religion /church

• The settlement aimed to reconcile Catholics with Protestants by retaining some Catholic practices while adopting others from the Reformation.
• Deadly sins


  • Greed
  • Wrath
  • Ond
• Some Christians began to question the belief of the complicit church in Europe in the 1550s
• Some men protested against the church and wanted to reform the way Christians worshipped
• Reformation


  The changes that were known as a reformation
• Protestants


  The people who followed this reformation
• Religious divisions


  1558
• By the time Elizabeth became queen, there was a religious divide
• Protestants


  • Some became extreme known as Puritans (extreme Protestants)
  • Wanted to purify Christianity by removing any Catholic influence
• Elizabeth was not interested in persecuting people for their beliefs and wanted to compromise, since she could see tensions rising between Catholics and Protestants
• Catholics


  • Led by the Pope
  • Believe in saints
  • Bishops and priests hold power
  • Service in Latin
• Protestants


  • No Pope, led by monarch
  • Mainly in SE England
  • Service in English
  • Few clergy (bishops, priests)
• Clergy


  Anyone who works in the Church ie bishops, vicars and priests, most were clergy
• Act of Parliament was used to change England back to a Protestant faith
• Elizabeth's religious settlement in 1559 aimed to bring religious stability to England
• Act of Supremacy


  Gave Elizabeth control over the Church of England instead of the Pope
• Oath of allegiance


  Members of the church (prior and bishops) had to swear allegiance to Elizabeth as the supreme leader
• Ecclesiastical High Commission


  A group of people who made sure the clergy followed the settlement, and punishments would be given to those who didn't follow it
• Act of Uniformity


  Set out the rules for how church services should look
• The Bible was used in all churches and written in English, the wording of the Book of Common Prayer was purposefully unclear, leaving it down to interpretation from Catholics and Protestants
• Priests had to wear special decorative clothing called vestments, this was more traditional
• Everyone had to attend church on a Sunday, otherwise they would be fined. This was a lot for ordinary people
• The religious settlement made England a Protestant country with elements of Catholic belief and practice
• Puritans believed the religious settlement was too compromising
• 80% of the clergy accepted the settlement and were used to doing what they were told
• Royal Injunctions


  A set of instructions issued to the clergy on how to follow the religious settlement
• Instructions in the Royal Injunctions

  • The clergy to preach about the settlement
  • Each church had to have a Book of Common Prayer in English
  • Pilgrimages were banned
  • Some images of Christ allowed
• Puritans


  Those opposed to Elizabeth's religious settlement
• Puritans had hoped Elizabeth's settlement would mean a closer move towards Puritanism, but they were disappointed
• Elizabeth wanted an end to conflict and her 'Middle Way' was an attempt to keep everyone happy
• Some Puritan clergymen started to disobey parts of the settlement, such as wanting organ music abolished
• The two biggest issues were crucifixes and clergy clothing
• Crucifix controversy


  Puritans said crucifixes represented 'idols', but Elizabeth demanded they be displayed in each church
• Vestment controversy


  Puritans felt priests should not wear special clothing, but Elizabeth wanted the clergy to wear special clothing as set out in the Royal Injunctions
• About a third of priests refused to attend a meeting called by the Archbishop of Canterbury to discuss the issue of vestments, and were sacked
• The Catholic Church in Rome was trying to tackle the spread of Protestantism in Europe through the Counter-Reformation
• Heretic


  People with beliefs that were different to the mainstream opinion, especially those who denied the teachings of the Catholic Church
• The Pope, in 1566, issued an instruction that English Catholics should not attend Church of England services
• There were penalties for those who disobeyed Elizabeth's settlement, but these were not always imposed. Repeat offenders, however, faced fines and potentially death
• Many of the nobles and gentry were Catholics, particularly those from ancient families in the North of England (many were recusants)