Topic 2 - survival of Catholicism/Protestantism

Causes for Catholic survival in regions

1. Difficult to enforce in regions

2. Tolerance of gov

3. Commitment

4. jesuit priests

5. recusancy

6. Catholic nobility

Examples of E1/Ed’s tolerance

1. E1 settlement

2. Not punishing/persecuting Catholics (like M)

3. Not further reforms to church

4. Limited repression of Catholic protests/rebellions

Examples of Catholicism declining in E1’s regin

1. Harsher policies due to plots

2. Number of recusants increased because authorities kept closer eye on records

3. Jesuit priests not wholly effective

4. Actively practicing Catholics were minority by end of E1’s reign

How many active Catholics by 1603

50,000 out of population of 4 million

Significant causes for gov’s increasingly hardline approach to recusants

1. Arrival of MQOS 1568

2. E1 excommunicated 1570

3. Ridolfi Plot 1572

4. Throckmorton Plot 1583

5. Babington Plot 1586

Significance of E1 excommunication

1571 Oath of Supremacy by all members of Parliament

Treasons Act - treason to write E1 not lawfully Queen

ridolfi plot

• involved foreign powers

• Duke of Norfolk executed 1572

• E1 suspended Parliament until 1576 for attempt to pass an Act banning MQOS from succession

• Treason to bring bull into country

• 1581 stricter rules on recusants (increased fine) (stronger treason Act)

throckmorton plot

Bond of Association 1584 - death to anyone harm E1

Parliament 1584-85 tighten controls on Catholic priests

Act against Catholic priessts ordered to leave country in 40 days or executed

babington plot

E1 signed M’s death warrant

Lancashire recusancy (and increase)

1578 - 304 recusants

3,516 by 1603

Yorkshire recusants

1582 - 750 recusants

Congregation preferring communion in one kind

Berkshire 1584

Significance of Jesuit priests

Committed

Organised

Encouraged recusancy

From when did jesuit priests arrive in England

1574

Example of committed Jesuit

Cuthbert Mayne executed 1577

Training of Jesuits

William Allen

In Netherlands seminary

From 1568

Who transformed recusancy in England into organised

John Bossy

Limits of Jesuit priests

1. E1 Acts to prevent

2. Stayed around Dover and Rye ports

3. Only 1/5 of priests in North where 40% of known recusants lived

4. 1580s ½ of priests in London/Essex/Thames Valley where only 1/5 of recusants lived

Significance of Catholic nobility

Involved in plots

Aided Jesuits

Catholics in yorkshire stats

1560s 75% of leading families in Yorkshire = Catholic

Purtian challenges to the settlement

1. 1563 Convocation

2. Debate on vestments 1564-66

3. Printing

4. Leaders

5. Parliament

6. Prophesyings 1570s

Features of convocation

29th article

6 more radical articles

Limits of Puritan challenge through convocation

6 articles suppressed

Gov made it harder for Puritans to sit on Convocation

Debate on vestments

Injunctions highlighted what they should wear

Parker’s orders to uphold failed

Parker’s Advertisements 1566 ordered all to wear appropriate vestments

How many clergy members were ordered to turn up to Lambeth with correct vestments and how many refused

110 - 37 refused

Parliament challenges by Purtians

• Alphabetical bills 1571

• Bill and Book 1584

• (mostly fell away by 1587)

Alphabetical bills and limit

Moderate puritan bishops wanted to improve clerical standards by attacking abuses e.g. pluralism

Strickland attempted to add own book of common prayer to the bill (E1 rejected) (but did allow 29th article)

Bill and book and limit

introduce national presbyterian church and replace E1 book of prayer

E1 sent those responsible to tower

key leaders of puritan movement

• Rob Dudley

• Edmund Grindal

• thomas Cartwright

• John Field

Thomas Cartwright significance

• 1570 Lecture at Cambridge supporting Calvinism

• lost his post

• supported by Rob Dudley who made him master of Lord Leicester hospital 1585

John Field 1st book

1572 ‘Admonitions to Parliament’ attacking bishops

John Field 2nd book

‘A view on the popish abuses yet remaining in the English Church’ - criticised book of common prayer

What did John Field encourage

1580s ‘class systems’

informal meetings of representatives from local congregations who often used for study and prayer by clergy

What were prophesyings

1570s

Emphasis on sermons and Bible reading led to informal meetings to improve quality of preaching

Clergy would preach - others would give feedback

SUpported by Grindal

Limits of prophesyings

E1 wanted them stopped as couldn’t control what was said

E.g. Southam held without Bishop’s knowledge

1576 demanded Grindal to stop and suspended him for refusing

Significance of printing

Cheap - could buy Protestant catechism if couldn’t afford the Bible

1560 Bible = 130 editions

Protestant propaganda linked to national pride

Limits of printing

Martin Marprelate Tracts 1588-89 damaged Puritan movement as attacked Anglican church just after Armada

Significance of E1 response to challenge

1. Harsh punishment

2. E1’s attitude (unwilling to allow changes)

3. Support of gov/nobility

4. Support of archbishops

Limits to E1’s response

1. Needed their support against Catholics 1560s

   1. E.g. made 39 articles law in 1571

2. Couldn’t control in regions/local preachers

3. Grindal

How Parker challenged puritans

1. Advertisements 1566

2. Convocation

   1. Require licenses to preach - all clergy had to subscribe completely to 39 articles before allowed to preach e.g. John Field suspended after wouldn’t uphold

How Whitgift challenged Puritans

1. 1583 3 articles

   1. All clergyman support Royal supremacy, Book of Common prayer and 39 articles (and that none against word of God)

2. Ex Officio oath

   1. All clergy have to take

How many in diocese of Canterbury refused to take Ex Officio oath

300 (suspended)

Limit of Whitgift’s attempt to enforce the 3 articles

Gentry from south sent him protests/petitions

Examples of nobility challenging puritanism

• Earl of Leicester tried to aid Southam

• Members of Council e.g. Hatton discouraged debate on religious matters in Parliament

Examples of nobility aiding Puritanism

• Emmanuel College Cambridge founded by member of council Sir Mildmay to train Purtian ministers

• Walsingham

• Earl of Leicester still protected Puritans, just calmed Southam down

Reasons development of puritanism was significant

• Methods (convocation, parliament, prophesyings)

• Puritans had support

• Ideas attractive in the south

  • E1 unable to control grassroots

  • Printing press spread

Limits of significance of development of Puritanism

1. Failed to change E1’s settlement and harsh punishments

2. Not united movement

3. Minority overall and limits of printing press

Examples of southern puritanism

Gentry in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Northhampton = purtian approach

Different approaches to challenging the settlement

Work within structure - adiaphora (some religious practices not necessary for salvation but no harm in participating anyway)

Others rejected

Others change