Impact of Religious policy on Wales

Question 1

Question 1
What major religious reform did Henry VIII implement in Wales?

Answer 1

• From 1536-1541, all monasteries & nunneries in England & Wales were closed.
• 1534 Act of Supremacy made Henry ‘Supreme Head of the Church’.
• 1536 & 1539 Acts authorized the closure of smaller & then larger monasteries.

Question 2

Question 2
How did Welsh Monasteries attempt to survive?

Answer 2

• Strata Florida, Neath & Whitland abbeys remained open by paying heavy fines.
• Ultimately, every monastery was closed, with their land surrendered to the Crown.

Question 3

Question 3
What happened to monks in Wales after the dissolution of the Monasteries?

Answer 3

• Some became priests, increasing the number of clergy in Wales.
• Others worked on farms, contributing to agricultural growth.
• Some received pensions from the King.

Question 4

Question 4
How did the Monastery closures affect Welsh religious texts?

Answer 4

• Monastic libraries were shut down, leading to the loss of manuscripts.
• Many historical religious texts were destroyed or lost.

Question 5

Question 5
How did the dissolution affect Welsh society?

Answer 5

• More land was available for farming, as monastic orders no longer existed.
• The number of priests increased, as former monks took on clergy roles.
• The poor lost access to Church services, removing a crucial social safety net.

Question 6

Question 6
What major religious changes did Edward VI implement in Wales?

Answer 6

• Passed laws making Church more Protestant.
• Chantries Act led to church raids & destruction of ornaments.
• Book of Homilies, Common Prayer Book & Second Act of Uniformity imposed reforms.

Question 7

Question 7
What reforms did the Book of Homilies, Common Prayer Book & Second Act of Uniformity impose on Wales?

Answer 7

• Whitewashed church walls, removing Catholic imagery.
• Destroyed statues & shrines.
• Banned pilgrimages.
• Allowed priests & monks to marry.
• English Bible introduced.
• Church services conducted in English.

Question 8

Question 8
How did Edward VI’s imposed Protestantism affect Wales?

Answer 8

• Catholic traditions, deeply rooted in Wales for centuries, were dismantled.
• Religious symbols were destroyed.
• Priests & monks married, altering clerical norms.

Question 9

Question 9
How did Edward VI’s reforms affect Welsh identity?

Answer 9

• Church services were conducted in English, not Welsh, eliminating a key part of Welsh culture.
• Catholic rituals & practices were erased, shifting Wales toward Protestant conformity.

Question 10

Question 10
What did the 1553 Act of Repeal enforce?

Answer 10

• Restored Catholic Church services.
• Mandatory Sunday Church attendance.

Question 11

Question 11
How did Church services change?

Answer 11

• Returned to Latin instead of English.
• Priests were forbidden to marry again.

Question 12

Question 12
What happened to those who refused Catholicism?

Answer 12

Burned at the stake as heretics.

Question 13

Question 13
How many Protestant martyrs were in Wales & England during Mary’s reign?

Answer 13

• Wales: 3 martyrs.
• England: 281 martyrs.

Question 14

Question 14
How did Mary’s policies align with Welsh religious traditions?

Answer 14

Catholicism was reintroduced, which had deep historical roots in Wales.

Question 15

Question 15
How did the number of Protestant executions in Wales compare to England?

Answer 15

Far fewer Protestants were executed in Wales than in England.

Question 16

Question 16
How did Elizabeth I reinstate Protestantism in England & Wales?

Answer 16

• 1559 Act of Supremacy & Act of Uniformity restored Protestantism.
• Elizabeth was reinstated as the head of the Church.
• Mandatory Protestant church attendance every Sunday.

Question 17

Question 17
What reforms were made to Church services?

Answer 17

• Services were conducted in English instead of Latin.
• The Latin Bible was replaced by an English Bible.
• Priests were allowed to marry.
• The Prayer Book was revised to be less extreme than under Edward VI.

Question 18

Question 18
How did Elizabeth’s reforms affect Welsh religious traditions?

Answer 18

Protestantism was reinstated, further dismantling long-standing Welsh Catholic traditions.

Question 19

Question 19
How did the introduction of the English Bible affect Welsh identity?

Answer 19

• English Bible was imposed on Wales, delaying the creation of a Welsh Bible.
• This undermined Welsh culture & language in religious life.

Question 20

Question 20
How did Welsh Catholics evade Elizabeth’s religious policies?

Answer 20

• Some fled abroad, training to become Catholic priests.
• Priests returned in disguise, hiding in secretly Catholic households.

Question 21

Question 21
What happened to Richard Gwyn - 1584?

Answer 21

• Catholic schoolteacher executed at Wrexham for allegedly organizing underground Catholic priests.
• Hanged, drawn & quartered, with body parts displayed at Denbigh Castle, Ruthin, Holt & Wrexham.

Question 22

Question 22
How did Catholics spread their beliefs secretly in secretly?

Answer 22

• Secret printing press established in Little Orme - near Llandudno in 1587.
• Printed Welsh Catholic books explaining religious teachings.
• Discovered in 1587, but Catholics escaped before capture.

Question 23

Question 23
Which Welsh Catholics worked with foreign powers against Elizabeth?

Answer 23

• Hugh Owen – Spy for King Philip II of Spain.
• Thomas Morgan – Worked for Mary Queen of Scots in Paris.
• Both helped convince Spain that Wales would rebel to restore Catholicism.

Question 24

Question 24
What was the Babington Plot & how were Welsh Catholics involved?

Answer 24

• Conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth & install Mary Stuart.
• Thomas Morgan involved, alongside two Welsh gentlemen.
• Plot uncovered, conspirators tortured & executed.
• Mary Queen of Scots tried & executed, worsening tensions with Spain.

Question 25

Question 25 How did Spain’s Catholic influence escalate tensions?

Answer 25

- Spain, Europe’s strongest Catholic power, was enraged by Mary Stuart’s execution - 1587. - War between England & Spain became increasingly likely.

Question 26

Question 26 Why was Wales strategically important to Catholic rebels?

Answer 26

- Wales close to Ireland, which Elizabeth struggled to control. - Irish rebels opposed Protestantism & could support Spain. - Ireland could serve as a staging ground for invasion.

Question 27

Question 27 What did Morys Clynnog propose to the Pope?

Answer 27

- A Catholic invasion plan for England, using Wales as a landing point. - Reminded the Pope that Henry VII had successfully invaded England via Wales.

Question 28

Question 28 What made Welsh Catholics dangerous to Elizabeth’s rule?

Answer 28

- Operated underground, making suppression difficult. - Had backing from powerful foreign allies, including Spain & Catholic factions in France.

Question 29

Question 29 What was Elizabeth’s motivation for translating the Bible into Welsh?

Answer 29

- Encouraged Protestantism by making Scripture accessible in native language. - Helped preserve the Welsh language, ensuring its survival despite English influence.

Question 30

Question 30 What languages were spoken across Britain & Ireland in the 16th century?

Answer 30

- Majority of people in Wales spoke Welsh. - Scots Gaelic was spoken in Scotland. - Irish was dominant in Ireland. - Cornish was widely spoken in Cornwall. - Manx was spoken on the Isle of Man.

Question 31

Question 31 How did language survival change over time?

Answer 31

- Last native speaker of Cornish died in 1777. - Last native speaker of Manx died in 1974. - Welsh survived, due in part to the Bible’s translation in 1588.

Question 32

Question 32 When was the Bible translated into Welsh?

Answer 32

1588.

Question 33

Question 33 Why was the Welsh Bible significant?

Answer 33

- First Bible translated into a British minority language - before Irish, Scots Gaelic & Cornish. - Helped preserve the Welsh language for centuries. - Ensured Welsh remained widely spoken for the next 300 years.

Question 34

Question 34 Who translated the Welsh Bible?

Answer 34

- William Morgan, a Denbighshire vicar - completed translation in 1588. - Built upon the earlier work of William Salesbury, who translated the New Testament 1560s.

Question 35

Question 35 Why did Protestant leaders push for the translation?

Answer 35

- People couldn’t understand Protestantism if services were only in English. - Welsh services made conversion easier, ensuring religious reform.

Question 36

Question 36 Why was the Welsh Bible a turning point?

Answer 36

- Maintained Welsh as a language of public worship, reinforcing its importance. - Kept Welsh identity intact despite English dominance. - Became a key resource for literacy, as it was one of the few books ordinary people could read.

Question 37

Question 37 What did Professor Glamor Williams say about its significance?

Answer 37

“Making Welsh the language of public worship made it more important and ensured its survival.”

Question 38

Question 38 How did Protestantism influence translation efforts?

Answer 38

- Elizabeth I wanted to establish Protestantism after Mary I’s Catholic reign. - Translation aligned with the wider Protestant Reformation, which made scripture available in vernacular languages.

Question 39

Question 39 What Political reasons led to the translation of the Welsh Bible?

Answer 39

- Helped integrate Wales into Protestant England, reducing Catholic resistance. - Preserved the Welsh language, preventing its extinction.

Question 40

Question 40 What role did bilingual Bibles play in Elizabethan policy?

Answer 40

- Welsh & English Bibles placed side by side to encourage learning English. - Intended to assimilate Welsh speakers, but paradoxically helped Welsh survive.

Question 41

Question 41 What lasting effects did the Welsh Bible have?

Answer 41

* Ensured Welsh remained widely spoken for centuries. * Strengthened Protestantism in Wales. * Made Welsh a language of public worship, reinforcing its importance. * Prevented the extinction of Welsh, unlike Cornish & Manx.