The Puritan Threat

Question 1

Puritan beliefs

Answer 1

Protestants
Strongly anti-Catholic
Believed preaching was important
Thought priests should be well educated (unusual at time)
Enouraged education of ordinary people so they would be able to read Bible themselves
Strict about godly living.

Question 2

Views to religious settlements

Answer 2

Wanted further reforms to make church more Protestant
More radical Puritans wanted to get rid of church hierarchy -threat to Elizabeth as head of hierarchy.

Question 3

Prophesyings

Answer 3

Taught priests how to preach
Elizabeth thought this would cause more Puritan opposition to religious settlement
1576- ordered Archbishop of Canterbury (Grindal) to stop them
Grindal was a Puritan and thought it was good for church so disobeyed order and was suspended and put on house arrest.

Question 4

John Whitgift

Answer 4

1583- Grindal died, Whitgift became Archbishop of Canterbury.
Whitgift attacked Puritan clergy, 200-300 Puritan priests suspended.
Caused Puritans break away and form separate church - seen as threat to religious settlement, introduce censorship laws.