chapter 14 religious + economic change

Created by

Jacob Xavier

Cards (26)

In 1549 a new prayer book was written by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer.
It was moderate and had two objectives:
To establish a single form of services in the CofE (instructions)
It translated services into english, most was a direct translation from the existing Latin. Even Stephen Gardiner (a bishop imprisoned in the tower) could still say the concept of transubstantiation still existed.
Key changes:
July 1547: issue of royal injunctions which are radical in nature
Dec 1547: Dissolution of the Chantries
Jan 1549: act of uniformity, which laid down the publication of the new book of common prayer
May 1549: book of common prayer introduced
March 1552: Second act of uniformity, which allowed the publication of the second book of common prayer
Dec 1552: Revised book of common prayer introduced
June 1553: Forty-two articles of religion published.
A more radical approach was taken in places like London as it was a more protestant area. 1547 denounciation of images (stained glass windows etc) in London:
Caused by radical attitudes among churchmen, especially by Nicolas Ridley.
Iconoclasm - the breaking of images. Many radical protestants assumed images were prohibited because of the wording of the third of the ten comamndments.
July 1547 Injunctions issued:
Readical attitudes in government caused this
The injunctions attacked features of popular catholicism; lights, images, stained galss, Ash Wednesday and Palm sunday
Dec 1547 Dissolution of Chantries and religious guilds:
Was introduced as crown needed money for foreign policy (against scotland)
Chantries , guilds and lay brotherhoods (members of the public) were abolished.
Property was seized by the crown and represented a further attack on catholicism
May 1549 introduction of book of common prayer:
Caused by a need for uniform approach to religious services
Imposed moderate approach to religious reform
Northumberland's religious changes:
Removal of remaining ‘conservative’ ceremonies
Rewriting of baptism, confirmation and burial services
Radical reform of communion service, including replacement of wafer by ordinary bread
Ban of use of ‘popish’ vestments
Restriction on use of church music
Zwinglianism: refers to the ideas of Ulrich Zwingli. A protestant reformer. He was more radical than Luther.
He argued that the eucharist was only a commemoration of Christ and purely symbolic.
Cranmer’s forty-two ARTICLES OF RELIGION helped confirm the more radical protestant line.
These were announced in 1553.
They defined the essentials of the churchh of england
The articles relfected Cranmer’s views which were influenced by Zwingli and Bullinger
However there was ambiguity between competing forms of protestantism.
The Articles were never implemented due to the kings death
The articles were changed to The thirty-nine articles were adopted by Elizabeth I.
Northumberland pursued systematically stripping the church of its valuables.
All gold was taken (from candlesticks and plates from alters)
Cuts to bishoprics (areas under a bishop) e.g. the Dioceses of Gloucester and Worcester were combined, ⅔ of the Worcester estate went to the crown.
Factors that brought about discontent during somersets time in power:
Inflationary pressures (from debasement)
Agrarian issues, particularly enclosure and harvest failure
Taxation (needed to fund war against scotland)
Somerset worsened the problems.
He continued debasing the coinage in order to finance the war against scotland. This raised £537,000
But this heightened inflation and added to the social distress
A poor harvest in 1548 once again worsen inflation
Enclosure became a serious issue.
Somerset was influenced by the writer John Hales who argued that enclosure was the root of the country’s problems.
Somerset, like Wolsey, set up a commission to investigate the enclosure problem and issued a proclamation against enclosure.
The enclosure commissioners only achieved raising the expectations of the poor and annoyed landowners.
The rate of enclosure seemed to be slowing down during somerset’s time in power and his proclamation against it may not have been well-founded.
In order to deter enclosure Somerset introduced a tax on sheep
It created huge financial pressures on small farmers in upland areas.
Northumberland managed to somewhat stabilise the economy.
Ended the wars against Scotland and France.
This reduced crown expenditure
It also brought in £133,333 from france as compensation for giving back Boulogne
Northumberland however, was also tempted to debase the coinage.
He soon abandoned the practice
Crown income improved. Some of this income came from using unscrupulous methods on the church.
It included melting down church plate for Bullion
Walter mildmay produced a detailed analysis of the shortcomings in royal financial administration.
Plans were made for the streamlining of financial administration.
However the reforms didn’t come into effect until the reign of Mary I.
Reasons for rebellion in 1549:
opposition to Protestantism
Opposition to enclosure and other rural issues in the midlands and east-anglia
Resentment of taxation.
Where there were no powerful local aristocrats, the potential was greater for rebels.
The two most substantial rebellions were the WESTERN REBELLION in Devon and Cornwall, and KETT’s REBELLION in East Anglia.
The western rebellion 6th June - 17th August:
Caused by religious grievances
The rebellion has been labelled as the ‘prayer book rebellion’
actual religious grievances were much deeper than just the prayer book
The rebels wanted to reverse religious reforms which were destroying peoples experience of religion
the churches role had been reduced + many traditions had been removed.
was also provoked by mistrust between the rural labourers and the landowners and grievances over taxation
The peasants resented the sheep tax, worsened by the implementation by insensitive local officials.
Kett’s rebellion 1549 8th July - 27th August:
There was little evidence of conservative religious attitudes in east-anglia.
The rebels at Norwich had services conducted according to the Book of common prayer.
But like in the western rebellion, the people of norwich had antagonism.
Diarmiad MacCulloch emphasised some specific grievances:
Hatred of loacal government officials
Resentment of the abuse by landowners of the Norfolk foldcourse system
The release of frustrations about the maladministration locally of the Howards.
Kett’s rebellion 1549 8th July - 27th August:
There was little evidence of conservative religious attitudes in east-anglia.
The rebels at Norwich had services conducted according to the Book of common prayer.
But like in the western rebellion, the people of norwich had antagonism.
Diarmiad MacCulloch emphasised some specific grievances:
Hatred of loacal government officials
Resentment of the abuse by landowners of the Norfolk foldcourse system
The release of frustrations about the maladministration locally of the Howards.
why the Western rebellion failed:
Somerset appointed Lord Russell, a noble with estates in the west country, to deal with the Western Rebellion.
He gathered enough force, including mercenaries, in order to defeat the rebels at Clyst Heath near Exeter in August.
Why Ketts rebellion Failed:
Somerset’s fost attempt to crush the rebellion failed undet the Earl of Northumberland
Somerset was forced to send an armt undet the Earl of Warwick (with foreign mercenaries) to east anglia.
On 27th august the rebellion was brutally suppressed and Kett was convicted of High Treason and hanged.
Two refroming traditions were coming to light:
Followers of Erasmus (evangelical humanists) - had been around since Henry VII
Radical protestants (followers of John Hooper) - had only recently formed.
The crown supported Humanism
Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was influenced by Humanism.
The 1547 injunctions (instruction issued by archbishop of Canterbury) required that every parish should have a copy of ‘Paraphrases’ by Erasmus.
Edwards' tutor, Sir John Cheke, was also a humanist.