elizabethan religious settlement Flashcards
how did problems with religion arise?
Elizabeth came to throne in 1558 =her people were divided by religion. Her sister, Mary, made Roman Catholicism the official religion of the country, but many people were Protestant. There was also a growing number of Puritans. Elizabeth had to find a compromise
how did elizabeth try to bring different religious groups together to ease tensions
the religious settlement (1559)
she passed 2 laws
1- act of supremacy
2- act of uniformity
what was the act of supremacy
it made elizabeth the supreme governor of the church and took power away from the catholic pope in Rome. the title ‘governor’ implied that she would not be dictorial and she would be more tolerant., this appeased catholics and puritans who did not want a monarch as the head of religion and state
what was the act of uniformity
made Protestantism England’s official faith and also set out rules of religious practice and worship in a revised prayer book. This retained some Catholic traditions which Elizabeth hoped would make a good compromise and keep her people happy.
= it unified religious practice
why was there a challenge to the religious settlement
Many Catholics were not happy. They had enjoyed religious freedom under Queen Mary, Elizabeth’s sister, and they were now being asked to change or deny their beliefs. Many couldn’t make this compromise and left to live in exile abroad
to strenghten elizabeth’s position, what laws did she pass to minimise catholic threat
1)act of uniformity in 1559=Those who refused to attend Church of England services (recusants) were forced to pay a fine of a shilling a week for not attending church on Sundays or holy days
2)1581-Catholics who still refused to attend services in Protestant Church were forced to pay a bigger fine of £20 per month, the equivalent of thousands of pounds in today’s money. Also, anyone found to have persuaded someone to convert to Catholicism was guilty of treason and could be put to death.
why was there a fear of catholic plots
The rulers of the most powerful countries in Europe - Spain and France - were Catholic, and plots often had foreign backing. In 1570 the Pope issued a Papal Bull of Excommunication against Elizabeth and actively encouraged plots against her.
The main figurehead for such plotters was Mary, Queen of Scots. She had a claim to the English throne, and was seen as a potential replacement for Elizabeth
what were the aims of the plots against elizabeth in the 1570s and 1580s = how did elizabeth retaliate against this
All had the aim of getting the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots on the throne and returning England to Catholic rule. Mary, Queen of Scots had arrived in England in 1568 having fled Scotland. Due to her claim to the throne Elizabeth had no choice but to imprison her and keep her under strict surveillance.
explain
1-
1569 - The Northern Earls’ Rebellion
the plot =
The Catholic Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland hatched a plan to get Mary, Queen of Scots out of imprisonment and on to the throne. They gathered an army of 6,000 soldiers in their attempt to return England to Catholicism.
elizabeths action=
sent a huge army to crush the rebellion. Elizabeth put 800 rebels to death and the two Earls fled to Scotland
explain
2-
1571 - The Ridolfi Plot
plot-
Roberto Ridolfi, Italian banker, planned to assassinate Elizabeth and make Mary Queen. He had support of King Philip II of Spain, the Duke of Norfolk, and Mary, Queen of Scots herself
elizabeth’s action-
plot was uncovered by Elizabeth’s advisor, Cecil. Ridolfi and the Spanish ambassador were arrested and expelled from the country and Norfolk was executed as a result
explain
3-
1583 - The Throckmorton Plot
plot-young Catholic man, Francis Throckmorton, organised plan for a French army to invade England and replace Elizabeth with Mary, Queen of Scots, paid for by the Pope and King Philip II of Spain
elizabeth’s action-
Throckmorton was executed and Mary was moved to Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire, where she was held in isolation and allowed no visitors
explain
4-
1586 - The Babington Plot
plot-
Sir Anthony Babington planned to rescue Mary, Queen of Scots from jail and murder Elizabeth. Secret letters between the plotters and Mary were discovered which gave the evidence needed to prove Mary’s guilt.
elizabeth’s action-
finally led to the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, Babington and six other plotters.
explain the puritan threat on the relgious settlement
Puritans were strict Protestants who wanted to ‘purify’ the Church and get rid of all traces of Catholic faith. Many fled abroad when Mary I, Catholic, was queen, but started to return when Elizabeth, Protestant, came to throne. Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement meant the country was now officially Protestant, but allowed some traditions of Catholic worship. At first many Puritans seemed to accept Settlement, but then soon started organising campaigns to make it more Protestant
how much of a threat were the puritans
They raised points in Parliament, but did not get involved in plots to overthrow Elizabeth or destabilise the country and were therefore seen as less of a threat than the Catholics
Some of the Privy Councillors and Members of Parliament,( Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and Sir Francis Walsingham), were Puritans and tried to pressure her to taking harsher steps against Catholics.
explain a puritan threat in 1571
threat-
Walter Strickland, leader of the Puritan group in Parliament, wanted to reform Elizabeth’s new Prayer Book and ban clergy vestments (this was known as the Vestarian Controversy).
elizabeth’s action-
Elizabeth silenced him by closing Parliament so his ideas could not be discussed.
