The social impact of religious and economic change under Edward VI

Question 1

What were religious changes under Somerset?

Answer 1

-Move to Protestantism
-Welcomed religious radicals like John Hooper and Thomas Becon.
-Cautious religious policy e.g Book of Common Prayer 1549
-Radical approach in other areas e.g attack on religious practice, particularly in London.

Question 2

What was the Book of Common Prayer 1549?

Answer 2

-1549
-Moderate
-Written by Cranmer who was anxious to increase religious tension.

2 objectives:
-Establish a single form for services in the CofE
-Translate services into English to enhance understanding of the key texts.

Question 3

Key policy changes under Somerset

Answer 3

Denunciation of images in London 1547

Injunctions issued 1547 attacking traditional features/practices

Dissolution of chantries and religious guilds 1547

Book of Common Prayer 1549

Question 4

What was the social impact of Somerset’s religious changes?

Answer 4

-Plundering of Church resources
-Traditional Catholic practices attacked
-Money and property confiscated that had previously underpinned charitable activities, feasts and celebrations.

Question 5

What was religious strategy under Northumberland?

Answer 5

-Continue the Protestant reforms initiated by Somerset.
-Plunder more of the Church’s wealth.
-More radical approach to Protestantism.
-Radical senior clergy becoming more influential e.g Nicholas Ridley and John Hooper.
-Increasing influence of Edward VI.

Question 6

What was the Book of Common Prayer 1552?

Answer 6

-Northumberland
-Written by Cranmer

-Removal of remaining ‘conservative’ ceremonies’.
-Rewriting of baptism, confirmation and burial services.
-Radical reform of Communion service e.g replacement of wafer with ordinary bread.
-Ban on use of ‘popish vestments’.
-Restriction on use of church music.

Question 7

What were the Forty-Two Articles of Religion?

Answer 7

-June 1553
-Cranmer
-Confirmed the Protestant nature of official doctrine.
-Defined the essentials of faith in England.
-Never implemented due to King’s death.

Question 8

How did Northumberland use religious policy to improve Crown finances?

Answer 8

-Asset stripping
-Extracting wealth from the Church through the plundering of bishopric’s property.
-E.g 2/3 of the dioceses of Worcester’s property went to the Crown.

Question 9

What was the social impact of Northumberland’s changes?

Answer 9

-Destruction of old Catholic traditions.
-Expenditure on Church goods declined after 1540 as people felt there was no point leaving money to the Church when it may be confiscated by the Crown.
-Historian Christopher Haigh argues there was a crisis of religion at the parish level.
-Decline of church attendance and number of candidates for ordination as priests.

Question 10

What were economic factors for discontent under Somerset?

Answer 10

Numerous factors caused discontent:
-Inflation
-Agrarian issues e.g enclosure and harvest failures
-Taxation

Question 11

Economic changes under Somerset

Answer 11

-Continued debasement to finance war against Scotland.
-Heightened inflationary pressures, which were worsened by poor harvest in 1548.
-Issued proclamation against enclosure and investigated the issue but little was achieve other than raising the hopes of the poor.
-Taxation to raise money for Scottish war raised huge discontent.
-Failed experiment of putting tax on sheep to create financial pressures on farmers in upland areas and deter them from enclosure.

Question 12

Economic changes under Northumberland

Answer 12

-End to wars against Scotland and France
-Considerable reduction in Crown expenditure
-£133,333 French payment for return of Boulogne
-Abandoned debasement after one final
-Increased revenue from the Church by unscrupulous measures
-Overall Crown income improved

Question 13

Reasons for rebellion in 1549

Answer 13

-Religious reasons
-Social grievances most important in the Midlands and East Anglia
-Resentment of taxation

Question 14

Rebellion 1549

Answer 14

-Most died out fairly quickly due to insufficient support or prompt action from the local nobility and gentry.
-E.g Earl of Arundel managed to calm matters down in Sussex by hearing grievances and punishing landlords and peasants even-handedly.

Question 15

What was the Western Rebellion?

Answer 15

-1549
-Devon and Cornwall
-Described as the ‘prayer book rebellion’ due to resentment to new Book of Common Prayer.
-Religious grievances (wanted to reverse the religious reforms).
-Distrust between rural labourers and landowners over taxation (sheep tax).
-Began 6th June and defeated 17th August.

Question 16

What was Kett’s Rebellion?

Answer 16

-East Anglia
-1549

Grievances:
-Hatred of local gov officials
-Resentment of abuse by landowners of the Norfolk foldcourse system
-Pent up frustration about the maladministration locally of the Howards
-Wanted the gov to act on their promises to end enclosure

How it went:
-Kett was able to maintain discipline and negotiate with the civic authorities in Norwich.
-Began 8th July and captured Norwich but finally defeated 27th August by Northumberland.

Question 17

What two reforming traditions were significant in Edward VI reign?

Answer 17

-Evangelic humanism (Erasmus)

-Radical forms of Protestantism

Question 18

What were influences of moderate humanism?

Answer 18

-Cranmer influenced by humanism.
-1547 Injunctions required every church to acquire a copy of ‘Paraphrases’ by Erasmus.
-Humanist Sir John Cheke had been Edward’s tutor.
-Humanist writer Nicholas Udall given gov encouragement.
-William Cecil encouraged humanist scholars at Cambridge.
-Humanist-influenced reformers Peter Martyr and Martin Bucer were invited to work in England.
-The great Lutheran and humanist scholar Philip Melanchthon was invited to be Bucer’s replacement.

Question 19

How did the nature of reform change under Northumberland?

Answer 19

-More militant
-Less comprehensive
-Strained relationship between Northumberland and Cranmer.
-More influenced by the radical John Hooper.
1552 and 53 more radical reforms gaining momentum.