Elizabethan England (Key topic 2.1)

Question 1

What were Catholic beliefs?

Answer 1

• Pope is head of the church
• Priests can forgive sins
• Bread and wine become the body and
  blood of Christ
• Services in Latin
• Churches highly decorated

Question 2

What were Protestant Beliefs?

Answer 2

• No pope
• Only God can forgive sins
• Bread and wine represent the body and
  blood of Christ
• Services in English
• Churches should be plain and simple

Question 3

What were Puritans?

Answer 3

Very strict protestants, who had very extreme views

Question 4

What were Puritans beliefs?

Answer 4

no decoration in churches, no bishops or cardinals

Question 5

Where were the majority of Catholics?

Answer 5

In the North and West of England

Question 6

Where were the majority of Protestants?

Answer 6

In the south-east, East Anglia and London

Question 7

Why was the number of Protestants in England growing?

Answer 7

Since the 1530s, many Protestants fleeing
persecution in Europe had landed in England,

Question 8

Where were the majority of Puritans found?

Answer 8

Puritans found in London and East Anglia

Question 9

What were the features of Elizabeth’s religious settlement? (4)

Answer 9

• The Act of Uniformity established the appearance of churches and how services should be conducted.
• The Act of Supremacy made Elizabeth the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. All clergy had to swear an oath of allegiance to her.
• The Book of Common Prayer introduced a set of new church services to be used in all churches.
• The Royal Injunctions

Question 10

What was the impact of Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement?

Answer 10

• 8000 clergy out of about 10 000 accepted
  the religious settlement.
• The majority of ordinary people accepted
  Elizabeth’s religious settlement and attended
  the church services, even though many of
  them held on to Catholic beliefs.

Question 11

When was Elizabeth’s religious Settlement?

Answer 11

1559

Question 12

What did the Royal Injunctions make all Clergy do?

Answer 12

• wear special clothes (vestments).
• To teach Royal Supremacy
• Keep an English Bible
• Report people who refused to attend church.

Question 13

What was the role of the Church in society?

Answer 13

• Enforced Elizabeth’s religious settlement
• Legitimised Elizabeth’s rule – the
  Church encouraged people to remain
  loyal to and not rebel against
  their monarch.
• Gave spiritual and practical advice
  Preached the government’s message –
  priests needed a government’s licence
  to preach. This ensured the clergy
  preached Elizabeth’s religious and
  political message

Question 14

What was the aim of Elizabeth’s religious settlement?

Answer 14

Aimed to establish a religious form that would be acceptable to Catholics and Protestants.

Question 15

What were some of the challenges to the Religious Settlement?

Answer 15

• Puritan challenge at home: Disobeyed parts of the Religious Settlement.
• Crucifix Controversy: refused to display crucifixes in churches, which had been ordered by Elizabeth to please the
  Catholics. Elizabeth backed down.

Question 16

What was the Puritan challenge?

Answer 16

• Where Puritans refused to wear vestments and disobeyed parts of the Religious Settlement

Question 17

What did Elizabeth do about the Puritan challenge at first?

Answer 17

She tolerated it at first but in 1565 she ordered the Archbishop of Canterbury to ensure that all Priests wore the surplice. Those puritans who still refused lost their jobs or were imprisoned

Question 18

What was the Crucifix controversy?

Answer 18

Puritans refused to display crucifixes in churches, which had been ordered by Elizabeth to please the
Catholics.

Question 19

Why did Elizabeth back down from the Puritans refusing to display crucifixes in churches?

Answer 19

She backed down as some Puritan bishops threatened to resign, and she could not replace them with educated Protestant clergy of similar ability

Question 20

What was the Vestment Controversy?

Answer 20

People refused to wear the vestments (special clothing worn by clergy). In 1566, 37 Puritan
priests resigned after refusing to wear new vestments when ordered.

Question 21

How many puritans resigned after refusing to wear new vestments when ordered?

Answer 21

37 Puritan priests in 1566

Question 22

Why was Mary Queen of Scots a threat to Elizabeth?

Answer 22

• She was Elizabeth’s second cousin so had a good claim to the throne of England
• She was a Catholic so her claim to the throne was supported by many English Catholics

Question 23

Why did Mary arrive in England?

Answer 23

She was believed to have been involved in her husband’s murder, which led to a rebellion in Scotland. Mary fled to England in 1568. This made her more of a threat to Elizabeth, so she was imprisoned.

Question 24

Why was Mary imprisoned when she arrived to England?

Answer 24

By remaining in England she could
encourage rebellion, as many members of the
Catholic nobility believed they could overthrow Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne.

Question 25

What was the Counter Reformation?

Answer 25

The Catholic Church’s attempt to reverse the
Protestant Reformation in Europe and stop its
spread

Question 26

What are recusants?

Answer 26

People who practised the Catholic religion in secret

Question 27

What was the extent of the Catholic threat at home?

Answer 27

• One third of the English nobility and gentry, particularly in the north and west of England, were recusants (refused to attend church) because they did not agree with the Settlement.
• This was encouraged by the pope.
• This was a major cause of the Revolt of the Northern Earls

Question 28

What happened in France?

Answer 28

When religious war began in France, in 1562,
Elizabeth backed French Protestants, hoping
to take back Calais in return. Yet this policy
failed, as French Protestants made peace
with the Catholics later that year.

Question 29

What did the Pope do the Elizabeth?

Answer 29

Excommunicated her from the church in 1570
which could encourage Catholic powers such as France and Spain to attack England