Elizabethan England

• Elizabeth's Troubles at Home and Abroad

  Religious matters and the role of religion in the reign of Elizabeth I
• Elizabethan Religious Settlement


  Protestant church created by Elizabeth I in 1559, with some allowances for Catholics to keep them on side
• Elizabethan Religious Settlement


  1. Act of Supremacy - Elizabeth as supreme governor of the Church of England

  2. Act of Uniformity - All worship to be the same, use of Book of Common Prayer, priests to wear religious robes
• Elizabeth wanted to find a "middle way" between Catholicism and Protestantism
• Elizabeth did not want to "see into men's souls" - she wanted outward conformity rather than changing people's views
• Mary Queen of Scots' arrival in England in 1568


  Galvanized Catholic opposition and gave them a figurehead to rally around
• Catholic Plots against Elizabeth

  • Ridolfi Plot (1571)
  • Throckmorton Plot (1583)
  • Babington Plot (1586)
• Catholic Plots and Rebellions


  Encouraged Elizabeth to pass harsher laws to control Catholics, such as the Treason Act and Act of Persuasions
• Jesuits


  Catholic missionaries who arrived in England in the 1570s to encourage the spread of Catholicism
• Religious strife continued into the reigns of James I and Charles I
• The Elizabethan Religious Settlement was a significant moment in religious change in England
• Elizabeth I tried to persuade the Catholics in England to rise up against her and get involved in Catholic rebellions
• This led to harsher laws being introduced to control the Catholic threat
• Three events showed the Catholics had become a serious threat: Mary, Queen of Scots becoming a magnet for Catholic conspiracy, the excommunication of Elizabeth by the Catholic Church, and the arrival of Jesuit missionaries in England from 1570
• Harsher laws to control Catholics

  1. Treason Act - anyone who claimed Elizabeth was not the rightful queen was a traitor

  2. Act of Persuasions - increased fine for not attending church to 20 pounds per month

  3. Act against priests - gave priests 40 days to leave the country, being a Catholic priest made treasonable, helping a Catholic priest could face death penalty
• Jesuit priests


  Trained to come to England and encourage the spread of Catholicism
• Seminary priests


  Trained to support Catholics to deepen their faith, but not to convert Protestants
• Jesuit missionary priests


  • Robert Parsons
  • Edmund Campion
• Edmund Campion was captured, tortured, and executed for treason in 1581
• Around 200 Catholics were executed during Elizabeth I's rule
• Margaret Clitherow, a Catholic martyr, was killed by being pressed to death for sheltering priests
• Puritans were opposed to the continuation of bishops and the vestments worn by Protestant clergy
• Elizabeth's religious settlement was seen as the end point by Puritans, who had hoped it would be the first step towards bringing in Puritan values
• Puritan opposition


  • Thomas Cartwright - called for abolition of bishops, refused to refer to Elizabeth as supreme governor
  • Edmund Grindel - archbishop of Canterbury, held puritan-inspired prayer meetings, placed under house arrest
  • William Stubbs - MP, had his hand cut off for writing a pamphlet criticizing Elizabeth
  • Robert Brown - created a breakaway Puritan church
• The Act against Seditious Secretaries allowed the authorities to execute anyone accused of being a separatist or Brownist
• The Elizabethan religious settlement was initially very successful, appeasing the majority of Catholics, Protestants and Puritans
• Only 3% of priests refused to swear the oath of loyalty to Elizabeth
• Increased Catholic and Puritan opposition after 1568, including Catholic plots, led to Elizabeth having to persecute and execute more Catholics
• The religious settlement favoured Protestants and led to Elizabeth's excommunication by the Pope
• John Whitgift


  Replaced Grindal as Archbishop of Canterbury (1583)

  Issued Three Articles:

  All clergy swear acceptance of bishops

  Prayer book and 39 articles (1563)

  Led to 300 ministers suspended
• Mary Queen of Scots was born


  8 December 1542
• Mary Queen of Scots

  • Became Queen of Scotland at 6 days old
  • Betrothed to Francis, heir to the French throne
  • Married Francis in 1558 and became Queen of France in 1559
  • Returned to Scotland in 1561 as a foreigner
  • Married her cousin Henry Stewart (Lord Darnley) in 1565
  • Gave birth to son James in 1566
  • Married Earl of Bothwell in 1567 after Darnley's suspicious death
  • Forced to abdicate, escaped to England in 1568
• Mary Queen of Scots inspired and galvanised Catholic opposition in England
• Mary Queen of Scots' claim to the English throne


  She was the granddaughter of Margaret, older sister of Henry VIII
• Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I never met in person, only communicated by letter
• Mary Queen of Scots was seen as a "maximum security threat" and "magnet for conspiracy"
• Reasons why Mary's arrival in England posed a threat

  1. She was the rightful Queen of Scotland

  2. Privy Council wanted her investigated for Darnley's death

  3. Parliament didn't trust her

  4. She had links to France and Spain

  5. Succession issue with Elizabeth having no heirs
• Plots involving Mary Queen of Scots

  • Northern Rebellion (1569)
  • Ridolfi Plot (1571)
  • Throckmorton Plot (1583)
  • Babington Plot (1586)
• Babington Plot


  Plot to invade England, kill Elizabeth, and put Mary on the throne
• Mary was put on trial at Fotheringhay Castle and executed on 8 February 1587