1.2 - The "settlement" of religion

Question 1

Why was religion important in Elizabethan England?

Answer 1

• Religion was central to life in England. Religious teaching and practices guided people’s morals and behaviour as well as their understanding of the world. This is shown as birth, marriage and death were all marked by religious ceremonies.
• People believed that going to church, attending pilgrimages and confessing sins reduced time in purgatory.
• Religious festivals (holy days) marked the agricultural year and were seen as essential to a good harvest.

Question 2

What were the religious divisions in England and Europe in the 16th century?

Answer 2

• The Reformation divided the Christian Church between the Catholics and Protestants from 1517.
• The north of England remained largely Catholic.
• Since the 1530s Protestants fleeing persecution in Europe had landed in England so the number of English Protestants were growing.

Question 3

When was Elizabeth’s religious settlement created? What was its main aim?

Answer 3

Created in 1559 and aimed to establish a form of religion that would be deemed acceptable to both Protestants and Catholics.

Question 4

What were the key features of Elizabeth’s religious settlement.

Answer 4

• The Act of Supremacy
• The Act of Uniformity
• The Royal Injunctions
• The Book of Common Prayer
• Ecclesiastical High Commission was established

Question 5

Describe the Act of Supremacy.

Answer 5

Elizabeth became Supreme Governer (Head) of the Church of England. All clergy and royal officials had to swear an oath of allegiance to her.

Question 6

Describe the Act of Uniformity.

Answer 6

Dictated the appearance of churches and how religious services woild be held. It required everyone to attend church.

Question 7

Describe the Royal Injunctions.

Answer 7

This was a set of instructions to the clergy that reinforced the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity.

It included instructions on how people should worship God and how religious services were to be conducted.

Some instructions include : keeping a copy of the Bible in English; having a government licence to preach; preventing pilgrimages, religious shrines and monuments to “fake” miracles.

Question 8

Describe the Book of Common Prayer (1559).

Answer 8

Introduced a set church service to be used in all churches. The clergy had to follow the Prayer Book wording during services or be punished.

Question 9

What was the Ecclesiastical High Commission?

Answer 9

The Ecclesiastical High Commission was established to keep discipline within the Church and enforce Elizabeth’s religious settlement. Disloyal clergy could be punished.

Question 10

What were the aims of Elizabeth’s religious settlement?

Answer 10

Elizabeth’s religious settlement aimed to be inclusive and designed to be accepted by as many of her subjects as possible. Therefore, the wording of the new Prayer Book could be understood to mean different things by Catholics and Protestants.

• Communion referred to in the Book of Common Prayer could be interpreted as transubstantiation which would have appealed to the Catholics, while Protestants could view it as an act of rememberance.
• Protestants would have approved of the ban on pilgrimages to “fake miracles”, while Catholics would have approved of the possibility of “real miracles”.
• Catholics would also have approved of the use of candles, crosses and vestments in church services.

Question 11

What were the impacts of the religious settlement?

Answer 11

• 8000 clergy out of about 10,000 accepted the religious settlement.
• Many Marian Bishops (Catholic Bishops appointed by Mary Tudor) opposed the settlement and had to be replaced.
• The majority of ordinary people accepted Elizabeth’s religious settlement and attended the church services, even though many held onto their Catholic beliefs.

Question 12

What was the role of the Church of England in society?

Answer 12

• Preached the government’s message : priests needed a government’s licence to preach. This ensured the clergy preached Elizabeth’s religious and political message, as those who refused would be denied a licence.
• Provided guidance for communities : parish church helped people in times of hardship and uncertainty.
• Enforced Elizabeth’s religious settlement of 1559 : this included visitations where bishops would carry out inspection to ensure they obeyed the religious settlement.
• Legitimised Elizabeth’s rule : the Church encouraged people to remain loyal and not to rebel against their monarch.
• Responsible for Church Courts - these dealt with marriage, sexual offences, slander, wills and inheritance.

Question 13

What was the role of parish clergy in village life?

Answer 13

• In all parishes the clergyman was a major figure in the village community conducting church services including baptisms, weddings and funerals.
• The clergy offered spiritual and practical advice and guidance to people, especially at difficult times.
• The clergy were funded by taxes or tithes (tax worth 10% of people’s income) or by other sources of income.

Question 14

What was the role of the parish clergy in town life?

Answer 14

• Parish churches in towns contained a wider collection of people and often a wider range of religious beliefs.
• The role of the clergy varied both within towns and between them. Some were very wealthy while others were relatively poor.
• Due to overcrowding, parish clergy in towns had a wider range of issues to deal with than was the case in rural parishes. These included poverty, vagrancy and diseases.