4 - The problem of religion

• Anglican


  Name given to the Church of England
• Catholic


  Christians whose religious leader is the Pope
• Protestant

  Someone who rejects the authority of the Pope
• Puritan

  Extreme Protestant
• Recusant


  Someone who refused to go to Church – usually a Catholic in Elizabethan times
• Supreme Governor


  Elizabeth = leader of Anglican Church
• Uniformity


  Church services were all the same
• Vestments


  Clothes to be worn by priests
• Via media


  Latin meaning Middle Way
• Importance of Religion:

  • Everyone went to church
  • Very important, gave people hope, help and promise of a better life in heaven if you lived a good life.
• Changes in religion

  1. Elizabeth had inherited a country divided by religious differences.

  2. Each time there had been a new monarch, the religion had changed

  3. Henry VIII declared England no longer Catholic but Protestant

  4. Edward VI made the country even more Protestant and exiled many Catholic priests

  5. Mary I (bloody Mary) had been queen before Elizabeth and had declared England a Roman Catholic country and persecuted Protestants
• Elizabeth was a Protestant
• Elizabeth's aim

  • Wanted people to be Protestants but did not want to cause problems with Catholics, needed to avoid a Civil War over religion, needed to gain loyalty.
  • Elizabeth had to find a ‘compromise’ in order to solve the issue.
• Religious groups in England

  • Catholics
  • Protestants
  • Puritans

  Everyone believed they were right
• Catholics believed:

  Pope should be obeyed above monarch

  Priests should not marry

  Services & Bible should be in Latin

  Churches highly decorated

  Believed all other religions were heretics

  Mass – bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus

  Music, singing, organ music
• Positives for Catholics:

  England, Spain, France & Scotland were Roman Catholic.

  Mary Queen of Scots (next in line to become Queen) was also Catholic.
• Negatives for Catholics:

  Mary’s actions towards Protestants had made Catholics an unpopular minority.
• Protestants (Anglicans) believed:

  Monarch should be head of Church

  Priests should be allowed marry

  Services in English

  Plain Churches

  Other religions shouldn’t be allowed –punish them

  Music, singing, organ music

  Holy Communion – symbolic remembrance that Jesus died for them
• Positives for Protestants:

  Elizabeth herself was a Protestant.

  Many people were Protestants and didn’t like the Roman Catholic faith.
• Negatives for Protestants:


  Most powerful countries in Europe were Roman Catholic eg: Spain and

  France
• Puritans believed:

  No one should be head of Church

  Services in English – plain and simple

  Churches so people would not detract from worshipping God

  Other religions shouldn’t be allowed –punish them

  no music

  Holy Communion – symbolic remembrance that Jesus died for them
• Positives for Puritans:

  Growing number of Puritans especially in London

  Some MPs were Puritans, therefore challenging Elizabeth in parliament
• Negative for Puritans:

  Few Puritans in Europe
• Elizabeth made a compromise by introducing The middle way (via Media). Her aim was to appease both Catholics and protestants and avoid invasion from Catholic foreign powers
• The Act of Supremacy 1559:


  Elizabeth Supreme Governor Of Church of England

  All Clergy, JPS, MPs, government to swear an oath of loyalty to her in this role

  Freedom of worship for Protestants
• The Act of Uniformity 1559:


  Church services in English

  Everyone must go to Church on Sunday or be fined.

  Bible in English Protestant prayer book in every Church
• Royal Injunctions:

  Bible written in English in every Church

  Decorations were allowed

  Clergy to wear vestments (surplice)
• The significance of the ‘Middle Way’

  Oath of loyalty – Ensured that the Clergy, JPs, Judges, Lawyers and MPs would obey and be loyal to Elizabeth which reduced the risk of rebellion

  Act of Supremacy – Ensured that this did not offend Catholics who did believed that the monarch should not be head of the Church. It also ensured that Protestants were satisfied with the title of ‘Supreme Governor’ as they believed the Pope was not head of the Church.
• The significance of the ‘Middle Way’

  Act of Uniformity – This made sure that there were elements from both the Catholic and Protestant practices incorporated in the new Anglican Church.

  Royal Injunctions 1559 – set of rules that made sure there was uniformity in worship. Condemned Catholic practices, recusants fined, license to preach and denounce the authority of the Pope.
• The significance of the ‘Middle Way’

  Visitations – 125 commissioners went around the country checking that the clergy had sworn the oath of loyalty and the new rules were being followed.

  Act of Exchange 1559 - This made sure that the Queen had control of the finances of the Church as it made sure that she could seize Church land. This meant that the church would be less able to finance rebellions against her.

  Thirty-Nine Articles 1563 - formally set out the key elements of the Protestant faith
• Catholics Reactions to the Religious Settlement:


  • Disliked the fact that England was a Protestant country

  • Disliked the fact that the monarch and not the Pope was the Head of the Church

  • Did not want to use a Protestant Prayer book, especially that the Clergy had to swear an oath that they would use it.

  • Disliked that the Bible was in English and not Latin

  • Disliked the clergy being allowed to marry

  • That the clergy had to take an oath recognising Elizabeth as Supreme governor of the Church of England

  • Changes went too far.
• Protestants Reactions to the Religious Settlement:


  • Disliked that Churches were still decorated

  • Disliked the clergy wearing vestments

  • Disliked that the settlement was vague in relation to Holy

  Communion

  • Changes did not go far enough.
• Puritans Reactions to the Religious Settlement:


  • Disliked that Churches were still decorated

  • Disliked the clergy wearing vestments

  • Disliked that singing was still allowed

  • Disliked that the settlement was vague in relation to Holy Communion

  • Changes did not go far enough.
• Success of the Religious Settlement:

  • Most clergy took the oath of loyalty

  • Fines for Recusancy were not strictly enforced - Anyone who refused to

  go to the new Church had to pay a fine of 1 shilling. Poor struggled to pay

  • By 1568 most people accepted the new Church

  • No serious rebellions.
• Elizabeth's success with dealing with the problem of religion:

  • She avoided a civil war caused by religious differences

  • She appeased the majority of Catholics, Protestants and Puritans

  • The Church of England (Anglican Church) has remained the main church

  • Only 3% of Priests refused to swear the oath of loyalty to her

  • The majority of people accepted the Religious Settlement (The

  Middle Way) even though it favoured the Protestants.

  • Before 1568 there were no serious threats to the settlement/Elizabeth; this changed when Mary Queen of Scots returned to England.
• Elizabeth's failure with dealing with the problem of religion:


  • Extreme Catholics and Puritans continued to challenge the

  religious settlement e.g The Vestments Controversy

  • There were several Catholic plots to overthrow Elizabeth e.g –

  Northern Earl, Ridolfi, Throckmorten and Babington

  • The Religious Settlements seemed to favour the Protestants.

  • Fines for Recusancy weren’t strictly enforced

  • She was excommunicated by the Pope

  • Elizabeth persecuted Catholics - 162 were executed between 1577 - 1603