2) The settlement of religion

• Religious settlement


  Elizabeth was a Protestant queen taking over a country that was still largely Catholic
• Religion was central to life in England
• Religious teaching and practices guided people's morals and behaviour as well as their understanding of the world
• Birth, marriage and death were all marked by religious ceremonies
• People believed that going to church, attending pilgrimages and confessing sins reduced time in Purgatory where the soul was purged of sin using spiritual fire' before reaching heaven
• Religious festivals (holy days), such as St Swithin's Day (15 July) and Lammas Day (2 August), marked the agricultural year and were seen as essential to a good harvest
• The Reformation


  Divided the Christian Church between Catholics and Protestants from 1517
• The north of England, especially Durham, Yorkshire and Lancashire, remained largely Catholic
• Protestants tended to be found in northern Europe, especially in the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Germany
• Since the 1530s, many Protestants fleeing persecution in Europe had landed in England, setting in London, East Anglia and Kent
• The number of English Protestants was growing
• Puritans


  Strict Protestants who wanted to purify the Christian religion by getting rid of anything not in the Bible
• Differences between Catholicism, Protestantism and Puritanism


  • Beliefs
  • Practices
• Catholics were the majority in north and west England
• Protestants were mostly found in south-east England (London, Kent, East Anglia)
• Puritans were found in London and East Anglia