Heresy and treason

• Heresy was seen as a crime against the Church and an offence to God.
• Treason was a challenge to the authority of the ruler.
• In the early modern period, the Reformation meant that treason and heresy became connected. All monarchs from Henry VIII onwards (except for Mary I) were head of the Church of England. Anyone who challenged the ruler’s authority as head of the Church of England would be guilty of treason.
• During Henry VIII’s reign, Protestants were executed for heresy (because Henry VIII disliked extreme Protestants) and Catholics were executed for treason as they would not take the Oath of Supremacy acknowledging Henry VIII as head of the Church of England.
• During Edward VI’s reign, it became heresy to not be a Protestant.
• During Mary I’s reign, the 1553 Heresy Laws made it illegal to not be a Catholic.
• Elizabeth I tried to find a mia vedia (a middle way). The 1559 Act of Uniformity said everyone had to go to church on Sundays and holy days. The Act of Supremacy reintroduced the Oath of Supremacy that everyone had to swear.
• James I introduced strict anti-Catholic laws after the Gunpowder Plot. The 1605 Popish Recusants Act forced Catholics to swear loyalty to the King and pay heavy fines for not attending Church.