Elizabeth I: Religion (Change in Policy Towards Catholics) + Puritans

Question 1

What was Elizabeth’s early approach towards Catholics (in the first decade of her reign)?

Answer 1

-In the early years of Elizabeth’s reign, Catholics were not persecuted and Elizabeth’s government moved cautiously against possible Catholics.
-Public celebration of the Mass was forbidden, but little was done to prevent private worship.
-The Act of Supremacy prescribed fines for those who did not attend Church (recusants) BUT THEY WERE RARELY ENFORCED.
-Most Catholics were ‘church papists’ who conformed to the law and attended Church services, whilst retaining their beliefs privately.
-A minority continued to practice their religion, supported by some of the bishops who had refused to take the Oath of Supremacy at the start of Elizabeth’s reign.
-Some Catholic nobles kept private chaplains who conduced Catholic services in secret.

Question 2

Why were the penalties deliberately relatively severe?

Answer 2

-Elizabeth had NO intention of creating martyrs.

Question 3

Who did the cautious policy towards Catholics stem from?

Answer 3

-The Queen herself.
-Often, Elizabeth had to silence the more radical Protestants who spoke out against Catholicism.
-In this decade, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs was first published, cataloguing all of the horrors of the Protestant burnings in Mary’s reign.

Question 4

No Catholic priest was executed for saying Mass until what year?

Answer 4

1577

Question 5

Between 1567 and 1572, Elizabeth found it increasingly difficult to sustain her tolerance, what were the main events that caused this? (two events in 1567 and two in 1568)

Answer 5

1567 –> The Pope showed his hostility to the Religious Settlement by instructing English Catholics NOT TO ATTEND ANGLICAN CHURCH SERVICES.

1567 –> The Spanish Duke of Alba was sent to the Netherlands to put down a rebellion that had broken out there against Spanish Catholic rule.
The presence of 10,000 Spanish troops just across the channel from southern England raised fears that Spain might be intending to force England back to Catholicism.

1568 –> Mary, Queen of Scots arrived in England seeking sanctuary. She was a Catholic contender for Elizabeth’s throne, a Catholic successor if Elizabeth had no heir herself, a focus for the traditional hatred of Scotland and someone who would encourage a French-Scottish alliance against England.

1568 –> A training college for priests was founded by WILLIAM ALLEN in DOUAI IN THE NETHERLANDS TO TRAIN MISSIONARIES TO GO TO ENGLAND TO SUPPORT CATHOLICS.

Question 6

What major event occurred in 1569 which marked a pivotal shift in Elizabeth’s attitude towards Catholics?

Answer 6

THE NORTHERN REBELLION (THE REBELLION OF THE NORTHERN EARLS) of 1569 meant official attitudes towards Catholics began to change.

-The Catholic Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland rebelled against Elizabeth - They were provoked by their exclusion of their traditional role of controlling the North.
-They were connected to a CONSPIRACY AT COURT which intended to marry the Catholic sympathiser, the Duke of Norfolk (Thomas Howard) to Mary, Queen of Scots and have her recognised as Elizabeth’s heir.
-The Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland had been in touch with the Pope and Spain with the intention of securing military backing in support of Norfolk and Mary.

Question 7

When Elizabeth learnt of the plot, what action did she take?

Answer 7

-Elizabeth learnt of the plan for the marriage and quickly FORBADE it.
-Norfolk begged for mercy from the Queen and was sent to the Rower.
-She summoned Northumberland and Westmoreland to court to account for their actions, and they chose to rebel instead.

Question 8

What did Northumberland and Westmoreland do instead?

Answer 8

-They led a rebellion.
-The rebels entered Durham, replaced the Protestant communion table in the cathedral with Catholic symbols and celebrated Catholic Mass in Durham Cathedral.
-The motives of the participants were RELIGIOUS - they used the banner of the Five Wounds of Christ.

Question 9

How much support did the rebellion gather?

Answer 9

-The rebellion gathered about 5000 followers.
-The rebels failed to gain much support, except in North Yorkshire.
-When news came that a royal force was marching North to meet them, the Earls disbanded their forces and fled to Scotland.

Question 10

A month later, who led another rebellion?

Answer 10

-Lord Dacre led a rebellion of 3000 men in Cumberland but was heavily defeated at the BATTLE OF NAWORTH IN 1570.

Question 11

What was the significance of the Northern Rebellion of 1569?

Answer 11

-The rebellion failed for a number of reasons, including DISORGANISATION AMONGST THE REBELS, POOR LEADERSHIP AND LACK OF FOREIGN SUPPORT.
-The Crown’s local representatives acted sensibly to diffuse the situation, BUT THE REBELLION DID REVEAL THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH.
-The small scale of the rebellion suggests that there was NO WIDESPREAD DESIRE TO REMOVE ELIZABETH AS QUEEN, BUT EQUALLY THAT THERE WAS LITTLE ENTHUSIASM FOR HER GOVERNMENT, OR RELIGION.

Question 12

What event happened in 1570?

Answer 12

-The Pope finally EXCOMMUNICATED ELIZABETH –> Pius V hoped to encourage other Catholics to join the rebellion.
-In doing so, he declared that ALL CATHOLICS WERE FREE OF ANY OATHS OF LOYALTY TO HER and he called on them to remove her from the throne.
-Any Catholic obeying her would also incur the same sentence of excommunication –> This provided direct encouragement to Catholics in England and abroad to oppose Elizabeth’s rule.
-It also provided a justification for rebellions centred on Mary Queen of Sots and for Catholic Europe to wage war on England.

Question 13

When event occured (PLOT) in 1571 which threatened Elizabeth’s security?

Answer 13

-The Ridolfi Plot –> In 1571, the plot was uncovered which planned to murder Elizabeth and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.

Question 14

Explain how the ‘Ridolfi Plot’ came about?

Answer 14

-Roberto Ridolfi was a FLORENTINE MERCHANT who had settled in England and had been involved in plotting in favour of Mary (Queen of Scots) in 1569.
-In 1571, he took a leading part in the plot to get rid of Elizabeth and put Mary, married to Norfolk on the English throne.

Question 15

What was the consequence of The Ridolfi Plot of 1571?

Answer 15

-William Cecil (Lord Burghley) soon gathered much intelligence through his network of informers and then gained more through the use of torture.
-The leaders and accomplices were arrested.
-NORFOLK WAS FOUND GUILTY AND SENTENCED TO DEATH. Elizabeth hesitated over signing the execution warrant but had her hand forced in Parliament when it met in 1572.
-Elizabeth gave way to pressure for his execution, but not to demands for the execution of Mary Stuart.

Question 16

What happened to the Spanish ambassador, De Spes following the Ridolfi Plot?

Answer 16

-The Spanish ambassador, De Spes, was EXPELLED from England.

Question 17

What happened to Mary, Queen of Scots after the Ridolfi Plot?

Answer 17

-Mary was kept in PRISON, a CONTINUAL EMBARASSMENT TO ELIZABETH, and a CONSTANT THREAT,
-However, if Elizabeth had agreed to Mary’s death, a war against Spain would have been virtually INEVITABLE at a time when Elizabeth was STILL USING MARRIAGE DIPLOMACY AROUND EUROPE TO TRY TO ENSURE CONTINUING PEACE.

Question 18

Why did the situation change in the 1580s?

Answer 18

-A PAPAL PRONOUNCEMENT IN 1580 SUGGESTED THAT ANYONE WHO ASSASINATED ELIZABETH WITH THE ‘PIOUS INTENTION OF DOING GOD’S SERVICE,NOT ONLY DOES NOT SIN, BUT GAINS MERIT’.

-In the 1580s, Catholic priests were JOINED BY JESUIT MISSIONSARIES, and the activities of Elizabeth’s seamen against the Spanish empire made war against Spain almost inevitable.
-Mary herself saw SPANISH INTERVENTION as the BEST HOPE of ENDING HER IMPRISONMENT and GAINING THE THRONE OF ENGLAND.

Question 19

What happened in 1572 with the Catholics in France?

Answer 19

-Catholics in France slaughtered Protestants during the ST BARTHOLOMEW DAY CELEBRATIONS and BROUGHT THE RELIGIOUS WARS THERE TO A TEMPORARY END.
-Elizabeth feared that this would mean that France would now turn its attention to heresy in England.

Question 20

What decade were increasingly harsh laws passed against English Catholics?

Answer 20

-1570-1580

Question 21

What was introduced in 1571 by Elizabeth (likely as a result of the Pope’s excommunication of her)?

What act did it become treason to do?

Answer 21

-A new TREASON ACT was introduced in 1571.
-It made the denial of Elizabeth’s supremacy or the IMPORTATION of the Pope’s order of EXCOMMUNICATION acts punishable by death.

-It also became treason to publish a Papal Bull in England.

Question 22

Despite this, what did Elizabeth continuously block? (in terms of punishment for Catholics)

Answer 22

-Elizabeth consistently blocked attempts by the more AGGRESSIVELY PROTESTANT MPs TO INCREASE PENALTIES FOR RECUSANCY OR ATTENDANCE AT MASS.

Question 23

How was the decline of Catholicism in England brought about? (what was the Pope’s excommunication of Elizabeth essentially forcing them to do?)

Answer 23

-By forbidding them to attend Church, the POPE exposed Catholics to fines for RECUSANCY that FEW COULD AFFORD.
-The Pope also forced Catholics to choose between their loyalty to Rome and loyalty to friends and neighbours, because in many ways the parish church lay at the centre of village life.

Question 24

What could many English Catholics see in terms of Elizabeth as supreme governor of the Church and her as a rightful monarch?

Answer 24

-Attacks by foreigners on Elizabeth, such as the excommunication order and plotting by Ridolfi and others, were NOT POPULAR WITH ENGLISH CATHOLICS.
-They could see a difference between ELIZABETH AS THE ILLEGITIMATE HEAD OF THE CHURCH AND ELIZABETH AS THEIR RIGHTFUL MONARCH.
-Most landowners were happy with the stability of Elizabeth’s reign. Elizabeth had inherited the throne LAWFULLY through parliamentary statutes. If her right of inheritance was to be questioned, so could the inheritances of landowners. Social stability was much preferable to anarchy (a state of disorder as no one in position of authority).

Question 25

When did the missionary priests arrive in England?

Answer 25

-The mid-1570s.
-The arrival of the Catholic priests, specially trained, from Europe.
-They mostly came from DOUAI IN THE NETHERLANDS WHERE THERE WAS A CATHOLIC SEMINARY, FOUNDED BY WILLIAM ALLEN, AN ENGLISHMAN.
-It was created for Catholics in England who could be trained as priests for England.

Question 26

When did the first four priests arrive in England?

ii) By what year was there over 100?
iii) Where did they reside?

Answer 26

-The first four missionary priests arrived in England in 1574.

-By the 1590s, there were OVER ONE HUNDRED.
-They moved around in secret, living with Catholic families.

Question 27

What type of priests began to arrive in the 1580s?

Answer 27

-In 1580, another wave of priests began to arrive - THE JESUITS.

Question 28

Who were the Jesuit priests? Where did they come from?

Answer 28

-The Jesuit priests were SPECIALLY TRAINED MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS which FOCUSED ON MISSIONARY ACTIVITY.
-The first two, Edward Campion and Robert Parsons, began building up a network of safe houses, often with specially-constructed priest hiding holes.

Question 29

What was the response in the 1570s to the Douai priests?

Answer 29

-The Douai priests were not initially seen as a major threat.
-However, by the late 1570s and with deteriorating relations with Spain and the continuing presence in prison of Mary, Queen of Scots, the government was forced into action.
-Several priests were EXECUTRED FOR DENYING THE ROYAL SUPREMACY.

Question 30

Why were the Jesuit priests seen as MORE dangerous?

Answer 30

-The Jesuits were seen as FANATICS and therefore more dangerous.
-Edmund Campion was executed in 1581.
-Parliament when it met WANTED TO IMPOSE SEVERE PENALTIES ON ANY CATHOLIC WORSHIP.

Question 31

What Act did Parliament agree on in 1581?

Answer 31

-An Act in 1581 ‘to retain the Queen Majesty’s subjects in their due obedience’.
-Penalties were harsh - saying Mass incurred a fine of 200 marks and became punishable by imprisonment.
-Fines for non-attendance at Church were increased to £20 a month - sums that ordinary people could not afford.
-Catholic priests were hunted: 4 were executed in 1581, 11 in 1582.

Question 32

What even more extreme act was introduced in 1585?

Answer 32

-An Act ‘Against Jesuit seminary priests and other disobedient persons’.
-Catholic priests were to leave the country within 40 days - even their continued presence in England would be deemed as high treason.
-It became TREASON FOR PRIESTS ORDAINED BY THE POPE TO ENTER ENGLAND.
-In Elizabeth’s reign nearly 150 Catholic priests were executed, with 123 being executed under this Act (from 1586-1603).
-This harsh act was very closely linked to the drift to war with Spain in the mid 1580s and the pressing need for Elizabeth to act against Mary, Queen of Scots.

Question 33

Why did this make Catholicism less of a threat?

Answer 33

-With a combination of HARSH LAWS and the WISH OF MOST CATHOLICS TO REMAIN AS LOYAL SUBJECTS TO THE CROWN, Catholicism became less of a threat.
-In some parts of the country, especially among the landed classes, Mass was still practiced in secret.
-The strongholds were mostly in North and West Yorkshire.
-There was little enthusiasm for plots against Elizabeth.
-It is estimated that in 1603 perhaps 10% of the population had Catholic sympathies, but that only two percent were ACTIVE RECUSANTS.

Question 34

Why was the Catholic cause not helped in the late 1580s/1590 with disputes between Douai priests and the Jesuit priests? What was this dispute about?

Answer 34

-The Jesuits were firmly behind Spain’s plans to invade England.
-However, the Douai priests URGED CAUTION IN SUPPORTING SPAIN because Philip II was NOT JUST FIGHTING ENGLAND in the CAUSE OF CATHOLICISM. He had his own agenda centred on power and wealth.

Question 35

In 1587, the recusancy law was tightened, what did it ensure?

Answer 35

-Anyone who did not pay their fines COULD HAVE TWO THIRDS OF THEIR ESTATE CONFISCATED.

Question 36

With Mary Queen of Scots still a focus for discontented Catholics, what was there more of?

Answer 36

-There were MORE PLOTS.
-One was the Throckmorton Plot in 1583 where French Catholics planned to invade England in support of the English Catholics, the expedition being paid for by Spain and the Pope.
-Although it was quickly defeated, Elizabeth came to agree with Parliament that the situation was CRITICAL.

Question 37

What did this fear of Catholicism provoke Burghley and Walsingham to do?

Answer 37

-Create THE BOND OF ASSOCIATION.
-This was circulated and signed by thousands of noblemen and gentry, pledging to defend the Queen and execute anyone who threatened her life.
-The perception of the Catholic threat was HEIGHTENED BY THE ASSASSINATION OF THE PROTESTANT LEADER WILLIAM OF ORANGE IN 1584.

Question 38

What was the Parry Plot of 1585?

Answer 38

-Parry was employed by CECIL as an AGENT SPYING ON CATHOLIC EXILES.
However, Parry was CONVERTED TO THE MILITANT CATHOLIC CAUSE WHILE UNDERTAKING HIS ESPIONAGE AND WAS RECRUITED AS A DOUBLE AGENT IN ORDER TO ASSASSINATE THE QUEEN.
-He was executed for treason.