The Social Impact of Relgious and Economic Change under Edward Flashcards
In what way had the church changed before Edward’s reign and in what way had it remained the same?
Changed structurally by the royal supremacy.
limited doctrinal changes.
There were churchmen who held Protestant views such as Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, but in many areas religious beliefs had scarcely been touched.
What was Somerset’s view on reformation and how did this differ to Edward?
Somerset was a moderate reformer.
Edward had been brought up to favour more radical views.
Religious change under Somerset = cautious.
What was one of the first pieces of legislation passed under Somerset?
When?
1547 - a new Treason Act:
Allowed religious issues to be discussed and removed censorship.
Protestant material could be brought into England legally for the first time
What act had been passed in 1545 under Henry and what act was subsequently passed under Edward?
An act had been passed in 1545 to dissolve the chantries.
Subsequent act passed in 1547 to end the practice of masses for the souls of the dead
What was there a spate of in London and what did this cause?
Iconoclasm (the breaking of images and action of attacking or assertively rejecting cherished beliefs and institutions or established values and practices) leading to widespread destruction so the Injunctions of 1538 against pilgrimages and other traditional catholic practices were reissued in 1547
What did Cranmer introduce in 1549?
The Protestant Book of Common Prayer.
Enforced by an Act of Uniformity - he was anxious to avoid religious tension
What did the 1547 Act of Uniformity include?
Who did it please?
Translated the traditional services into English
It used words which might still allow the Catholic belief in transubstantiation (Flesh + blood of body of Christ was taken, not in remembrance) = Gardiner was happy.
What was Northumberland’s approach to religious change?
He favoured increasingly radical religious reforms.
He sought to plunder more of the Church’s wealth
What was Northumberland’s more radical aim(this effected finance)?
He sought to plunder more of the Church’s wealth
What had influenced radical reform?
What did Edward see it as his mission to do?
Key continental reformers had moved to England and were influencing decisions on religious matters.
Edward VI saw it as his mission to destroy idolatry (worship of idols which were images or representations of god used as an object of worship - Like Josiah)
What were two of the religious changes under Northumberland?
The removal of alters and reforms to Church services, combining Lutheran and Calvinist elements.
The 1552 Book of Common Prayer (replacing that of 1549) accompanied by another Act of Uniformity -
What was Calvinism and Zwinglian
A more radical form of Protestantism put forward in Geneva by French reformer John Calvin
Zwinglian - religious ideas of Zwingli - protestant reform with more radical ideas than Luther - most important continental influence on the English Church during Edward’s reign
Who was Northumberland influenced by?
Zwingli and senior clergy such as Ridley and Hooper
What did the 1552 Book of Common prayer and new Act of Uniformity do? (4)
Removed remaining conservative ceremonies.
Gave Protestant writing to the baptism, burial and communion services. (removing the ambiguity of the 1549 prayer book).
Conservatives couldn’t accept anything in the book.
Banned traditional vestments (clergymen’s clothes) introducing simpler replacements
Restricted church music.
What was the final religious change made under Northumberland which confirmed the firmly protestant nature of official doctrine?
When?
Cranmer’s Forty-Two Articles of Religion in 1553 (a revised version of 39 articles adopted in Elizabeth’s reign)
What happened to services and traditional religious practices?
Services became plainer and traditional religious practices declined
What did people become less inclined to do and why?
Leave money to their parish church, possible due to religious reasons but more likely on the basis that their legacy was likely to be confiscated. (The Church was slowly losing its wealth as land was taken from bishops and church property was seized)
Who admitted that traditional practices were not entirely destroyed?
Why was this?
When was this seen?
In 1550 radical reformer John Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester and Worcester admitted that the pace of reform was hampered by an uncooperative public and that the survival of old beliefs was carried out by the speed with which traditional practices were re-adopted following the accession of the Catholic Queen Mary in 1553
How may people have been affected by the religious changes that took place under Edward?
The loss of charitable function of monasteries and chantries including care for the sick and elderly, and the provision of education would have effected many communities
What was England’s economic situation in 1547 when Edward came to the throne + why?
Poor, following Henry’s expenditure on war and inflation
Why were unemployment levels high at Edwards accession?
Unemployment levels were high partly due to a growth in population at a time of increasing enclosure in the countryside and partly due to a fall in demand for English cloth exports in the 1540’s
What steps did Somerset and Northumberland take to attempt to improve the economic situation?
Somerset’s proclamation against enclosure and tax on sheep (which only harmed small farmers) and continued debasement of the coinage (which while it produced £537,000 to finance war against S’land it also produced further inflation and added to social distress and a poor harvest in 1548 added to the inflationary pressures).
Northumberland’s commission to investigate and improve royal finance administration under the influence of Walter Mildmay (although this took time to take effect - most of the benefits in the reign of Mary).
What significant events happened in 1549?
The Western Rebellion in Devon and Cornwall and major rebellions in East Anglia - especially Kett’s rebellion in Norfolk
What were the main causes of the Western Rebellion in June/July?
Religious grievances- also known as the Prayer book rebellion (the catalyst being the new book of common prayer) - but the rebels had had little chance to experience the new prayer book and actual religious grievances ran deeper- wanted to reverse the religious reforms which were destroying the way in which people had experienced religion - traditional rituals of the church and churches role in the community had gone.
The sheep tax (peasant labourers resented it as the imposition of an uncaring government in London hitting local farmers) - made worse by its implementation by insensitive local officials
Distrust between rural labourers and landowners
Prayer book - bible in English disliked by Cornish Catholics, eucharist had been changed and disapproved of plain vestments
