Religious change + social impact Flashcards
What was Mary’s main religious aim?
-To restore England back to catholicism
What problems did Mary face when trying to convert England back to Catholicism?
-Protestants attracted adherents in London + other parts of the south
-The reformed Protestant Church of England was protected by statute law.
-Many of the political elites, whom Mary relied on for support, had no desire to surrender the financial benefits they gained from monastic lands
-Mary was essentially fighting a war against the pope and France.
-Mary believed divine law was superior to statute law.
Actions towards bishops + clergy
-Around 1/4 of the clergy were deprived of their livings as they were married.
-234 in Norwich diocese
-150 in London
-only 10% lost their livings in the north
-7 bishops were removed: 4/7 being imprisoned including Cramner, Hooper, Ridley and Latimer.
First parliament
Oct 1553:
-Repealed most of the reforming legislation from the previous reign: two prayer books and their acts of uniformity, permission for clerical marriages, communion + 42 articles
-Faced no opposition
-Forms of catholic worship in 1547 were re-established
-Between 1/4 + 1/3 of the HOC voted against the proposals
-Didn’t address royal supremacy- otherwise she would’ve had to accept that statute law overrides divine law.
Role of cardinal pole
-Heavily relied on by Mary
-Helped Mary restore Catholicism
-30 Nov 1554 pole granted absolution to the whole realm and restored it to papal obedience
New catholic testament (Book of Homilies)
-She had very little time to implement them
-Little success
Third parliament
1554
-Restored the heresy law + made it punishable by death to deny papal supremacy.
Jan 1555:
-Act of Repeal revoked the royal supremacy
-Act of Supremacy 1555 made the Pope the leader of the church again
Use of censorship
1553:
-Mary issued decrees against seditious rumours- anything against the crown
1555:
-an index of prescribed writers was drawn up.
1558:
-The death penalty was prescribed for those involved with prohibited books—> Edward’s prayer book was still in circulation
Writers writing against mary
-Protestant writers threw insults at Mary to undermine her credibility + sustain the hopes of Protestants by urging disobedience
-Becon + Scory enjoined disobedience on the queen, queen her father’s reign as a punishment for their sins.
-Others encouraged non-attendance at mass + continuation of Protestant rites
-Punnett- argued against royal authority
-John Foxe- book of martyrs.
Why did Mary want to execute Protestants?
-The restoration of the heresy legislation in Jan 1555 opened the burnings of Protestants.
-Urged by her Spanish confessed + Pole
-There were still strong Protestant beliefs in England.
Who was executed?
-289 victims: 50 women in south east, 67 martyrs in London, 58 in Kent, 39 in Essex, 23 in Sussex + 18 in Suffolk
-Ridley + Latimer in oxford on 16 Oct 1555
-Cramer in oxford on 21 March 1556
-21 clergy died
-Later executions were regular people
The impact of the persecution of protestants
After the execution of Roger + Taylor they banned servants, apprentices + young people from attending the executions.
How did Protestants react to the burnings?
-They were impressed by the courage + became convinced that they were Gods chosen ones.
-At the beginning of the burnings, some agreed with it.
-Some felt sympathy.
Who escaped and why?
-800 men + women because of fear of execution
-Left for Switzerland and Germany
What Protestant underground movement existed and why?
-Began in London, around 200 people listened to those Protestant ideas.
-Fowle + Rough- led the underground movements
