Religious Developments & 'Golden Age' Flashcards
(31 cards)
To what extent had religion developed?
-From E’s perspective the state of religion 1563 was broadly positive
-She achieved the settlement she largely desired
-However, there was much concern amongst clergy about the unreformed nature of the church
-Equally Catholics, although not subject to persecution, found it difficult to practice in public
-The key issue = whether the settlement was to be regarded as ‘complete’ or whether there was scope for further change
Explain the Vestiarian Controversy 1566
-Showed the tensions between Q = desired conformity and obedience based on complete acceptance of settlement, and Puritans = wanted to eradicate superstitious practices
-Several figures within Ch decided they could not obey rules on clerical dress laid down in Act of Uniformity and royal injunctions as specified wearing of Catholic and therefore ‘superstitious’ dress
-Q forced issue by dismissing prominent Oxford academic Thomas Sampson from post at Christ Church College for refusal to wear required vestments
-AB Parker and 5 bishops issued ‘Advertisements’ March 1566 requiring clergy to follow ‘one uniformity of rites and manners’ in administration of sacraments
-37 London clergy refused to signify support -> deprived of posts
-Shows extent of E’s determination to enforce the settlement
-Reforming bishops caught between conflict of need to obey royal supremacy and desire to remove remaining vestiges of Cath practice
What were Presbyterians?
-Believed Ch of Eng should be further reformed in its structure and in its forms of worship based on Calvinist views
-Calvinist form of Ch govt would mean abolishing office of bishops, all ministers = equal in status and lay elders would have a key administrative role.
Explain the Presbyterian movement?
-Emerged partly in reaction to Vestiarian Controversy
-Some began to question scriptural basis for auth of bishops and other aspects of Ch
-Criticisms voiced in 2 pamphlets, author John Field:
-First Admonition attacked Book of CP, called for abolition of bishops
-Second Admonition provided description of Presbyterian system of Ch govt.
-Pamphlet war between Thomas Cartwright and John Whitgift
-Cartwright - believed Ch founded on superstitious principles must be spiritually flawed and 1559 settlement modified
-Whitgift - Presbyterian movement = destructive and would split Ch
-Geographically narrow movement attracted some support - E of Huntingdon, Leicester and Lord Burghley saw advantages of Presbyterianism as protection against influence of Catholicism
-They defended clergymen who fell foul of authorities because of their alleged sympathy for movement
-Movement grew in 1580s
-Ideas for Ch govt through local assemblies and provincial and national synods were developed, but attempts to bring change through Parli failed, despite efforts of Peter Turner and Anthony Cope
Turner and Cope = introduced bills to replace Book of CP with new prayer book stripped of ‘popish’ elements. Neither had much support
Synod = Ch council existing outside official Ch hierarchy, in this context
Explain Whitgift’s articles
AB of Canterbury, determined to destroy Presbyterianism. He issued 3 Articles to which the clergy had to subscribe:
1. Acknowledge of royal supremacy
2. Acceptance of the prayer book as containing nothing ‘contrary to the word of God’
3. Acceptance that the 39 Articles conformed to the word of God
Explain Whitgift’s attack on Puritanism
-2nd article created crisis of conscience for many clergy, not just Presbyterians, who thought some part of the prayer book lacked scriptural justification
-Whitgift forced to back down under pressure from councillors such as Leicester & Walsingham
-Reduced 2nd article to simple acceptance prayer book - most clergy able to justify accepting this by arguing their preaching ensured godliness within Ch
-Some success: forced Burghley’s protégé George Gifford out of post, Cartwright refused a licence to preach
-Ch paid price: by treating radicals and moderates alike caused much despair among clergymen
-Whilst undoubtedly had support of Q, policies and attitudes were regarded with suspicion by many ministers
-By late 1580s Presbyterianism in decline - few clergy prepared to break with Ch by refusing to accept articles
-Failure of Cope’s ‘Bill and Book’ 1587 showed futility of parliamentary approach
-Weakened by death of key organiser John Field
-No synod held after 1589 and reputation of movement suffered on account of satirical Marprelate tracts
Marprelate tracts = set of scurrilous and satirical attacks written about bishops
Define separatism
-Most extreme form of Puritanism
-Mainstream Puritans viewed them with abhorrence
-Wanted to separate from Ch of Eng as regarded it incapable of reforming to root out all superstitious practices, to create independent Ch congregations
-Opposed to Q’s status as Supreme Governor
-Movement emerged 1580s
-Robert Browne leader of signif congregation in Norwich, went into exile in N’lands 1582
-Returned and made peace with authorities 1585
-Activities ran by Barrow, Greenwood and Penry small but sufficient to alarm authorities
-Led to passing of Act against Seditious Sectaries 1593
-They were tried and executed
-Such harsh measures difficult to explain, vindictiveness of Whitgift has been suggested
-Elizabethan Separatism destroyed
Describe the decline of Puritanism
-Declined late 1580s, partly because of deaths of Leicester, Mildmay and Walsingham
-Also partly because of defeats of Sp Armada
-Disappearance of Presbyterianism meant Puritan attitudes = more acceptable within traditional structure
-Fundamentally Calvinist beliefs of Ch of Eng reaffirmed in Lambeth Articles 1595, proved acceptable to Puritans a opponents like Whitgift
-1559 Book of CP accepted by both as basis for acceptable form of worship
Explain context behind E’s treatment of Catholics
-Made it clear through harsh treatment of Puritans that she would not tolerate any changes to settlement
-Regarded it as her settlement which reflected her wishes and anyone who tried to change it was disagreeing with her
-Strongly believed religion was a matter of royal prerogative
Puritans tried to alter religious worship, but they never wanted to replace E as Q
-After excommunication of E 1570, extreme Caths became more of a threat and tried several times to assassinate or replace her
-Major turning point for extreme Caths
-Pope supported any attempt to rid E
-Excommunication and arrival of MQS = trigger for Cath plots and subsequent govt crackdown on extreme Catholicism
Explain the approach E took towards Caths at the beginning of her reign
-E not wishing to ‘make windows into men’s souls’ - not having full control over them
-BUT toleration of Caths was conditional on obedience and not all Cath practices were tolerated
What happened to recusants and catholic imagery at the beginning of the reign?
Recusants = those who did attend Ch services = fined but rarely demanded
-Cath imagery was removed from parish churches including those that had been hidden away
-‘Mystery plays’ were abolished because of their link to Corpus Christi - belief in transubstantiation
Explain the activities of Church Papists, Catholic intellectuals and Catholic Priests
Papists = maj of Cath -> outwardly conforming and obeying the law by attending Anglican services
Intellectuals -> went into exile freq Sp. Neth
Priests -> served as private chaplains to Cath nobles who protected them in secret
Explain the turning points in E’s attitudes towards Catholics 1569 and 1570
-N rebellion 1569 provoked punitive attitude
-Pope Pius X excommunicated E 1570 and called on all loyal Caths to depose of her
-Placed Eng Caths in impossible position - loyalty to monarch or Ch?
Explain the penal laws against Catholics
- 1571 Act = publication of papal bulls treasonable
- 1581 Act to Retain the Queen’s Majesty’s Subjects in their Due Obedience = treason to withdraw subjects’ allegiance to either Q or Ch of Eng
= Saying mass punishable by heavy fine and imprisonment
= Non-attendance fine raised to £20 per month
Laity not too harshly treated, 4 Cath priests executed 1581, 11 in 1582 - 1585 Act against Jesuits and Seminary Priests = treasonable for priests ordained under Pope’s auth to enter Eng
= easier to secure convictions for treason: 123 convicted and executed under this act
-These were complemented by savage increases in financial penalties with fine for recusancy £20 per month 1581
-1587 tightened, any recusant who defaulted payment could have 2/3 estate seized by Exchequer
-Persecution of recusants at its height 1588-1592
Explain what tighter legislation was in response to
-Partly to worsening relations with Cath King Philip II of Sp
-Party because of fear of Cath rebellion - made worse by onset of Cath missions of priests intent on upholding and spreading Cath faith
-Burghley and Walsingham Oct 1584 drafted ‘Bond of Association for the Preservation of the Queen’s Majesty’s Royal Person’ in response to Throckmorton Plot
= anyone who took oath of association was required to execute summarily anyone who attempted to usurp Crown or make attempt on E’s life.
-This reinforced pressure on Caths
Explain the ‘Seminary Priests’ Catholic mission
-A college founded at Douai in Sp Neth, to train Cath priests to be sent to Eng and to keep Catholicism alive and win new converts
-By 1575 11 of these ‘seminary priests’ arrived in Eng
-By 1580 around 100
-179 arrived between 1580-5
-Dangerous work as had to operate, in secretive circumstances, from country houses of Cath gentry and aristocracy
-Merely being a Cath priest was sufficient from 1585 to incur the death penalty
Explain the ‘Society of Jesus’ Catholic mission
-Began sending Jesuit priests to Eng 1580
-Combined high intelligence and organisational skills with a dedication to the cause of the restoration of Catholicism to Eng
-First Jesuits to become involved in attempt to re-Catholicise Eng were Robert Parsons and Edmund Campion (Campion captured and executed 1581)
How successful were Catholic missions?
Limited success:
-Cath gentry were able to retain their faith, humbler Caths = often ignored
-Educated priests associated more readily with protectors than ‘ordinary people’ and often became more like household chaplains
-Catholicism became more of a ‘country-house’ religion than popular faith from 60s
-Priests divided as a result of bitter dispute over leadership of missionary movement.
-Because of proximity to Channel ports, most Cath priests operated in SE Eng where proportion of Caths in population = smallest
-1580 nearly half priests serving relatively small pop of Caths in London, Essex and Thames Valley
-Far fewer priests in north where proportion of Caths = much higher
What were the reasons for the survival of the Church of England?
- E had strong interest in maintaining 1559 settlement as saw it as best way to create religious and political stability. Opposition to puritans = found difficult to use parliamentary means to change elements
- E aided by AB Cant Whitgift after 1583. Uncompromising support for Anglicanism = powerful ally against radicals in Ch of Eng
- Est of Court of High Commission = authorities could prosecute religious radicals, laws such as Treason Act = deterrent to those thinking of reacting against Anglicanism
- Radicalism = not widespread. Had extreme views - most accepted middle approach of Ch of Eng = trad Cath appearance and doctrines with more stress on personal fulfilment through faith; disliked ‘innovations’ proposed by Puritans.
- Peer pressure = imp. Attendance at Anglican services = compulsory 1559, fines introduced. Small communities = non-attendance was subject of gossip -> isolation from rest of village
- Catholicism in Eng discredited by its association with rebellion against legitimate monarch and its undertones of foreign (Sp + papal) control
- Events in Europe - bitter divisions between Puritan minorities and Cath rulers in Fr and N’lands = civil wars - reminded Englishmen of dangers of encouraging religious disagreements
- By 1603 Anglican Ch influenced attitudes of 2 generations of Eng people. Religious authorities made Ch position more secure by discussing and defining essential beliefs and using licensing system to monitor quality of clergy
How did Anglicanism survive?
-Powerful support
-Offered acceptable compromise between extremists and Puritanism
-Supporters gradually developed its theology and able to est credible justification
-Most effective case for Anglican Ch = Hooker - ‘The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity’ 1593
Did Hooker think the Anglican Church was a middle way?
-Accepted Ch of Eng represented compromise between Cath trad and continental reformers but argued this a mere convenience
-Instead represented true faith of Christianity, built on medieval trad and enjoying continuity
-Unnecessary superstitions stripped away to reveal essentials of early Christianity required for salvation
What essentials of early Christianity did Hooker point out?
-Few and simple - faith in Christ based upon reading Bible, commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice on cross.
-Matters such as the nature and conduct of ceremonies and role of decoration = ‘matters indifferent’
-These could safely be left to discretion of monarch and bishops
How did Hooker view the role of bishops and existing ceremonies?
-Bishops not essential to the Ch
-Accepted as convenient and effective way of organising it
-Existing ceremonies should be accepted and enjoyed for decency and order they provided
How successful was the 1559 settlement?
-Shaped by political concerns
-Time, practice and auth of tradition enabled it to est a genuinely Anglican identity many wished to defend
-Catholicism declined and attachment many had had been transferred to Anglican Ch
-Puritans pushed too hard and too fast for radical change and so were defeated
-Divisions E inherited had not healed entirely, they became wider later in the next century
