Religious Policies Flashcards
What were Mary’s aims?
Undo the religious changes made since 1529
Restore Papal authority
Restore traditional Catholic practices + belief in transubstantiation
Re-establish religious houses that had been dissolved
End clerical marriage + restore the status of priests
Secure a long term future for Catholicism by marrying + having children
Persecute those who did not agree with her views
What problems did Mary’s advisors recognise?
Gardiner=uncertain about restoring Papal authority
Simon Renard= expressed concerns about trying to restore former monastic property
Charles V + the Pope Julius III = concerned that Mary would proceed too quickly + provoke unrest that might threaten her position as queen
What happened in September 1553?
Bishops Gardiner + Bonner released from prison + reinstated
Mary ordered Archbishop Cranmer to be arrested, his fellow Protestant leaders (Latimer, Hooper & Ridley) also arrested
What happened in October 1553? (Parliament)
Parliament met but refused to repeal the Act of Supremacy despite Mary’s insistence, instead they passed an Act of Repeal
What happened in October 1553? (Parliament)
Parliament met but refused to repeal the Act of Supremacy, instead they passed an Act of Repeal which undid the changes made under e
What did the Act of Repeal do?
Undid the changes made under Edward, reinstated Mass, clerical celibacy & ritual worship
Restored the church to what it had been in 1547 under the Act of the Six Articles
What happened in December 1553?
Mary gave up her title as supreme head of the Church
Parliament refused to let her
What happened in January 1554?
Wyatt Rebellion
Prominent English protestants fled to Germany + Switzerland to avoid Marian prosecution of married clergy, estimated to be 800 in total
(Marian Exiles)
What happened in March 1554?
Mary issued the Royal Injunctions
What did the Royal Injunctions do?
What did the Royal Injunctions do?
Restored some traditional Catholic practices eg Holy Days, processions & cermonies
What did the Royal Injunctions lead to?
The deprivation of large numbers of married clergy
In the diocese of Norwich, 243 Priests lost their posts
Eventually 10-25% of clergy were deprived for having married, although some were reinstated when they conformed.
What did the Royal Injunctions order Bishops to do?
Suppress heresy
Remove married clergy
Restore Holy days, processions & ceremonies
Reordain clergy who had been ordained under the English Ordinal
What happened in April 1554?
Parliament initially rejected the reintroduction of the heresy laws, but agreed when promises were made that former monastic lands would not be restored to the church
Why were Parliament against former monastic lands being restored?
Because many MPs had bought large amounts of former monastic lands & did not want to lose them
What did opposition to Mary’s marriage & the Wyatt Rebellion mean? (regarding religious policy)
that further religious legislation was postponed until the Spring of 1554
What happened in November 1554?
Cardinal Pole returned to England + the sentence of excommunication is lifted from England
Parliament met again and passed the Second Act of Repeal
What did the Second Act of Repeal do?
Repealed all religious legislation approved since 1529
Undid all anti-Papal legislation since 1529 and Henrician Reformation
Why did the Second Act of Repeal force Mary to compromise with landowners?
Because the Act protected the property rights of those who had bought church land since 1536
What did the Second Act of Repeal demonstrate?
That Mary had to recognise the authority of parliament in religious matters
This would also prevent a full-scale restoration of Catholicism as there could not be a large number of monasteries founded
Summary of 1553 religious changes?
Proclamation
Bishops Gardiner & Bonner released from prison + reinstated to former services
Archbishop Cranmer arrested
Parliament refuses to repeal Act of Supremacy but pass Act of Repeal
Mary rejects title of Supreme Head of the English Church
Summary of 1554 religious changes?
Protestants began to leave England & go into exile
Royal Injunctions introduced
Parliament meets again, pass heresy laws
Cardinal Reginald Pole returns to England, sentence of excommunication is lifted from England
Parliament meets again + pass second Act of Repeal
What happened in January 1555?
Mary appointed a commission to re-establish various religious houses
What happened on the 4th of February 1555?
The first Protestant martyr was publicly burned- John Rogers (a biblical translator) was convicted under the new heresy laws.
What happened on the 16th of October 1555?
Bishops Ridley and Latimer were burned for heresy in Oxford
What happened on the 12th November 1555?
Stephen Gardiner (Mary’s Catholic advisor) died
What was the impact of Gardiner’s death?
An increase in persecutions, with some 274 executions in the last 3 years of her reign
Although he initially encouraged the persecution of protestants, he soon became aware that it was not working & might even be hardening opposition
What happened on the 13th of October 1555?
Archbishop Cranmer was officially deprived of the See of Canterbury
What happened in December 1555?
Cardinal Reginald Pole was named as Archbishop of Canterbury
What happened to Pope Julius III in 1555?
Pope Julius III died, establishment of new Pope Paul IV in 1555, Pole faced a new Pope who disliked him
Summary of 1555 religious policies?
Mary appointed a commission to re-establish various religious houses
John Rogers-first Protestant martyr publicly burned
Bishops Ridley + Latimer burnt for heresy
Stephen Gardiner died
Archbishop Cranmer deprived of the See of Canterbury
Cardinal Reginald Pole named Archbishop of Canterbury
What happened in February 1556?
Synod issued Twelve Decrees on clerical discipline against abuses such as absenteeism, pluralism, simony + heresy
Many more Protestants were burned for heresy
What happened on the 21st of March 1556?
Cranmer recanted all retractions + was burned at the stake in Oxford
What happened on the 22nd of March 1556?
Pole was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury
Cardinal Pole argued with Pope Paul IV and was deprived of his position as legate
Summary of religious policies 1556?
The public burning of Protestant martyrs continued
Cranmer burned at the stake in Oxford
Pole was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury
Cardinal Pole argued with Pope Paul VI and was deprived of his position as legate
What happened in June 1557?
Many small religious houses were re-established
Pole was recalled to Rome to answer charges of heresy. Mary refused to let him go + rejected his replacement as legate
Summary of religious changes in 1557?
Many small religious houses were re-established
Pole was recalled to Rome to answer charges of heresy. Mary refused to let him go + rejected his replacement as legate
What happened on the 10th of November 1558?
Five prominent Protestants were burnt for heresy at Canterbury
A protestant exile Thomas Bentham returned to London and led Protestant meetings
What happened on the 17th of November 1558?
Mary and Pole died
Summary of religious changes 1558?
5 protestants burned at stake in Canterbury
Thomas Bentham returned to London and led Protestant meetings
Mary and Pole died
When did Mary die?
17th November 1558
(Pole also died)
How many Protestants were killed during Mary’s reign?
About 300 in total
What were the obstacles to Catholic restoration?
The shortness/brevity of the reign
Pole rejected the help of the Jesuits in 1555, they offered to come to England to preach + evangelise about Catholicism
Propaganda opportunities not always seized e.g. nothing made of the recantation of Sir John Checke
Marian gov failed to realise the potential of literacy + printing, critical works outnumbered publications that supported Mary by 2 to 1
Bishops supposed to be driving force reforming the clergy but Edwardian bishops were still in their sees until April 1554
What approach did Mary use to promote her religious aims?
Adopted a ‘carrot and stick’ approach to ensure that Catholicism was restored + Protestant influence eradicated.
Used persuasion & persecution
How did Mary use persuasion to promote her religious aims?
Mary & Pole believed that the errant Protestants needed to have the error of their ways pointed out to them.
Pole instituted a number of measures that attempted to improve the quality of the church
What strategy did Pole use?
The top-down strategy
What was the first measure of the top-down strategy?
Pole encouraged the bishops to make regular visitations to their dioceses to check on finance & discipline of the clergy as strong leadership of the church was vital
What was the second feature of the top-down strategy?
The London Synod of 1555 drew up Twelve Decrees, these emphasised the necessity of all parish priests being resident and sought to put an end to other abuses eg nepotism
What was the third feature of the top-down strategy?
Pole commissioned some new publications to help the clergy eg a new Book of Homilies but didn’t have much chance to be implemented
What was the fourth feature of the top down strategy?
When bishops went on visitations he wanted them to report on learning among schoolmasters + the clergy
he wanted seminaries to be established in the cathedrals
How were the Marian government repressive in the war of words? (censorship)
Used a policy of censorship eg 2 of her earliest proclamations forbade the printing of seditious rumours, towards the end of her reign it was declared that the possession of treasonable books would result in the death penalty
Several acts of parliament made slander of Mary or Philip punishable as treason
How were the Marian government repressive in the war of words? (suppression)
By suppressing Protestant words but a lack of consistency hampered efforts to control literature
They attempted to prevent the smuggling of books but most Protestant writings were published abroad + outweighed the Marian ones significantly
How did the Marian gov try to be proactive in the war of words?
A number of sermons were sponsored at St. Paul’s Cross in London
Why did the gov fail to win the war of words?
Mary failed to cultivate the awe of the monarchy in the way her father had + she didn’t inspire intellectuals
English protestants in exile were more heavyweight than the Marian supporters
There were only half as many printers in Mary’s reign as before as a number of Protestant printers left England on her accession
How did Mary use persecution to promote her religious aims?
In Dec 1554, heresy laws were restored, and trials & executions began of those who refused to accept Catholic belief + practice
