The re-establishment of the Church of England

• Elizabeth’s Religious Beliefs and Aims

  • Elizabeth’s personal religious views were deliberately vague and indirect, allowing her to maintain broad support.
  • She supported English-language services, opposed superstition and decoration, and preferred some Catholic-style ceremony, including church music and vestments.
  • Elizabeth is best described as an evangelical — Protestant in doctrine (e.g. salvation by faith) but conservative in structure and ceremony (e.g. bishops, vestments).
  • She disliked clerical marriage and wanted to avoid radical religious reform.
• Attempts to Reconcile Conflicting Groups

  • Elizabeth wanted to avoid religious rebellion, like those under Edward and Mary.
  • The Device for the Alteration of Religion, likely by Cecil, advised a moderate settlement to satisfy most of the laity who wanted Catholic-style rituals but not papal authority.
  • Radical Protestants were expected to oppose any compromise, but they were viewed as unrepresentative of wider English opinion.
• Historiography of the Settlement

  • Sir John Neale (1960s): Argued Elizabeth was pressured by a Puritan group in the House of Commons into a more Protestant settlement than she wanted.
  • Revisionist historians (e.g. Norman Jones, 1980s–90s): Argued that Puritans in Parliament were few and uncoordinated. The real opposition came from Catholic bishops in the House of Lords, not Protestant radicals.
• Elizabeth’s Early Religious Actions

  • Late 1558: Elizabeth banned Latin religious texts, promoted English worship, and withdrew the English ambassador to the Pope.
  • Appointed a Protestant to preach at St Paul’s Cross—an early signal of her intentions.
• Parliament and the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity

  • Elizabeth’s first Parliament (1559) introduced three bills to:
  • Break with Rome
  • Establish doctrine and liturgy
  • Catholic Marian bishops opposed the Uniformity Bill, arguing Parliament had no right to define doctrine.
  • The Treaty of Câteau-Cambrésis (1558) eased foreign threats, giving Elizabeth more freedom to pursue reform.
• Key Turning Point: The Easter Debate

  • Elizabeth held a public debate between Catholic and Protestant clergy.
  • Catholics withdrew, allowing Elizabeth to arrest two bishops and weaken opposition in the Lords.
  • This tactical move helped pass the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity after Easter.
• Act of Supremacy (1559)

  • Elizabeth became Supreme Governor, not "Supreme Head," of the Church—seen as a compromise to ease concerns of both Catholics and Protestants.
  • Allowed some Catholics to distinguish her political role from spiritual authority.
• Act of Uniformity (1559)

  • Passed with narrow support after some bishops were absent or imprisoned.
  • Aimed to create a broad Church—not too radical for Catholics, not too conservative for Protestants.
  • Introduced a new Book of Common Prayer that included ambiguous language about the Eucharist to allow both Protestant and Catholic interpretations.
  • Removed anti-Papal references and allowed vestments, helping ease Catholic objections.
• 1559 Injunctions

  • Issued to detail religious practice:
  • Forbade pilgrimages and miracle monuments, but allowed some images.
  • Preaching required a licence, often hard to obtain—many relied on printed sermons (homilies).
  • Reinforced the teaching of Royal Supremacy and rejection of papal authority.
• Financial Aspects of the Settlement

  • Elizabeth took over First Fruits and Tenths (Church taxes), as Henry VIII had done.
  • Act of Exchange (1559) gave her the right to claim Church property, draining the Church’s wealth and ensuring royal control.
  • Bishops were restricted from leasing land long-term unless to the Crown.