Puritan threat notes

• Puritans


  Strict Protestants who wanted to change the Catholic Church, remove Catholic associations, and create a purer church
• Puritan opposition to Elizabeth on her government and her Privy Council


  Moderate Puritans accepted the 1559 settlement but still hoped for some change
• Presbyterians


  • Many on the Privy Council were moderate Puritans who wanted to reform the church by further removing bishops and archbishops, and instead run it by a committee of presbyters
• Separatists


  Puritans who wanted to remove away from the Church of England
• Puritan MPs


  • Used their position to introduce bills to reform the church according to their religious beliefs
• Measures to deal with Puritan challenges

  1. 1570 onwards Elizabeth and ministers become increasingly worried about the threat Puritans, especially Separatists, posed

  2. Issue of prophesying increased (meetings to practice public speaking)

  3. Puritan threat launched in waves
• Puritan challengers


  • John Penry (Welsh Puritan martyr)
  • John Stubbs (published pamphlet criticising Elizabeth's marriage talks with French prince)
  • Thomas Cartwright (professor who called for a Presbyterian church system)
• Act against seditious sectaries gave authorities power to banish or execute those who refused to go to Church, and executions marked the end of the Separatist movement
• Key Puritan events


  • 1566 Vestments controversy
  • 1570 Proposal by Thomas Cartwright
  • 1579 John Stubbs pamphlet (marriage)
  • 1583 Three Articles
  • 1588-89 Marprelate tracts (pamphlets, violent)
  • 1593 Act against seditious sectaries
• Prophesyings


  Meetings of ministers and others where they practiced their preaching skills
• Matthew Parker


  Archbishop of Canterbury, issued a book laying out rules of how church services should be run and rules on wearing vestments
• Many opposed the rules on vestments


  Arguing it was too similar to Catholic clothing
• Elizabeth insisted people follow the rules or be banned from church
• Grindal


  Archbishop of Canterbury, Grindal refused to follow Elizabeth's instructions to put an end to prophesyings, so he was banned and Elizabeth had to do it herself