ELIZABETH I RELIGION Flashcards
WHO were Anglicans?
The Protestant majority who accepted the Elizabethan religious settlement
WHAT was the state of religion in 1563?
Broadly positive, however there were some in the Church who believed it hadn’t been reformed enough (growth of Puritanism), and Catholics found it difficult to practise their faith in public
WHAT did Puritans believe in?
The eradication of ‘popish superstitions’ and further reform of the Church
WHAT was the Vestiarian Controversy?
An incident where several figures in the Church decided they couldn’t obey the rules on clerical dress from the Act of Uniformity.
WHEN was the Vestiarian Controversy?
The early 1560s (after the Act of Uniformity)
HOW did Elizabeth respond to the Vestiarian Controversy?
- She sacked key figures from their positions if they refused to wear required vestments
- Archbishop Parker’s ‘Advertisements’ (1566) confirmed uniformity of sacraments and dress
WHEN were the ‘Advertisements’ issued?
1566
WHAT were the ‘Advertisements’?
Issued by Archbishop Parker, confirming uniformity of sacraments and dress, dealing with the Vestiarian Controversy
WHO were Presbytarians?
A group of Puritans who believed that the Church of England should be reformed further. They believed in a non-heirarchical structure for the Church, and the abolition of bishops.
WHAT were the ‘Admonitions’?
Presbytarian pamphlets, criticising the Elizabethan Church of England.
* The first attacked the Book of Common Prayer and called for the abolition of bishops
* The other described the Presbytarian system of Church government
WHO were two opposing figures during the Presbytarian movement under Elizabeth?
1) Cartwright (Cambridge academic), who believed the 1559 settlement should be modified
2) Whitgift (Vice Chancellor of Cambridge, and later Archbishop of Canterbury), who believed that the Presbytarians were destructive
WHAT high-ranking support did the Presbytarians have?
The Earl of Leicester and Burghley both defended Presbytarian clergymen. However, both Presbytarian attempts to make change with Parliament failed.
WHAT were Whitgift’s Three Articles?
Attacked Presbytarians, saying everyone must:
1) Acknowledge royal supremacy
2) Accept the Prayer Book as God’s Word (later changed to just acceptance of it)
3) Acceptance of the Thirty Nine Articles
WHY did Whitgifts Three Articles have to be changed?
Many in the Church (not just Presbytarians) thought some aspects of the Prayer Book lacked scriptural justification, not believing it was God’s word. The articles were changed from accepting the book as God’s word to just accepting it.
HOW MUCH of a threat were the Presbytarians?
- Geographically narrow (only the South East: London, Essex and Cambridge university)
- Declined after the 1580s as most didn’t want to break from the Church
- However, in the 1580s, it did have some high ranking support (e.g. Leicester and Cecil)
WHO were the Separatists?
A small, extremist Puritan sect which wanted to separate entirely from the established Church.
WHAT did the Separatists critique the Church of England for?
- They believed it was incapable of reforming itself enough to remove all ‘popish’ (Catholic) practices
- They opposed Elizabeth as Supreme Governer
WHO were some key Separatists?
- Robert Brown, a leader in Norwich who went into exile in the Netherlands
- Barrow and Greenwood who led small Separatist movements in London
WHAT was the Act Against Seditious Sectaries?
A law passed in 1593 to attack religious sects that opposed the government (Separatists, primarily). It led to the execution of key Separatist leaders Barrow and Greenwood.
WHEN was the Act Against Seditious Sectaries passed?
1593
HOW did the government respond to the Separatist movement?
- Passed the Act Against Seditious Sectaries in 1593
- Had very harsh measures for such a numerically insignificant movement
HOW MUCH of a threat was the Separatist movement?
Very small. They had extremely limited numbers, and Elizabeth’s harsh measures ultimately destroyed the movement. However Robert Brown, a key leader, did have some protection as he was a relative of Burghley
WHAT was the difference between the Presbytarians and the Separatists?
The Presbytarians wanted to work WITH the established Church of England while the Separatists wanted to separate entirely from it.
WHAT influenced the decline of Puritanism?
- The death of political supporters of Puritanism (Leicester, Mildmay and Walsignham)
- Reduced Catholic threat after the defeat of the Spanish Armada
- Decline of Presbytarianism and Separatism meant less radical/institutional forms of Puritanism could be more easily accepted
