The social impact of religious changes and economic changes under Mary I Flashcards
What were Mary’s problems with religious reforms?
-Protestantism had attracted adherents in London and other parts of the south.
-The reformed Protestant church was protected in statute law.
-Many members of the political elites, who 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 implement religious reforms?
-Started cautiously
-Some of the most prominent Protestant clergy deprived of livings and imprisoned.
-Foreign Protestants ordered to leave the country, but most had already left voluntarily.
-Legislative attack
What was Mary’s legislative attack on Protestantism? What was her dilemma?
Began first Parliament Oct 1553:
-Repealed Edward’s religious laws
-Order of service at time of HVIII’s death restored
-All clergy who had married when permitted were deprived of livings
-Legal status of Church of England upheld
Dilemma:
-To rely on parliamentary legislation to reverse the royal supremacy would mean acknowledging that the laws passed in HVIII’s reign were legally valid. This would be accepting the superiority of statute law over divine law, which was firmly against Mary’s beliefs.
What happened in Mary’s third Parliament?
The status of the Church was finally resolved:
-Nov 1554 to Jan 1555
-Monastic lands could not be returned to the Church.
-Pope Julius III and his legate Reginald Pole wanted the English Church to submit to Rome. The Council, along with Philip and Charles V, knew this was impossible.
-Eventually Julius accepted Charles V advice and it was agreed.
-Cardinal Pole arrived in England and became Archbishop of Canterbury.
-Reversed the Henrican Acts of Attainder against Pole and royal assent was given the day before his arrival.
-Royal supremacy was eventually revoked after furious debates over the issue of monastic lands.
What was the Act of Repeal?
-January 1555
-Revoked royal supremacy.
What was the problem when Paul IV became Pope?
-Very anti-Spanish (disliked Philip).
-Suspicious of Pole as he regarded him a heretic.
-Mary found herself embroiled in a Franco-Spanish war and essentially war against the papacy.
-Pope dismissed Pole as legate, upsetting Mary who trusted Pole, and replaced him with Pet who was put in a higher position than the AofC, placing Mary in a difficult legal position.
Mary’s burning of Protestants.
-Burned around 280 at the stake for heresy, including bishops Hooper and Ridley, and Archbishop Cranmer.
-Bulk of sufferers were from humble status, suggesting Protestantism wasn’t simply for financial gain.
-In some ways it misfired because it led to high levels of sympathy for some victims.
-Ultimately failed to extinguish heresy and negatively affected Mary’s reputation.
-Given name ‘Bloody Mary’.
What were Mary’s other religious reforms?
-Improved quality of pastoral provision with Bishops residing in their dioceses and carefully overseeing the religious life of their parishes.
-Success of Pole’s reforms depended on commitment at parish level.
To what extent had Mary transformed the religious situation by 1558?
-Bulk of country in religious sentiment.
-However, due to lack of time there were limited achievements by Pole and Mary.
-Delay in restoring the Church’s institutional structure was also damaging.
-Mary never completed what she set out to do.
What were continued trends that produced inflation during Mary’s reign?
-Rapid increase in population leading to increased demand.
-Debasement of the coinage.
-Harvest failures 1555 and 1556 brought severe food shortages and strain on real wages for the poor.
-Impact of the ‘sweating sickness’, influenza, in 1557 and 1558.
What were some financial reforms in Mary’s reign?
Revenue administration:
-Edward’s death had prevented Northumberland from implementing any reforms.
-Court of Exchequer took over Court of Augmentations and Court of First Fruits and Tenths.
-Mary made a mistake remitting Edward’s last subsidy, it bought her popularity but at financial cost.
-Long-term security of Crown finances was boosted by plans for recoinage 1556-58 that was then implemented in Elizabeth’s reign. It was the thoroughness of preparation under Mary that allowed smooth implementation under Elizabeth.
-Elizabeth reaped the benefits of the new Book of Rates 1558 which raised customs revenue dramatically.
How did Mary handle poor relief?
-More active under Mary.
-Emphasis on enforcement of laws against grain hoarders.
-Strong encouragement to convert pasture land to tillage.
What problems did the poor face?
-1556-1558
-Huge mortality rate from influenza epidemic.
-Harvest failures
-High taxation to pay for war against France.
What were the motives of Wyatt’s rebellion?
-Religion (Protestants)
-Xenophobia (dislike of foreigners)
-Decline in local cloth industry may have prompted some poorer rebels.
-Gentry who had lost office.
-MAIN MOTIVE: resentment to the proposed royal marriage to Philip.
What happened at Wyatt’s rebellion?
-Plans were leaked Jan 1554, forcing the rebels into action on 25th.
-Wyatt raised a force of about 3000 men.
-Only Kent experienced a serious rising.
-Wyatt surrendered on edge of City of London 7th Feb.
