how successfully did Elizabeth deal with the problem of religion?
Why did catholics think Elizabeth was an illegitimate Queen?
She was the illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII as his divorce was not recognised by the pope.
What did extreme Catholics in England want?
Wanted to get rid of Elizabeth and replace her with a catholic monarch.
What did Puritans in England want?
They believed in simple faith and rejected rich decorate and ceremonies of Catholic Church. They wanted to get rid of the countries catholic past, persecute catholics who refused to convert and get ride of all catholicism in England and Wales.
What factors did Elizabeth need to consider when making her religious settlement?
possible reaction of catholic neighbours (i.e. Philip II of Spain, Francis II of France and the pope)
reaction of the government
reaction of her people
Who was John Calvin?
He was a Puritan based in Geneva who taught others his principles. Protestant Marian exiles came back from Geneva and hopes Elizabeth planned changes to reform.
What was the middle way?
In formulating her religious settlement she adopted a ‘via media’ creating a church which reflected both Protestant and Catholic attitudes and practices, as to satisfy the most amount of people.
When and what was the Act of Supremacy?
1559- Elizabeth adopted the title Supreme Governor and became the head of the Church of England instead of the Pope (which did not please catholics)
When and what was the Act of Uniformity?
1559- Book of common prayer was to be used in all churches, the bible and church services were in English, recusants had to pay 12 pence for every absence from a church service.
When and what were the Royal Injunctions?
1559- Intended to establish uniformity of worship and behaviour:
clergy had to observe and teach royal supremacy
had to identify recusants and ensure JPs fined them
clergy were allowed to marry
parish had to have copy of bible in English
What were the visitations?
125 commissions were appointed to ensure the Injunctions were enforced and that the clergy had worth the Oath of Loyalty.
When and what was the Act of Exchange?
1559- This allowed Elizabeth to take building and land from the church and force bishops to lend land to her.
What was the Episcopacy?
Elizabeth appointed Protestant bishops after the Catholic bishops refused to take the Oath of Supremacy.
They ran daily organisation and supervision of the church.
When and what were the 39 articles?
1563- 39 articles of faith laid down the beliefs of the church of England.
What evidence is there to show that the religious settlement was successful?
less than 3% of the clergy refused to take the oath of loyalty to Elizabeth
there was little opposition until later into reign
fines for recusancy were not strictly enforced- she was tolerant
france was drifting towards a civil war- had little interest in the settlement
the pope and Philip II voiced little opposition
What evidence is there to show that the religious settlement was less successful?
In 1563 when the Council of Trent was ended it produced decrees against the spread of Protestant ideas. Some even called for the excommunication of Elizabeth
By the 1570s and 1580s both Spain and the pope had been involved in plots to overthrow Elizabeth and Protestantism