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)
How did Elizabeth prove to be politically astute through her response to those who didn’t take the oath of supremacy?
Liberal to those who did not take the oath so as not to alienate Catholics
Details of the Act of Uniformity 1559?
Made it compulsory to use the new Book of Common Prayer (via media of the 1549/52 books - wording of communion incorporated both protestant and catholic elements)
Imposed a fine of 12 pence for recusancy
Services to be in English
Clergy allowed to marry
How did Elizabeth address the issue of ornaments and vestments in the Act of Uniformity 1559?
Said they were ‘adiaphora’ (indifferent to salvation) - maintaining the ceremonial aspects of Catholicism makes no difference to whether people can get to heaven
This placated Protestants and pleased Catholics
How many votes did the 1559 Act of Uniformity pass by?
21 to 18 - barely passes (would not have passed if 2 Catholic bishops had not been arrested due to the Holy Week debate)
Details of the 1559 Penalties on the Laity and Clergy
Penalties for recusancy
Penalties for supporting the Pope as the Head of the Church (ranging from loss of property and goods to execution - execution not enforced until 1577)
Penalties for persuading a priest to perform a Roman Catholic mass (ranging from 100 marks to life imprisonment)
Penalties on clergy for not following BCP (ranging from 6 months imprisonment to life imprisonment)
Details of Act of Exchange 1559
Allowed the Queen to acquire the revenue from any vacant bishoprics
Dissolved any monasteries and chantries that Mary had restored
Allowed the Queen to curtail the power and influence of the bishops by limiting the wealth they held through church lands
Details of Act of First Fruits and Tenths 1559
Restored Henry’s act of 1534
Made Elizabeth £40,000 per year
Details of 1559 Royal Injunctions
57 injunctions in total to create a uniform pattern of worship
Good example of ‘via media’ - e.g. every Church had to have an English Bible, but every clergyman had to have a Latin Bible
Details of 1563 39 Articles
Not a via media - had only Protestant theology
e.g. Article 28 took the Calvinist approach to communion and Article 17 took a Lutheran approach to predestination
Historiography about the 1563 39 Articles
Susan Doran called it ‘something of a hybrid’ of different Protestant elements
When did the 39 Articles become law?
the 1571 Parliament
When was the Oath of Supremacy extended?
1563 - extended to cover anybody important in society like MPs, lawyers, doctors, teachers etc…
Historian views of the settlement
Foxe (contemporary) - Elizabeth wanted a Protestant settlement but got a via media due to opposition in the HoL
Graves - Elizabeth got a via media because she wanted a via media
Jones - Elizabeth mainly got what she wanted (other than the Supremacy)
Arguments that the religious settlement was successful?
Most people (incl Catholics) accepted it
Able to maintain cordial relations with France and Spain
Lower clergy were mostly accepting
Elizabeth’s position as Supreme Governor was secure
Arguments that the religious settlement was unsuccessful?
Puritans saw it as only the start - radical reformers wanted more which would cause problems
Leading Marian clergy refused to accept it
What was the weakness of the act of uniformity?
Caused the 1566 vestarian controversy, the consequence of which was the resignation of 37 high-profile clergymen
Essay plan - did Liz get the settlement she wanted? (overall structure)
Establish what she wanted (Collinson - ‘via media’)
Supremacy
Uniformity
Money
Essay plan - did Liz get the settlement she wanted? (supremacy)
Wanted Supreme Head, got Supreme Governor to appease both Caths, who wanted Pope as head, and Prots, who did not want a woman as head (no practical difference - e.g. Strickland, declared V+O adiaphora)
96% clergy agree (yay), 25/27 bishops disagree (boo) - however, this allowed Liz to replace them with Anglicans like Bishop Jewel of Salisbury
Oath extended in 1563
Overall, while she did not get the title she wanted, practically she got what she wanted
Essay plan - did Liz get the settlement she wanted? (uniformity)
1st 2 attempts, wanted something more radical
Her desire for a ‘via media’ upheld by 1559 BCP (e.g. wording of communism incorporated both Catholic and Protestant beliefs), kept some Catholic aspects like V + O (which she would be happy with as she kept candles and crucifixes in her private chapel)
Reaction not what she wanted - Vesterian controversy of 1566 in which 37 clergy resign
Overall, got what she wanted in terms of uniformity, just not the reaction she hoped
Essay plan - did Liz get the settlement she wanted? (money)
First fruits and tenths - got £40,000 p.a.
Act of Exchange - got control over influence of bishops
