Religion and Change

• Times of extreme and unprecedented religious turmoil and turbulence in the country
• Edward VI was brought up as a Protestant by his father and continued his education in this manner
• Edward had more influence over matters of state towards the end of his reign due to the influence of Somerset and Northumberland
• Edward, well educated on the matters at hand, had a falling out with his older sister, Mary, over her continued Catholicism when he was 13 and she was 34
• Both Henry’s protectors/president of the council were strong Protestants, leading the country towards Protestantism during Edward's reign
• 2 prayer books were published during Edward's reign, increasing in Protestant thoughts and actions each time
• Under Somerset =

  -          Reintroduction of the royal injunctions: created by Cromwell in 1538, encouraged use of bible in English and church and Iconoclasm- statue removal. 

  -          1547- Parliament revoke previous legislation: Act of Six articles- Transubstantiation vs consubstantiation.  

  ·         Transubstantiation = Catholic, is the body and blood of Christ.  

  ·         Consubstantiation = Protestant, is the representative of Christ.  
• In 1547, 2374 chantries were dissolved. Chantries were smaller add-ons at the end of churches, paid for by the richer upper class to ensure grace in the afterlife
• 2500 priests were made redundant as a result of the dissolution of the chantries
• A £160K payout was made during the dissolution of the chantries
• The chantries were considered too Catholic because they were associated with the belief in purgatory, which was a Catholic concept. Chantry priests prayed for people to pass through purgatory, which was removed in the Protestant era
• The £160K payout was used to fund Somerset's FP, which was about 20% of the Dissolution of the monasteries
• The Prayer Book of 1549, also known as the Act of Uniformity and Book of Common Prayer, was a major reform in Somerset's religious legacy, written by AOC Cranmer
• Despite being considered a conservative change, it introduced some key changes:

  • Implemented a single common form for services across England
  • Translated the Latin texts into English to promote understanding of the key texts
• The book did not fully embrace the Catholic idea of Transubstantiation, leaving it ambiguous, which pleased Catholics
• During this time, Catholics faced upheaval and tension due to:

  • Injunctions
  • Changes in the Prayer book
  • Closure of chantries, confraternities, and guilds, affecting holidays and festivities
• The reform seemed like an attack on the Catholic church and its traditions, causing worry among the people
• This reform marked a significant departure from the Catholic Church and Henry VII's version of Protestantism
• Under Northumberland's rule after the coup, the following strategies were implemented:

  • Continue Protestant reforms that were too weak under Somerset
  • Steal as much money as possible from the Church
• Northumberland, previously cautious and conservative, began pushing reforms in a more radical direction due to several reasons:

  • Archbishop of Canterbury Cranmer was becoming more radical, introducing the New Book of Common Prayer
  • Radical clergy such as Hooper and Ridley were prominent
  • Foreign influence from reformers like Bucer, Martyr, and Bullinger living in England, promoting Zwinglianism
  • Edward VI was coming of age, asserting his own opinions and ideas, which was the most important reason for the radical shift
• -          Cranmer’s 42 Articles of Religion: published in July 1552.

  ·         Strongly protestant and determined to reform the country.

  ·         Confirmed a reformation pathway.

  ·         Influence by Calvin and Luther – rejected purgatory and emphasises Sola Fida.

  ·         The crown with Northumberland at the helm, and Cranmer on his heels, pursued a systematic policy of asset stripping, extracting money from the church though seizing the land and property of the bishops and their bishoprics.  
• -          1553 Instructions to Bishops:

  ·         Alters were placed with communion tables.

  ·         Clergy shouldn’t wear vestments in services.
• -          Treason Act 1552:

  ·         It was an offense to question royal supremacy. Anyone who said the king was a heretic would be ‘punished’ = forfeit all goods and face imprisonment.
• -          Extracting Wealth from the Church:

  ·         Effects from Expenditure of Protectorate: plundering property of Bishops.

  ·         Bishops of Exeter and Winchester made ‘grants’ to the crown.

  ·         Gloucester and Worcester combined – crown skimmed off top. 

  ·         In January 153, the crown confiscated gold and silver church plate.
• Prayer Book of 1552 changes:

  • Removal of remaining conservative ceremonies that didn't fit the regime radicalism
  • Conservatives could no longer find anything in the prayer book which they could accept
  • Rejected transubstantiation
  • Rewriting of baptism, confirmation, and burial services to make them more easily understood by congregations
  • Significance: showed Cranmer's desire for greater simplicity in church services
• Radical reform of communion:

  • Needed a decisive change from the ambiguity of the 1549 prayer book
  • Showed influence of Zwinglianism in the Eucharistic declaration
  • Wafer was replaced by bread
  • Black rubric explained that kneeling in communion is for respect not adoration
  • Removed traces of Mass
• Vestments changes:

  • Ban placed on catholic vestments due to superstition
  • Simpler clerical vestments were brought in, placing less importance on the pope
• Church Music changes:

  • Restriction on the use of church music due to protestant belief that it hindered religious understanding
  • Reflected greater simplicity in the church