religious reform, 1547-49

• MARTIN LUTHER – led the protest movement in Germany that started what we know as the Reformation. He criticised the practices of the Catholic Church and argued for some changes in religious belief 
• JOHN CALVIN – Protestant reformer who developed more extreme ideas than Luther, about some being pre-chosen (predestined) by God to be saved. Calvin also moved further away from the Catholic view of the Eucharist than Luther had done. For Calvin, the remembrance of the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples was just that. The bread and wine were symbols, but Christ was spiritually present. Calvin gained followers in Scotland where they become known as Presbyterians. 
• Chantries – small religious houses endowed with lands to support priests who sang masses for the souls of the deceased – usually for the founder or other important people who paid in money or in kind. Chantries could also be chantry chapels within churches 
• Somerset had personal sympathy with key Prot ideas
• As LP – recognised the sensitivity in making religious changes 
• Tried to adopt a moderate and cautious approach 
• Happy that TCran (still AOC) supported him in this 
• Not easy to maintain in the face of building pressures
• As soon as news of H’s death reached the continent, religious exiles began returning from the Netherlands and Germany
• Settled in towns and villages along the east coast
• Radical demands caused frequent clashes within the local community
• Reform faction was in control of the gov
• Keen to see reform get underway
• English bishops were split fairly evenly on whether to support further changes
• Relaxation of press censorship (encouraged by the gov) led to a massive increase in the number of pamphlets and writings against Catholicism and to the free circulation of the writings of Luther and Calvin – to the horror of religious conservatives
• Gov adopted a logical policy – helped stall for time
• Launched a full-scale enquiry into the state of the Church of England
• Commissioners sent out to investigate what was happening in every parish 
• Measures introduced to undo the 6 Articles Act
• Made rules provided for services and Bibles to be in English were strengthened
• Nov 1547 – Parliament met 
• Used to enact religious change 
• Treason Act repealed the Six Articles Act and the heresy, treason and censorship laws
• Chantries Act abolished the Chantries
• Main function of a chantry was to pray for the souls of the dead – Catholic
• Done more to raise money for the Scottish war > religious reasons 
• Not until war was over that the gov felt secure enough to take firm action over religious policy
• PC hoped these moderate reforms would satisfy reformers without antagonising conservatives too much
• Wanted the large proportion of the uncommitted laity to accept what was happening 
• S’s religious policies = impressive as Regency gov = weak 
• Did contribute to the causes of rebellions in 1549 though