MOCKS - RELIGIOUS SETTLEMENT AND CHALLENGES Flashcards
What was the Protestant Reformation and how did it create religious divisions?
The Protestant Reformation began in Germany in the early 1500’s and gradually spread across Europe. Reformers challenged many Catholic beliefs and practices.
- The Protestant reformers believed Christians were saved by faith, not good deeds
- They questioned the authority of the Pope
- They translated the Bible from Latin, into languages that ordinary people could understand
- They thought churches should be plain and simple, unlike highly decorated Catholic churches
What were the main Religious Changes that had occured since the 1530’s?
- Henry VIII broke away from the Roman Catholic Church
- Edward VI tried to make England more Protestant
- Mary I restored Catholicism and persecuted Protestants
Explain Henry VIII break away from the Roman Catholic Church
Until the 1530’s, England was a Catholic country, and most people were Catholics. 
In the early 1530s, Henry VIII divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. The Pope refused to accept the divorce, and so Henry broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. He rejected the Pope’s authority and made himself head of the Church of England.
Henry did not support the Protestant Reformation. He didn’t try to reform the English church and make it Protestant, so Catholic beliefs and practices remained largely unchanged.
Explain how Edward VI tried to make England more Protestant
- Edward VI was a strong supporter of Protestantism and tried to reform the English Church. He made churches and church services simpler.
- Statues and decorations were removed from churches and priests weren’t allowed to wear their elaborate Catholic vestments.
- A new Protestant prayer book was issued
- Church services were held in English, not Latin.
Explain how Mary I restored Catholicism and persecuted Protestants
Queen Mary I was a devout Catholic. She restored the pope as head of the English church, removed Edwards Protestant reforms, and brought back Catholic beliefs and practices. Under Mary, Protestants were harshly persecuted. More than 280 were executed for their beliefs, and humdreds more (known as Marian exiles), fled to Protestant countries in Europe.
Explain Elizabeth’s desire for religious stability
She had been raised as a Protestant. Although she had hid her beliefs during Mary’s reign to avoid being imprisoned, she was deeply religious and commited to Protestantism.
She had seen the turmoil caused by Edward VI’s extreme Protestant reforms and the violence of Mary I’s Catholic restoration. She wanted to end the constant religious changes of the last 30 years by creating a stable and lasting religious settlement.
In what year did Elizabeth pass her religious settlement?
In 1559, the clever comprimise between Protestant and Catholic beliefs was passed.
Main features of the Religious Settlement
- The Act of Supremacy
- The Act of Uniformity
- The Royal Injunctions
What did the Act of Supremacy mean and what were its results?
It gave Elizabeth control over the English church without explicitly describing her as its head, satisfying those who belived that a woman could not lead the Church. The act required churchmen and people holding public office to swear the Oath of Supremacy. They had to recognise the Queen as Supreme Governer and promise loyalty to her.
Most parish priests took the Oath, but all but one of the Catholic bishops refused and lost their posts. They were replaced by Protestant bishops, some of whom had been Marian exiles.
What did the Act of Uniformity mean?
- The act established the appearance of churches and the form of the services held in them.
- It introduced a set form of church service in the Book of Common Prayer to be used in all churches. The clergy was punished if they did not use the wording of the prayer book while conducting services. The wording was deliberatley unclear so that, for example Catholics could take it as meaning the bread and wine became the body and blood of Christ, while Protestants could take it as simply an act of remembrance.
- It was also made clear that priests were to wear special clothing.
- It also ordered that everyone was to attend church on a Sunday and other holy days, or they would be fined one shilling for every absence. For the nobility this was not a significant amount.
What did the Royal Injunctions mean?
They were issued to help further establish the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity. They covered a wide range of issues, including:
- All clergy were to teach the Royal Supremacy
- Anyone who refused to attend church was to be reported to the Privy Council.
- Each parish was to have an English copy of the Bible
- No one was allowed to preach without a licence from the government
- Clergy to wear special vestments
- Allowed images in Churches, helping to keep their familiar look for the Catholics, however Puritans didn’t like it (idol worship argument.)
Explain how the Church played an important role in English society
- Senior churchmen were involved in government - all bishops held a seat in the House of Lords, and the Archbishop of Canterbury was usually a member of the privy council
- Parish Priests were often the most educated people in their communities, which made them respected and influential figures. They provided religious guidance, advice, helped to resolve disputes, and played and important role in providing charitable support for the poor and elderly.
- The Church helped promote national unity and obedience to the Queen. The Queen’s coat of arms often displayed in churches and church services included prayers for the Queen and her councillors.
Who were Royal Commissioners?
People ordered to visit churches throughout the country to ensure that the Acts and Injunctions were being enforced.
What were the four main challenges to Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement?
- Puritans wanted to make the English Church more Protestant
- Many members of the Nobility continued to practise Catholicism
- French invasion until 1562
- Pope’s influence.
Explain the Puritans wanting to make the English Church more Protestant
- For them, the RS was only a first step and they wanted to make further reforms to remove all traces of Catholicism from the English Church.
- Many had been Marian exiles. While in exile, in many parts of Europe, some had come into contact with the teachings of leading reformers, like Martin Luther.
- The Vestment Controversy of the 1560’s was a serious Puritan challenge of the RS. Puritan priests refused to wear the surplice, a white vestment used by Catholics, which the Royal Injuctions had made compulsory
- At first, Elizabeth tolerated this, but in 1565 she orderd the Archbishop of Canterbury to ensure that all priests wore the surplice. Those Puritans who still refused lost their jobs or were imprisoned
