Elizabeth's religion Flashcards
Describe the initial form of the 1559 Act of Uniformity and Act of Supremacy and state by who this was rejected
Initially 3 bills: 1 re-established monarch as ‘Supreme Head’ of the church after Mary had repealed Act of Supremacy in 1554. Other 2 bills were used to establish a Prot doctrine (likely based on Northumberland’s prayer book of 1552).
Was passed by commons, however the house of lords rejected the proposal of this bill
How did Mary retaliate to Lords’ rejection of 1559 Act of Uniformity and Act of Supremacy and how did she prove able to get around this issue and have bill passed
Eliz was stunned at Lords’ unexpected defiance of the monarch and retaliated by arresting 2 bishops who were against the bill as a means of removing and dettering further opposition to the bill.
Was the amedment to title to ‘Supreme Governor’ that allowed bill to be passed (21-18)
By how many votes were the Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy of 1559 passed
By 3 votes
21-18 in Eliz’s favour.
What impact did 1559 Act of Uniformity and Act of Supremacy have on religion
Revived legisaltion Mary had repealed in 1554, thus cancelling papal supremacy and the Heresy laws which had allowed for Marian burnings, as well as imposing an oath on all clergy to enforce the new prayer book and set down that curch ornamentation and clergy’s dress (should be as stated in moderate 1549 Prayer Book
What was ommited from 2nd Book of Common Prayer of 1552
Ommited the ‘Black Rubric’ of 1552 which denied the presence of Christ in Comunion (essentially an attack on transubstantiation). This was kept by Elizabeth as an obvious attempt to broaden religious support by making doctrin acceptable to some Caths (compromise).
When were the Thirty-Nine Articles created and in which year did they become law
Created/ passed by convocation in 1563 but did not become law/ statute until 1571.
What was the impact of the 39 Articles on religion
Aimed to present a united, Protestant front vs Catholicism after the excommunication (1570) and subsequent worseing relations and issues with MQS, Spain and Cath influence from abroad which all led to a changing view on Catholicism
When were the Three Acts introduced
1571
What was the significance of the Three Acts
1) Treasonable to deny the Royal |supremacy or deny Eliz was the true Queen.
2) Treasonable to publish or introduce any Papal Bull
3) All those (Caths) who fled abroad and failed to return in 12 months would forfeit their land/property.
Fits w/ anti-Cath tone of 1570s
Initial obstacles to Elizabeth’s religious settlement (upon accession)
1) Ardent Catholics in parliament- especially Lords which contained a great number of Bishops
2) Majority of population still conservative in their beliefs
3) Issues over a woman taking title of ‘Supreme Head’ pf church
4) Clergy- especially Bishops- solidly Cath
5) International nature of Cath meant threat of interference from overseas
6) Protestant exiles- fled under Mary to places like Geneva where had strengthened their Prot views- some expected roles in church and parliament upon return and would NOT compromise with Caths.
How many people did the Northern rebellion involve and in which year did it occur
4500 people from earls to tenant farmers
1569
What does the large number of participants in the Northern Rebellion of 1569 show
This large number of participants in the rebellion demonstrates a mass opposition to Protestantism, as well as the existence of a significant Catholic following across England. In addition to this the Northern Rebellion exemplifies the willingness of numerous English Catholics, as well as powerful nobles such as Northumberland and Westmorland, to outwardly defy and oppose Elizabeth’s religious policy and aim to usurp the throne, with Mary Queen of Scotland as the proposed replacement as monarch. This is vital as it exacerbates the form of this threat, as it was not merely Elizabeth’s religion that was at stake, but also the security of her reign over England.
Which castle was captured in the 1569 Northern Rebellion and what is the significance of this
Durham Castle
The fact that the rebels proved able to capture Durham castle, a place in which Catholic Mass had continued to be said, highlights the major religious discontent and the ability of mass uprisings to overthrow Elizabeth’s authority in regions, like Durham, and impose their own control over a religious building.
How many of MQS’s followers were executed as a result of the Northern Rebellion
600 of Mary Queen of Scotland’s followers were executed as a result of this rebellion
What does the fact that Eliz executed supporters of MQS after Northern Rebellion suggest
The fact that 600 of Mary Queen of Scotland’s followers were executed as a result of this rebellion does indicate the insecurity felt by Elizabeth following plot, thus exemplifying the significant threat that it posed. Although the fact that so many rebels gathered to oppose Elizabeth demonstrates the threat posed by her lenient policy towards Catholics as they were able to overthrow the Queen, giving the impression that her policies had potentially portrayed her a weak and indecisive Queen, thus threatening her position
How was Eliz able to deal with the threat posed by Cath uprisings and rebellions
Elizabeth’s spy network, headed by William Cecil and Francis Walsingham, must be recognised as a critical factor in reducing the Catholic threat, as it allowed Elizabeth to identify the leaders and plans of the Ridolfi Plot of 1571, thus preventing a possible assassination attempt against Elizabeth
Why was MQS and the chance of her being a figurehead for Cath resistance such a threat to Eliz
1) Threat of foreign intervention in her support and marriage alliance to King Francis II of France in 1559 (short-lived however as dies after 1 year of marriage)
2) Was already a Queen so was a suitable replacement for Eliz as Queen
3) Obvious figurehead for Cath uprisings and plots
Pope Pius V’s actions towards Eliz and what they show
Pope Pius V had previously excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570 and issued the Papal Bull ‘Regnans in Excelsis’ on the 25th of February 1570 in order to demand that Catholics disobey Elizabeth and fight for Catholicism. This added to the threat of foreign intervention in England, which had clearly been building for many years due to the Pope’s desire to remove Elizabeth and Protestantism from power in England since the beginning of the 1570s. Although this papal bull didn’t inspire a huge amount of Catholic disruption and uprising, the threat should not be disregarded, as Elizabeth was clearly wary of the Pope’s influence in Europe and the power and influence which he maintained in her own country. This is made evident by her issuing of the 1571 Treason Acts, which made it a treasonable offense to deny that Elizabeth was the lawful Queen, or to publish any papal bull. It is clear that Elizabeth felt the need to terminate this potential threat, which she did successfully. The 1570 bull managed to ramp up little support from English Catholics, suggesting a sense of loyalty to the Queen, however this should not be overplayed as resistance to papal claims of having authority over all earthly matter had traditionally faced opposition from most Orthodox Kings and was not well-perceived by the English population.
Describe the nature of the Prot threat to Eliz’s religious settlement in comparison to that of the Cath
Cath= external (foreign allies like MQS and Pope Pius V and revolts like Ridlfi Plot of 1571 and Western 1569). Prot= internal from withing gov (eg parliament)
Describe methods and significance of internal threat posed by Prot and why was difficult to deal with
Protestants used parliament as a means of mounting an internal attack on Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement, which stemmed from discontent over the lack of anti-Catholic legislation and the fear that Elizabeth was being too lenient and may cause a Catholic reassertion. The Protestant use of parliament as a means of attacking Elizabeth was far more difficult to deal with than the Catholic threat, which could be dealt with via legislation
Example of opposition of Prot via use of gov
The fact that Protestantism was the state’s official religion permitted bishops to have influence and posts in government, which could be used as tools to express their displeasure with the lack of extreme measures against Catholics. The best example of this method is seen through the 1572 Admonition of Parliament which heavily criticised Church structure and doctrine leading to the authors being imprisoned and Puritan printing presses being destroyed. In addition to this. Individuals such as the Wentworth brothers led a Puritan attack on clerical abuses and Peter Turner introduced a bill to make the leadership of the Church more Calvinistic.
When was the Admonition of Parliament and what was it
1572 Admonition of Parliament: heavily criticised Church structure and doctrine leading to the authors being imprisoned and Puritan printing presses being destroyed
Did Prot or Cath pose a greater threa in 50s and 60s
During the earlier years of Elizabeth’s reign (the 1550s and 1560s), it is evident that the Protestant’s posed a far greater threat to Elizabeth throughout her establishing and consolidation of the Protestant Settlement, which was undoubtedly a time when her religious policy was most vulnerable. For example, Mary faced publish backlash during the Crucifix controversy and the Vestment issues. The fact that the clerical outcry and the threats of 2 of Elizabeth’s most prominent Bishops to resign from their posts led Elizabeth to, uncharacteristically, step down on the issue. This could imply that the Protestant bishops had great influence over Elizabeth and had some say in the countries religious policy, as Elizabeth clearly feared losing Protestants clergy, due to the lack of quality protestant clergy in England at the time. Moreover, the Puritan’s refusing to wear Catholic style vestments in the 1560s is a clear example of outward opposition to the lenient religious policy of the Queen, and the fact that she ordered Archbishop Parker to publish his ‘Advertisements’ in 1566, illustrates her inability to cooperate with the Puritans, hence highlighting the threat that may be able to undermine the Queen or her Religious Settlement and the internal nature of Protestants opposition throughout her reign.
Example of a Protestant in exile in Geneva
What did he do whilst in exile
John Fox, Scotsman who sevred as chaplain under Ed in his Prot court.
Published ‘First blast of the trumpet against the monstrous regement of woman’.
Left country as didn’t believe in the rule of a woman. Left as an exhiled Prot reformer
Believed women were soft and weak and unfit to rule and those strong enough labelled monsters. Women were subordinate to men (widespread opinion)
What did rule of Mary and Eliz cause
Cultural unease
Why was Eliz forced to compromise on her religious control and Prot nature of her settlement
As a means of tryibg to unify asnd broarden support base to proetct dynasty and her own sovreignty.
