The Social Impact Of Religious And Economic Changes Under Mary I Flashcards
What evidence shows that Catholicism was willingly anticipated?
For the most part, local enthusiasm produced large sums of money, raised at great speed, to devote to popular conservative religious projects.
What problems were faced by Mary in reforming religion?
- Protestantism, although a minority, had attracted adherents in London and other parts of the south.
- The reformed Protestant Church of England was protected in statute law.
- Many members of the political elites, on whose support Mary depended on, had benefitted financially from the acquisition of monastic land and had no desire to surrender what Mary saw as their ill-gotten gains.
How did Mary start to attack Protestantism?
Foreign Protestants were ordered to leave the country and the legislative attack started with the meeting of her first Parliament in October 1553:
- Religious laws passed under Edward were repealed.
- Order of service was restored to what it was under Henry VIII.
- All married clergy were deprived of their living.
- The legal status of the Church of England was upheld.
What problem did Mary face after the meeting of her first parliament?
To rely on parliamentary legislation to reverse the royal supremacy, she would have to acknowledge the original laws passed under Henry VIII as being legally valid.
When was the status of the Church resolved?
During the meeting of her third parliament (November 1554 to January 1555) where Cardinal Pole took up the position as legate and Archbishop of Canterbury. This parliament reversed the Henrician Act of Attainder that was passed against Pole. The issue of church lands delayed matters; councillors didn’t want a foreigner to have jurisdiction over English Property. The Act of Repeal was also passed in her third parliament which revoked royal supremacy. Mary was forced to acknowledge the jurisdiction of statute law in matters involving religion.
Why did Mary find herself in a war against the papacy in 1555?
Paul IV succeeded Julius III as pope, who was hostile towards Mary’s husband Philip and regarded Pole a heretic. Hostility towards Philip was demonstrated by his open hostility to the Spanish side of a war which broke out in 1555 and into which England was later dragged.
What put Mary in a difficult legal relationship with the Pope?
Paul dismissed Pole as papal legate in April 1557, accusing him of heresy (Mary wouldn’t let Pole face the charges in Rome). The pope named a new legate as William Peto, but Mary trusted Pole so didn’t acknowledge superior papal authority that put Peto in a higher position than the Archbishop of Canterbury. This meant that the reward she got for restoring the Catholic faith to England as being meagre.
How did Mary reduce the influence of Protestants?
She burned 289 heretics at the stake. 60 were burned in London, showing the extent of Protestant penetration there. Famous heretics include Archbishop Cramer and bishops Hooper and Ridley.
Evidence that Protestantism is important to people who didn’t benefit financially from the religious change.
The bulk of the burnt heretics were of a humble status, in contrast to the exalted background of those who had gone into exile when Mary became queen.
What shows that the council were worried about the effects of the burnings?
They banned servants, apprentices and the young from attending them.
How did Mary try to restore the resources of the church?
Pole tried to ensure the quality of pastoral provision. Most of the new bishops Mary and Pole appointed took their pastoral responsibilities seriously and in a manner in accordance with the Catholic Reformation. Pole’s legatine synod of 1555 to 1556 made his expectations clear. Bishops were to reside in their dioceses, preach and oversee the religious life of their parishes. There was also a proposal, never put into effect, that each cathedral should have a seminary attached for the training of new recruits to priesthood.
Did Poles reforms on restoring Church resources work?
The chance of success largely depended on commitment at parish level. Although this was achieved in catholic Lancashire and Durham where they were fertile for recruiting new priests, there were very few candidates for ordination in Kent. There was a wide variation in practice in London; some parishes embraced Catholicism, but others were virtually in ruins.
What was the main factor which led to Elizabeth’s and Pole’s failure in re-Catholicizing England?
The delay in properly restoring the church’s institutional structure and the divisions between Crown and papacy.
What issues were there for the economy during her reign?
- Continued pressure on demand brought about by the rapid increase in the population. This was a long term factor in increasing inflation.
- The inflationary impact of debasement of the coinage.
- Harvest failures in 1555 and 1556 which brought severe food shortages and severe strain on real wages for the poor.
- Devastating impact of the ‘sweating sickness’ which swept through the country in 1557 and 1558.
What financial reforms were introduced?
The Duke of Northumberland sought to improve the administration of Crown finances by introducing a commission to investigate the shortcomings of the system and to recommend reforms. Some changes were implemented in 1554, even though the person responsible (Walter Mildmay) was regarded with suspicion on religious grounds. These changes adopted some of the more recent courts superior methods and financial administration, under the Lord Treasurer Winchester, was competent.
The long term security of the Crown finances was boosted by the plans for recoinage drawn up from 1556-1558, but implemented under Elizabeth.
Mary introduced the new Book of Rates in 1558 which raised customs revenue dramatically.
