Religious Settlement Flashcards
Competing historiography about Elizabeth’s religious beliefs?
Foxe (contemporary of Liz) - says she was a devout Protestant
Pollard (1910s) - says she was ‘indifferent’ towards religion, more concerned with politics than religion
Neale (1950s) - DISCREDITED VIEW that she was nationally Catholic
Hudson (1990s) - says she was a radical Protestant (Zwinglian)
Collinson (2000s) - says she was moderately Protestant but liked some aspects of Catholicism
Evidence that Elizabeth was personally Protestant?
On Christmas Day 1558, she walked out of her chapel when the bishop raised the consecrated bread during mass
Regarded as an example of piety during Edward’s reign and as a heretic in Mary’s
At her coronation, she told priests carrying candles ‘away with those torches’
Evidence that Elizabeth was personally sympathetic to Catholicism?
Kept crucifixes and candles in her private chapel
Vehemently opposed to the idea of married clergymen
Liked clergymen to wear vestments
What was Elizabeth’s main focus for her religious settlement?
Did not want to ‘make windows into men’s souls’ - as long as there was uniformity and conformity she would not impose on private religious convictions
Issues affecting Elizabeth’s decisions over religious policies?
Her personal views
Foreign policy
English population
Government and advisors
How would foreign policy have affected Elizabeth’s initial attitude to religious policy?
Worried about France (threat posed by both MQS in France and Mary of Guise in Scotland). Therefore, she could not have gone too Protestant as she could not risk alienating Spain
How would the English population have affected Elizabeth’s initial attitude to religious policy?
Majority Catholics - could not risk rebellions such as the Prayer Book Rising in 1549
How would government and advisors have affected Elizabeth’s initial attitude to religious policy?
Quickly replaces Mary’s advisors with Protestants such as Cecil, Dudley and Walsingham - government attitude becomes v reformist
What were Elizabeth’s two key objectives with her religious settlement?
Uniformity (wanted to establish a national church that would be acceptable to all)
Conformity (wanted her subjects to conform to the demands of her religious settlement)
What did Elizabeth initially attempt in February 1559?
3 bills were presented, one about the supremacy (to make her supreme head of the church) and two about uniformity (we are unsure about the details of this but it is assumed to have proposed a return to Northumberland’s radical Protestantism)
Passed in the House of Commons, but not in the House of Lords
What happened in Holy Week 1559 in the HoL?
Holy Week debate - theological debate rigged in favour of Prots
Resulted in two Catholic bishops getting arrested (affecting the balance of the HoL)
Details of the Act of Supremacy 1559?
Elizabeth would get the title ‘Supreme GOVERNOR’ not Head - appeased both Caths (who could think of the Pope as head) and Prots (who did not like the idea of a woman being head)
Oath of Supremacy to be taken by all bishops, clergy and members of government
Revived Henry VIII’s 10 Articles of 1536
Brought in a new treason law
How can we show that Elizabeth only getting acknowledged as Supreme Governor (not head) made no practical difference?
In 1571, she was able to use her veto to block Strickland’s Puritan proposals
How many bishops (and other clergy) took the Oath of Supremacy?
Only 2 out of 27 (the rest fired - new Protestant bishops like Bishop Jewel of Salisbury appointed)
96% of regular clergy took the oath (only around 300 in the whole country refused)
