The Puritan threat

• Elizabeth dealt with the Puritan threat by issuing her own laws that banned prophesying, a practice that worried the government as it could encourage unrest
• Archbishop Grindal supported the Puritans and refused to follow the Queen's instructions, leading to his replacement by John Whitgift in 1583
• John Whitgift, not sympathetic to Puritan beliefs, issued the 'Three Articles' in 1583 that made churchmen swear to accept bishops, the Book of Common Prayer, and the 39 Articles
• The Separatist Movement in the 1580s saw strict Puritans forced to hide, with some choosing to leave the established church and set up a new one, known as Separatists
• The Act against Seditious Sectaries in 1593 gave the government the power to execute those believed to be Separatists and punish severely those who refused to attend official church services
• Puritans attempted to change the Elizabethan church by opposing the wearing of specific clothes, vestments, during services, as stated in the 'Book of Advertisements' by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1566
• Puritans were highly critical of the Religious Settlement, suspiciously seen as a threat to the Queen, and had strict practices in their daily lives and worship