Protestantism Under Edward VI

Question 1

1549 Act of Uniformity

Answer 1

passed under Somerset

• this was an attempt to standardise religious worship
• indicated a break from traditional worship, such as sermons being in English not Latin
• however, there was a lot of continuity with traditional worship, such as the behaviour and clothing of priests staying the same

Question 2

Common Prayer Book

Answer 2

implimented under Somerset
created in 1549, overseen by Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer
- full of compromises, trying to please everyone
- received with hostility and led to a rebellion in Cornwall
- aimed to please both the protestants and catholics

Question 3

Legalisation of clerical marriage

Answer 3

passed under Somerset
1549
- liked by clergymen, and by the 1550s, 15% of the clergy were married

Question 4

Second Act of Uniformity

Answer 4

passed under Northumberland
1552
- offence for clergy or laity to not attend church services
- needed since the state recognised that some people weren’t attending parish churches

Question 5

Prayer Book 1552

Answer 5

implemented under Northumberland

- revised in order to removed some traditionalist elements of the 1549 book

Question 6

Changes in church appearance

Answer 6

• altars replaced with communion tables
• clergy not to wear vestments
• all gold and silver ornaments were removed
• iconoclasm (destroying of images) swept across churches in 1547
• Somerset banned images from churches
• laity found this unsettling

Question 7

increase in protestantism

Answer 7

press censorship was relaxed under Somerset, leading to a rise in pro-protestant pamphlets spreading the Protestant message
by 1553 - educated elites were more likely to be protestant
protestant reach was still patchy, with strongholds in the south-east and London

Question 8

inconsistency of religious reform

Answer 8

there was still internal division amongst key Protestant reformers during Edward’s reign, so religious reform wasn’t consistent
- there was considerable theological change, by the ordinary layman would mostly just notice the visible changes to the church

Question 9

Post-death interpretations of Edward

Answer 9

• Edward was championed for his vigorous reforms after his death, used to put pressure on monarchs
• in actuality, reformation was only driven by a small group of church ministers, not reflecting the general population’s view of the reformation
• most were reluctant recipients of protestantism