How successful was the Edwardian Reformation?

Question 1

Where was the majority of support for the second Common Prayer Book and the Act of Uniformity?

Answer 1

-London, South-East and East Anglia ->very localised

Question 2

What was the level of acceptance of Protestantism among the people according to different interpretations?

Answer 2

-most accepted it and went along with the changes as they couldn’t oppose it due to the Treason Act
-there wasn’t much acceptance for Protestantism as the majority of English and Welsh did not want the reformation
-it’s somewhat accepted as they gradual win over the mass of men however the changes are described as insensitive
-not a natural growth but when Mary took over it showed how much Edward had achieved during his reign but many people wanted to return to the traditional ways (Catholicism)

Question 3

How successful was government enforcement according to different interpretations?

Answer 3

-the relentless push of councillor policy meant that people followed the new changes and somewhat accepted them->successful
-there was still reluctance regarding religious changes but resistance was not an option->somewhat successful
-there was some success due the gradual gain of support of men
-imposed by authority and effectively enforced onto parish churches->successful

Question 4

What was the level of opposition to Protestantism according to different interpretations?

Answer 4

-most people accepted the changes
-the English and Welsh did not want the reforms to happen and Catholic practices were still present until they were proscribed
-argued that Catholics saw it as an insensitive change
-well backed up and it didn’t come natural for most people but they still accepted it

Question 5

What were the reasons why people were and weren’t accepting Protestantism according to different interpretations?

Answer 5

-the councillor policies were relentless so acceptance was unavoidable
-they were not accepting of Protestantism as the reformation had been ‘treated like a confessional struggle and not sufficiently’->felt it wasn’t necessary
-seen as removing Catholic identity as it changes the order and spiritual content of worship
-they were accepting because it was enforced by authority and parish churches so people had to follow it

Question 6

What was the overall success of the Edwardian Reformation according to different interpretations?

Answer 6

-successful because they were exposed to slow changes for 4 years and it couldn’t not affect them
-Catholics opposed but the government were seen so be able to coerce the people into accepting it against their will->somewhat/not very successful
-despite winning the mass there were still criticisms->somewhat successful
-they accomplished more but the struggle would suggest people were willing to go back to Catholicism during Mary’s reign

Question 7

What were anabaptists?

Answer 7

-very radical Protestants

Question 8

Who was Martine Luther?

Answer 8

-a German religious reformer who was the catalyst for the reformation->he protested about his dislikes of the Catholic church

Question 9

Who was John Calvin?

Answer 9

-a French religious reformer in Geneva

Question 10

Why couldn’t the second Act of Uniformity and the second Common Prayer Book have a big impact?

Answer 10

-Edward died 2 years after so they had little time to make an impact

Question 11

What evidence was there of religious unrest?

Answer 11

-Western Rebellion caused by the changes made to religion->wanted to restore old religious practices
-Kett’s Rebellion wanted religious changes to move at a faster pace

Question 12

How could wills be evidence for opposition to Edward’s Reformation?

Answer 12

-suggest that there was little support for the changes except in London, the South-East and East-Anglia
-although Kett’s Rebellion was said to be a Protestant rebellion only 8% of rebels wills said they were Protestant in 1549
-by 1550 there were only 2 Protestant wills in York and one in the South-West->easier for Mary when she came to the throne

Question 13

What did evidence in wills show about Kett’s rebels?

Answer 13

-although Kett’s Rebellion was said to be a Protestant rebellion only 8% of rebels wills said they were Protestant in 1549

Question 14

What were local reactions to the changes?

Answer 14

-wills show little support for the reformed faith
-some parishes where changes were welcome
-unlikely the new player book had no impact
-the amount of change left many confused or indifferent->many chose to conform just because they were told they had to->includes clergy

Question 15

Why did the King want a second Common Prayer Book and what did this result in?

Answer 15

-the first Common Prayer Book had caused doubts about the form of worship->King ordered a second Common Prayer Book->anyone who used any other form of worship would be imprisoned for 6 months

Question 16

What was the second Common Prayer Books impact and where was it introduced?

Answer 16

-most noticeable move towards Protestantism->became the basis for church services and had to be used
according to Ronald Hutton the new series was introduced to every parish (where churchwarden accounts survive) within the given time frame
-although it was enforced it didn’t mean that everyone agreed or accepted the views it contained

Question 17

To what extent was England a Protestant nation by Edwards death in 1553?

Answer 17

-steady but slow moves towards Protestantism throughout his reign ->major moves during the last couple of month of his reign (second Common Prayer Book and the Act of Uniformity) but had little time to make an impact
-church had changed a great deal
-evidence of the shift to a Protestant nation but it was hard to make changes as shown with the difficulty to remove images ->hard to judge if the changes were accepted on a local level by the people
-some parishes accepted but the changes were grudgingly accepted
-constant exposure over time to the prayer book must’ve had some impact

Question 18

What was religious opposition like?

Answer 18

-religious changes since the Break from Rome left many confused or religiously indifferent
-they accepted changes because they were told to but didn’t fully welcome or oppose them->seemed to be the case of many Clergymen who served under Henry VIII and Edward VI and would continue during Mary I’s reign
-only evidence of new religion being welcomed was in London, East Anglia and the South-East
-wills show a great variation of reactions to religious changes
-however the rapid restoration of Catholicism under Mary could show that many still supported traditional religion which made Mary’s task a lot easier