Religious Acts Elizabeth

• Religious Settlement (1559)

  • First Parliament Jan:
  • Didn't passed
  • Many Catholic Bishops
  • Easter '59:
  • Passed
  • Imprisoned Catholic Bishops
  • 9 parts:
  • Protestant:
  • Church services in English
  • Vicars could marry
  • Powerless pope
  • Stained glass windows, crucifixes and statues were removed from churches
  • Praying for dead banned
  • Catholic:
  • Simple vestments and candles used
  • Both:
  • Everyone had to attend church on a sunday
  • Both holy communion views acceptable
  • Adopted title ‘Supreme Governor’ not ‘Supreme Head’
  • Two aims; uniformity and conformity
  • Recrant: Refuses to go to church
• 1559 Acts

  • Act of Supremacy 1559
  • Oath of supremacy (all clergy, Elizabeth 'Supreme Governor')
  • Refusal led to imprisonment or execution
  • Heresy laws repealed
  • Allowed both Communions
  • Act of Uniformity 1559
  • Official religion
  • 1552 Book to be used in all churches
  • 1 shilling fine if did not attend
  • 1548 Ornaments and clergy dress
  • Act of Exchange 1559:
  • Took tax intended for Rome for herself
  • She could take over land belonging to bishop and force them to pay her rent
• Other laws

  • Thirty Nine Articles Act 1563
  • 8 different sections
  • Meant to make definitive statement of Anglicanism meaning
  • Made law 1571
  • Welded Protestant and Catholic tradition
  • Dissolved few monasteries restored
  • All lands confirmed possession of who acquired them
  • Clergy could marry, wife had to be bishop approved
  • Royal Injunctions
  • Clergy required distinctive dress
  • Unleavened bread allowed for communion
  • Images not considered idolatrous
• Public Reaction

  • Largely positive
  • Majority of clergymen took oath, only 250/9,000 priests refused
  • Many devout Catholic bishops resigned (weak opposition)
  • Positions filled by loyal supporters
  • As long as people outwardly conformed tolerance was allowed
  • Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, was widely respected as a moderate Protestant