The Problem Of Religion

Question 1

How long before Elizabeth’s reign had the country been Roman Catholic?

Answer 1

1000 and the 20 years prior to Elizabeth’s reign had witnessed 3 major changes to the official religion of the land.

Question 2

What did Henry VIII do to religion in England?

Answer 2

• He put an end to the Pope’s authority by making him head of the church
• He did not change services but introduced an English bible
• Kept many traditional Catholic practices in place

Question 3

What did Edward VI do to religion?

Answer 3

• Was heavily influenced by his advisors who were Protestant
• Introduced a new Protestant prayer book and communion service
• Required all church services to be conducted in English instead of Latin
• Had all decorations in church torn down
• Allowed priests to marry

Question 4

What did Mary Tudor do to religion?

Answer 4

• Pope as head of the church
• Restored Latin mass, catholic doctrine and ritual
• Separated Priests and their wives
• Began to persecute Protestants, a policy that earned her the title ‘Bloody Mary’

Question 5

What did Catholics think about communion and its rituals?

Answer 5

When the bread and wine was giving during mass, a miracle took place, with the priest having the power to turn them into actual blood and body.

Question 6

What did catholics think about decoration in churches?

Answer 6

Churches should be highly decorated

Question 7

What did catholics think about what priests should where?

Answer 7

Vestments

Question 8

According to catholics, who was head of the church and who helped him run it?

Answer 8

The Pope and Cardinals, Bishops and archbishops helped him.

Question 9

What did catholics think about Priests?

Answer 9

Catholics thought that only priests appointed by bishops could run the church and they should not marry.

Question 10

What did the pope and many Catholics think about Elizabeth?

Answer 10

Elizabeth was illegitimate, the king of France supported this and believed Mary queen of Scots was the rightful ruler.

Question 11

What did Protestants think about communion and its rituals?

Answer 11

The bread and wine given during holy communion remained bread and wine but were not actually the blood and body of Jesus.

Question 12

Who did Protestants think should be the head of the church?

Answer 12

The monarch and Archbishops and bishops should help monarchs govern the church. Only clergy appointed by a bishop could hold church services, they were allowed to marry.

Question 13

What did Protestants think church services should be conducted in?

Answer 13

Church services and bible should be in English which everyone could understand.

Question 14

What were puritans?

Answer 14

Extreme Protestants.

Question 15

What did Puritans think about communion and its rituals?

Answer 15

Bread and wine remained, Jesus was spiritually but not physically present during services.

Question 16

Who did Puritans think should run church?

Answer 16

There should be no head of the church, church goers should elect committees to run their churches and ordinary people as well as church ministers were allowed to preach, they were allowed to marry.

Question 17

What did Puritans think churches and their services should be like?

Answer 17

Churches should have no decoration they thought spending on decoration was against Jesus. Church services should be very simple.

Question 18

What religious problems was Elizabeth facing?

Answer 18

• Was a Protestant so could not restore authority of the Pope
• Most powerful countries in England were catholic
• Religious changes in the past caused rebellions
• Needed a national church which most would accept
• Wanted the country to be united and not punish people for their beliefs
• Mary Queen of Scots was Catholic so may have support of Catholics
• People were mainly Catholic, government mainly Protestant

Question 19

What did Elizabeth have to consider about Mary Queen of Scots when making her religious settlement?

Answer 19

• Mary Queen of Scots and Francis II new Catholic rulers of France- Mary thought she was heir to English throne.

Question 20

What did Elizabeth have to consider about Phillip of Spain when making her religious settlement?

Answer 20

• King Phillip of Spain was a devout Catholic and did not want to see France and Scotland gain influence over the English crown.

Question 21

What did Elizabeth have to consider about Scotland when making her religious settlement?

Answer 21

Scotland was ruled by Mary of Guise who was Catholic, but many Scottish nobles were Protestant and did not want to see a growth in Catholic power.

Question 22

What did Elizabeth have to consider about the Pope when making her religious settlement?

Answer 22

If the pope chose to excommunicate her, this would free her subjects from the bond to obey her end he could also call on other catholics to launch a religious crusade against England.

Question 23

What did Elizabeth have to consider inside her country when creating her religious settlement?

Answer 23

• Majority of MPs in House of Commons were Protestant and in the House of Lords they were Catholic.
• Marian exiles -> had fled abroad to avoid Mary Tudor’s persecution but now wished to return- influenced by Puritan ideas of John Calvin

Question 24

What were Elizabeth’s own religious beliefs?

Answer 24

• Prayed in her own chapel every morning
• Protestant
• Believed the most important task was to unite her country and not to punish anyone for religious beliefs

Question 25

What was the ‘middle way’?

Answer 25

Elizabeth wanted to avoid the mistakes of her brother and sister, she wanted to create a church which displayed tolerance. By formulating her religious settlement, Elizabeth adopted a via media or ‘middle way’, creating a church which reflected both Protestant and Catholic practices and attitudes.

Question 26

What were the attitudes and practices of the ‘middle way’ like?

Answer 26

- Declared Protestantism the official religion but refused to give way to extreme Protestant ideas. - New prayer book, English bible, simpler churches, priests allowed to marry. - Kept archbishops, bishops, cathedrals - Allowed churches to use crosses and candles and priests to wear vestments - Did not persecute Catholics but fined them for missing church.

Question 27

Why did it take so long for Elizabeth’s settlement to be passed?

Answer 27

Parliament met in Feb 1559 to discuss plans for new church- Elizabeth wanted MPs to approve quickly but it took 4 months of discussion (some puritan MPs thought the settlement did not go far enough to erase all aspects of Catholic faith).

Question 28

What acts made up the religious settlement?

Answer 28

The Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity (1559).

Question 29

What did the Act of Supremacy do?

Answer 29

Established Monarch’s authority over the church.

Question 30

What did the Act of Uniformity do?

Answer 30

Spelled out the church service to be followed.

Question 31

What did royal injunctions intend to do?

Answer 31

To provide a set of instructions to the clergy on a wide range of practice

Question 32

What were the aims of royal injunctions?

Answer 32

- Observe and teach royal supremacy, denounce superstition and papal authority - Condemn catholics e.g. processions, pilgrimages and monuments, ban ‘fake’ miracles - Identify recusants and report them to local JPs or privy council - Fine recusants for missing church - Preach only with permission of bishops - Ensure each parish had copy of bible in English - Ensure Uniformity during church services

Question 33

Why were 125 commissioners appointed?

Answer 33

To ensure Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity, and injunctions were enforced- they would tour the country, made the clergy take an oath of Supremacy.

Question 34

How many clergy either were sacked or resigned from 1559-1564?

Answer 34

Over 400, over 1/2 because they were Catholics.

Question 35

What did the Act of Exchange 1559 allow Elizabeth to do?

Answer 35

To take land and buildings belonging to church and force bishops to rent land to her. Church lost w considerable amount of wealth and was a further example of how the monarch could exercise Royal control over the church.

Question 36

What did Elizabeth think about the role of bishops (the Episcopacy)?

Answer 36

Elizabeth Favourite the use of bishops to administer the church and rejected the Geneva model of control set up by Calvin which were placed bishops with ministers elected by the congregation. Elizabeth thought that catholic bishops would remain in office but the refusal of the oath of supremacy made this impossible. However this gave Elizabeth the opportunity to appoint Protestants in their places one problem is that some of the new Bishops had Calvinist views.

Question 37

What were reactions at home to the religious settlement?

Answer 37

New Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker, with a moderate Protestant and commanded respect. Most of the clergy took an oath of loyalty in the church and only 250 out of 9000 piece refused to accept it. The majority of devout Catholic bishops from Mary I’s reign resigned from their posts and were replaced by Protestants. Reactions amongst the most Catholics and Protestants was muted. The fines for recusancy were not strictly enforced. Oppositions to parts of the settlement arose later.

Question 38

What were foreign reactions to the religious settlement?

Answer 38

- France was drifting towards civil war so showed little interest in the settlement. - King Phillip II of Spain wanted to maintain friendship with Elizabeth and hoped that the settlement would not be permanent. - The Pope voiced little criticism and hoped that the changes could be overturned with time.