Elizabeth I's Religious Settlement: A Middle Ground between Catholics and Protestants, Study notes of English

Download Elizabeth I's Religious Settlement: A Middle Ground between Catholics and Protestants and more Study notes English in PDF only on Docsity! The Religious Settlement * Understand the key features of the English Reformation and religious divisions in England in 1558. ¢ Understand the key features, and impact, of Elizabeth’s religious settlement. * Understand the role of the Church of England under Elizabeth's rule. Ul: Wf it \ 7, Horrible Histories Recap video Religious Rollercoaster Henry VIII makes himself head of Church of England, bible in English, services remain in Latin England is slightly more Protestant Edward VI makes England VERY Protestant Destroyed Church decorations, make services English introduced a new prayer book! Catholics are very angry (and scared) ’Bloody’ Mary I returns England to Catholicism, killing Protestants on the fire! Elizabeth becomes queen and she is a Protestant However, she tries to have a compromise in her England pleasing both Catholics & Protestants… Her Catholic cousin, Mary Queen of Scots is watching carefully though… She will pop up later... 1547 1553 1558 1530s Imagine you are a Catholic, write a diary how you’d feel living through all of these religious changes? VERY Catholic Middle Way Spem in Alium (Psalm 40) Spem in alium numquam habui praetor in te Deus Israel Qui irasceris Et propitius eris Et omnia peccata hominum In tribulatione dimittis Domine Deus Creator coeli et terra Respice humilitatem nostram I have never put my hope in any other but in you God of Israel Who will be angry And yet become again gracious And who forgives all the sins of suffering man Lord God Creator of Heaven and Earth Look upon our lowliness (Psalm 40) Catholic in LATIN Protestant in ENGLISH Most ordinary people could not read or write, never mind read or write in Latin. The Catholic Church believed the Bible should be in Latin, ordinary people had to just accept what they were being told was God’s will, without really understanding what they were being told! Protestants believed that the Bible should be in their own language so that people could more easily engage with their religion. What are your thoughts on Protestantism so far? Once people were able to understand and study the Bible for themselves, some more Protestants wanted to base their religion SOLELY on what was in the Bible - PURITANS • Few of the traditional Church ceremonies and decorations were in the Bible • Nor were certain Church offices such as Bishops, • They also said the Bible does not mention Why might this worry Elizabeth? In 1558, most of England’s bishops were Catholic. Changing the religion of the country needed an Act of Parliament. The House of Commons would be likely to agree with what Elizabeth wanted, but there were lots of Catholic bishops in the House of Lords. Parts of England were more Catholic than others, meaning the people living there were less likely to accept Protestantism. These areas tended to be further away from London. Parts of the north & west diocese (areas looked after by a bishop) were especially Catholic. London, East Anglia and the South-east tended to be more Protestant. They had closer links with the Netherlands & German states where Protestantism had become popular Stick your maps in your book and colour in the 4 levels of Catholicism Should Elizabeth I be worried about this map? Why? 90% What did the Queen think? I am protestant and so cannot restore the authority of the Pope Most people in England are Catholic, but most of my government are Protestant Mary, Queen of Scots claims she is the rightful Queen of England and Catholics are supporting her The most powerful countries in Europe are Catholic Religious changes in the past have caused rebellions I need a national Church which most of my people can acceptI want the country to be united and don’t want to punish people just for their religious beliefs Advise the Queen When Mary I was queen of England, 284 Protestants were burned. Many more escaped to more tolerant Protestant states in Europe, such as the Netherlands. They returned to England when Elizabeth inherited the throne as much more committed and radical Protestants. These Protestants were referred to as Puritans as they wanted to ‘purify’ the Christian religion by getting rid of anything that wasn’t in the Bible. Puritans didn’t believe in hierarchy and wanted to manage their own churches by themselves rather than bishops or the pope choosing for them. This also meant in this system, there would be no role for the queen as head of the Church The Puritan churches would be very basic, without alters (the table in a church where mass is performed) in some cases. 2 clips in Puritan folder (Blackadder & Horrible Histories The actual new religion… We’re now going to go through Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement, Write this key in your margin C – Pleased Catholics P – Pleased Protestants As we add details to the settlement, add the C or P Elizabeth’s Settlement 1559 • It was designed to be accepted by as many of her subjects as possible • It was moderate (middle ground) and was established in 1559 Supremacy Pilgrimages and monuments to ‘fake’ miracles were banned • It was designed to be accepted by as many of her subjects as possible • It was moderate (middle ground) and was established in 1559 Uniformity Crosses and candlesticks to be placed on communion table. • It was designed to be accepted by as many of her subjects as possible • It was moderate (middle ground) and was established in 1559 Act of Supremacy Act of Uniformity Made Elizabeth ‘Supreme governor of the Church of England’. She purposefully changed her title from head to governor to appease the Catholics, which it did! All clergy and royal officials had to swear an oath of allegiance to her as head of the church. Priests could now get married An ecclesiastical (church related) High Commission was set up to maintain the discipline within the church Bishops would run the Church Established the appearance of all churches and the form of services they held. A set form of service using the exact words from the COMMON BOOK OF PRAYER in ALL churches, all were in English. The removal of Latin upset the Catholics , many got round this by going to Elizabeth’s churches then taking mass privately later. (Elizabeth was aware that Catholic services took place, but as long as they were done in private and they were outwardly supporting her, at least in the early days, she turned a blind eye – remember she had done this herself under Mary I) Ornaments and decorations were allowed and singing hymns continued, this pleased everyone other than Puritan bishops, images were also allowed. The wording of the service were deliberately unclear (vague) so Catholics and Protestants could interpret them to suit their own services. Priests had to wear special clothing as a compromise to Catholics, Puritans didn't like this. How easy was it passed do you think? It took a few attempts to get it through the Lords, despite easily passing through the House of Commons. In March 1559, Elizabeth arrested 2 bishops from the Lords for ”disobedience”, they were locked in the Tower of London. She then tried again and it was successful in the Lords by 2 votes! - GENIUS Act of Uniformity 1559 • There were penalties for those refusing to use it: Everyone had to attend church on Sundays and holy days such as Good Friday – (fine of 12p/1 shilling) per day (Labourer could earn 3p a day, Servant 8-9p a WEEK, skilled craftsman 4p a day) • Crosses and candlesticks to be placed on communion table. Most people couldn't afford to not attend church Royal injunctions These were a set of instructions designed to secure and enforce the new Religious Settlement • All clergy were to teach the Royal Supremacy – Monarch is head of the Church • Anyone refusing to attend church (Recusant) was reported to the Privy Council • Every parish had to have a copy of the Bible in English, accessible to ALL • No-one could preach without a licence from the Government, had to take the oath to get the licence. • Pilgrimages and monuments to ‘fake’ miracles were banned • The clergy had to wear special vestments (clothes) – some refused saying they were too popish By saying pilgrimages to ‘fake sites’ implied that there were not fake ones, this again was designed on purpose to appease the Catholics. This could have helped Elizabeth’s settlement be more widely accepted. Ornaments and decorations were also allowed in churches, again pleasing the Catholics. It was the Puritans that opposed the settlement more, believing people should pray only to God and not idols and statues. What are the most clever parts of the settlement? H/W: Inform the people... * Design a leaflet that informs the English people on what they need to know about the new religious settlement. ¢ It should include as a minimum: * The Queen’s aims ¢ What will the churches be like ¢ What will the church services be like ¢ What are loyal subjects supposed to do * How will it be enforced? All members of the Church had to take the oath of Supremacy under the ‘Act of Supremacy’ if they were to keep their jobs. 8,000 out of 10,000 did this meaning life continued pretty much as normal for the people in the villages & towns The Bishops: When it came to the bishops though, only ONE agreed to take the oath. The rest stepped down. Elizabeth appointed 27 new bishops. This allowed her to put PROTESTANT bishops in place. She needed the support of these new bishops as there was a shortage of qualified Protestant clergy in England. Success? Or Not? The People: The majority of people accepted Elizabeth’s religious settlement and attended the new Church of England services, even though many of them held onto their Catholic beliefs. Explain how the prayer book in English and it’s ambiguity (vague) helped this? Parishes in the north were slower to change, but Elizabeth was determined not to enforce it too strongly, even for the recusants – Elizabeth’s settlement was largely smooth, there were some examples of violence but this was rare Key Term: “Recusant” Catholics who were unwilling to attend the new church services WHY? The role of The Church of England L hi i ' “— a eres THE CHURCH SF, piss | OF ENGLAND The role of the Church of England It ran the church courts It gave guidance to communities. People turned to their parish church in times of hardship and uncertainty It enforced the Religious Settlement It legitimised the power to the monarch It controlled what was preached: Priests needed a special licence from the government to preach. Elizabeth could ensure that the clergy only preached her religious and political messages Copy this diagram, but add a little graphic / picture to each bubble to help you revise & remember.