Elizabeth - The Religious Settlement 1559 Flashcards
(23 cards)
What is the ‘Elizabethan Religious Settlement’?
This is the name given to the religious changes made for England under Liz. It encapsulates the
- Act of Supremacy.
- Act of Uniformity.
- Royal Injunctions.
What do we know about Elizabeth’s own religious views?
Honestly not much, because she was never very clear about them. However, due to her upbringing, she was likely to be a Protestant, though not a ‘pure Protestant’.
What was Elizabeth’s religious upbringing?
1) Elizabeth was raised Protestant and taught by Robert Ascham, who was educated on Luther.
2) The Boleyn faction was interested in Martin Luther’s teachings.
What aspects of the Catholic Church did Elizabeth like?
Singing, unmarried priests, colourful vestments.
What aspects of Protestant Church did Elizabeth dislike?
Sermons (she was known to heckle the clergy if their sermons were too long).
Liz had to be certain when making her changes. Why?
Liz was crowned queen in January 1559, so her hold on England was relatively fragile. She didn’t want to stir up trouble. Furthermore, England had seen years of religious uncertainty, and this was reflected in the rebellions that had taken place.
Liz had to be wary of Foreign Policy when making her changes. Why?
When she became queen, Elizabeth was at war with France. France was allied with Scotland. And Philip II of Spain was Catholic, and a potential suitor. She couldn’t afford to upset any of them.
Liz had to keep Parliament in mind when making her religious changes. Why?
Elizabeth’s religious settlement would need to be passed by Parliament, and there were Catholic and Marian bishops in the House of Lords.
What did the Act of Supremacy change?
Re-established the English monarch as head of the Church (as opposed to the Pope). This had been established by Henry VIII, but removed by Mary.
What parts of the Act of Supremacy could be considered predictable?
Churchmen had to swear an oath of loyalty to Elizabeth, Heresy laws were repealed, Communion of both kinds were established, the powers of royal vistations of the church were restored (the crown could pay visits to the church).
What parts of the Act of Supremacy were less predictable?
Elizabeth was ‘Supreme governor’ of the Church (instead of ‘Supreme Head’), the crown would appoint commissioners to visit/reform/order and correct heresies. Commissioners, therefore, gained lots of power.
What was the Act of Uniformity? What did it do?
It set about rules to do with the appearance of churches. There was a new book of prayer, which combined the 1549 and 1552 Books of Common Prayer.
What did the new prayer book (under the Act of Uniformity) remove and compromise on?
- the Black Rubric (an explanation of why to kneel) was removed.
- insults to the pope from the 1552 prayer book was removed.
- there was a compromise on transubstantiation.
What did the Act of Uniformity have to do with altars and Communion tables?
- Altars replaced Communion tables, but crosses and candles were allowed on the tables.
Under Liz’s Act of Uniformity, were priests allowed to wear decorative garments?
Yes!
What did the Act of Uniformity have to do with church attendance?
- Attendance at church was compulsory.
- One shilling (5p) fine for recusants (non-attenders).
- ATTENDING Catholic Mass = heavy fines.
- SAYING Mass = death penalty.
What did Royal Injunctions affect?
Church regulations.
It was impossible to set out all church regulations in one act, so there were a further 57 instructions on how to act. Can you name them?
1) Pilgrimages were outlawed.
2) Every church had to display an English bible, and they must have a copy of Erasmus’ ‘Paraphrases of the Gospel’ (significant - he’s Catholic!).
3) Priests had to wear surplice (a white linen gown).
What was so significant about each Church having to display a copy of Erasmus’ ‘Paraphrases of the Gospel’?
Erasmus was a Catholic!
How did the organisation of the church change?
No Pope and Cardinals at the top.
How did the organisation of the church remain the same?
1) Still an Archbishop of Canterbury and York.
2) Bishops (episcopate) remained. (Liz didn’t like Luther’s statement of “every man is a priest”).
Why was keeping bishops advised (aside from Liz’s personal views)?
It minimised the differences between Catholics and Protestants.
What happened between Elizabeth and Marian Bishops?
Elizabeth wanted Marian bishops to stay, but their refusal to swear the oath in the Act of Supremacy made this impossible. Therefore, they were replaced with Protestant Clergy. Cecil seems to have influenced the choices: Grindel (Bishop of London), Cox (Bishop of Eily), Jewel (Bishop of Salisbury).
