The Elizabethan Age (1558 - 1603) - The Puritan Threat Flashcards
What were Puritans against?
Giving a ring during a marriage ceremony
Dancing on the village green
Visiting the theatre
Celebrating Saints Days and Christmas
They preferred plain, non decorated Churches and wanted a purer form of worship.
What was Elizabeth’s view?
Some Puritans want to get rid of bishops which would destroy her power to rule the Church
The Puritans will never plot to attack her or help a foreign country to attack England
She liked some of the Catholic ways like small amounts of decoration in churches and vestments
Puritans are a minority
She was in charge of the Church
Religion is a private matter and Puritans have no right to ask for changes. They are attacking her authority
Who were moderate Puritans?
Accepted the Religious Settlement but wanted further reforms to purify the Church e.g Walsingham and Dudley
Who were Presbyterians?
Wanted further reform. Each Church to be run by an elected committee of Presbyterian with simpler services. Mostly based in Scotland.
Who were Separatists?
Most radical Puritan group. Wanted independence, free of interference from the Queen’s government. Wanted to run their own affairs, also known as Brownists. They were the biggest threat.
What was the vestments controversy of 1566?
Many Puritan Priests refused to wear specific vestments similar to Catholic clothing. The Dean of Christ Church, Thomas Sampson was dismissed along with 37 other Puritan Priests.
Who was Thomas Cartwright (1570)?
He directly challenged the religious settlement as wanted to introduce the Presbyterian Church. Cartwright’s proposals were rejected and he was expelled to Geneva.
Who was John Stubbs? (1579)
John Stubbs humiliated Elizabeth by writing a pamphlet about marriage talks with the Duke of Anjou. He had his hand chopped off and he was imprisoned for 18 months.
What were the Marprelate Tracts 1588-89?
Pamphlets were published attacking the Church and bishops and offending many people. The Puritans did not support the Tracts and an author was never identified.
Who was Walter Strickland?
The Puritan MP for Yorkshire proposed a bill calling for a New Book of Common Prayer in April 1571. He also called to ban vestments and kneeling to receive Communion. He wanted to ban marriage rings too. He was prevented from attending Parliament and 39 Articles were introduced requiring all clergy to conform. Elizabeth closed Parliament.
Who was Anthony Cope?
The Puritan MP for Banbury was sympathetic to Presbyterian ideas. In 1586 he called to replace the Common Book of Prayer with the Geneva Paper by John Calvin. He argued that religion should be discussed in Parliament and that bishops should be banned. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London and Hatton who was an MP and the Privy Council spoke against Cope.
Who was Wentworth?
Puritan MP for Barnstable, in 1576 he complained in the House of Commons that MPs were not free to discuss what they wished. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for a month.
Who were Field and Wilcox?
They were clergyman. In 1572 they published 2 books arguing that the Presbyterian Church was the one laid down in the Bible. They criticised the book of common prayer and called for ministers, elders and deacons not bishops. They were arrested and imprisoned for a year. Puritan printing presses were ordered to be destroyed and bishops instructed to enforce uniformity.
Who was Archbishop Grindal?
In 1576, he was ordered by Elizabeth to ban prophesying. He was sympathetic to Puritan ideas and he concluded that prophesying was not dangerous. He ignored Elizabeth’s orders so she suspended him from his duties.
Who was John Whitgift?
Member of the Privy Council who replaced Edmund Grindal as Archbishop. He issued three articles, acceptance of bishops, acceptance of Book of Common Prayer, acceptance of the 39 articles. 300-400 ministers refused to swear acceptance. Did not sympathise with Puritan ideas. Creates further divide.
