Religious Developments

• • The Queen had a positive perspective on religion in 1563
  • Achieved the settlement
  • Concern among clergy on unreformed Church nature.
  • Catholics, although not persecuted, found practising faith difficult.
  • Issue of if the settlement was complete or had scope for further change.
  • Puritanism emerged, among those considering the settlement incomplete.
• Puritanism:

  • Influence in 1560/1570
  • Eradication of popish superstition
  • Emergence with the 1563 Convocation of Canterbury
  • Challenge to Elizabethan settlement.
• What caused the Vestiarian controversy?

  Tension between the conformity desiring queen and puritans wanting the eradication of superstitious practices.
• What happened during the Vestiarian controversy?

  • Church figures refused to obey clerical dress from the Act of Uniformity.
  • Queen forced the issue by dismissing academics when they refused to wear vestments.
  • Archbishop Parker (and 5 bishops) issued Advertisements in March 1566.
  • Required clergy to follow one uniformity of rites.
  • 37 clergymen refused to signify support, deprived of posts.
  • Showed extent of Elizabeth's determination to enforce the settlement.
  • Reform of bishops between pressures, forcing the following of royal supremacy.
  • Removing remaining vestiges of Catholic practice.
• Puritans - term of abuse, those who think they're Godly.
• Presbyterians - wanted the introduction of a Calvinist form of Church government.
• Presbyterianism is one aspect of the Puritan movement. Presbyterians believed the Calvinist doctrine of the Church should be further reformed.
• The presbyterian movement emerged as a reaction to the Vestiarian controversy, questioned scriptural basis of church authority, two critical pamphlets (admonitions).
• What was criticised by the admonitions?

  • First attacked book of common prayer and called for bishop abolition
  • Second described presbyterian form of government
• PRESBYTERIANS...

  • Not a threat geographically but had some high ranked support.
  • Movement grew in the 1580's
• Whitgift's articles - attack on Presbyterianism:

  • Three articles which clergy had to subscribe to.
  • Acknowledge royal supremacy, accept the prayer book as entirely the word of God and accept the thirty-nine articles.
• The second article of Whitgift's articles relating to acceptance of the prayer book brought a clergy conscience crisis as many saw the book as lacking scriptural justification.

  • Whitgift forced to less terms of the second article.
  • Whitgift was somewhat successful, policies regarded with suspicion but had the Queen's support
  • By late 1580's, Presbyterianism was on the decline.
  • Presbyterianism was weakened by the death of it's organiser, Field in 1589.
• Radical Puritans (Separatists):

  • Most extreme form of Puritanism
  • Saw the Church of England as incapable of reforming itself.
  • Opposed to the Queen being the supreme governor
  • Leader made peace with authorities in 1585 following Netherlands exile.
  • Small numbers but caused alarm to authorities.
  • Seditious Sectaries in 1593 lead to the destruction of Elizabethan Separatism.
• DECLINE OF PURITANISM:

  • Influence declined in the late 1580's due to deaths of supporters in court and defeat of the Spanish armada (reduced perceived Catholic threat)
  • Calvinist views of the C of E reaffirmed in Lambeth Articles in 1595.
  • 1559 Book of Common prayer accepted as the basis for acceptable worship.
• By the end of Elizabeth's reign, religion was no longer a serious political issue, Puritans were housed within the Church (despite still wanting to purify it).

  • Disappearance of Presbyterianism meant Puritans became more acceptable within traditional Church structure.