1549 - introduction of Book of Common Prayer
How Protestant was Somerset?
- Seemed to be a genuine Protestant
- Late convert to Protestantism
- Welcomed religious radicals like John Hooper and Thomas Becon into his household
What were the religious effects of the relaxation of press censorship?
- Reduction in press censorship supported by the government
- Led to drastic increase in number of pamphlets and writings against Catholicism
- Circulated the ideas of Martin Luther and John Calvin
What is iconoclasm?
- The destruction of (religious) images
- Radical Protestants believed the third of the Ten Commandments meant no religious images were allowed
- ‘You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above […]. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.’
When were images in London denunciated?
- Feb 1547
Why were images in London denunciated?
- Reflected radical attitudes among churchmen, especially Nicholas Ridley
- Ridley was supported both within government and by Protestant activists within London who engaged in iconoclasm
Who was Nicholas Ridley?
- Prominent reformer in Edward VI’s reign
- Chaplain to Henry VIII
When were injunctions issued?
- July 1547
What injunctions were issued?
• Attacked many features of popular Catholicism
- Lights
- Images
- Stained glass
- Processions and practices associated with Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday
When were chantries and religious guilds dissolved?
- December 1547
What were chantries?
- Chapels built with money left by rich Catholics
- In chantries, priests would pray for them, enabling them to get through Purgatory more quickly
What were religious guilds?
- Religious guilds were groups of ordinary Catholics who had done charitable work in their villages
Why were chantries and religious guilds abolished?
- Crown needed money to fund expensive foreign policy
- These properties were seized by the Crown
When was the Book of Common Prayer introduced?
- May 1549
What was the Book of Common Prayer?
- Official liturgical book of the Church of England
- Largely written by Thomas Cranmer
- Written in English
- Hinted at belief in transubstantiation
- Compromise between Catholics and Protestants
When was the Act of Uniformity passed?
- 1549
What were the aims of the Act of Uniformity?
- To impose a uniform standard of worship across England to end religious confusion and argument that had been growing since 1534 (Act of Supremacy)
Describe some of the terms of the Act of Uniformity
- English was the language of worship
- Congregations should be offered both bread and wine during communion (breach of Catholic tradition of reserving wine for priest)
Describe some of the Catholic elements in the Act of Uniformity
- Did not create a separate Protestant Church
- Services conducted similarly to Catholic services (except for language)
- Priests dressed and behaved the same
