Changes needed to be introduced with a minimum of confrontation in order to overcome fear and suspicion at home and abroad. She pledged not to interfere in issues of Church doctrine but only focus on administration. Henry wished to dissolve his marriage to Catherine and to be remarried to Anne Boleyn, but Pope Clement VII refused. There are only two sacraments: Baptism and Communion, or the Lord's Supper. [57] Churches employed singers for special occasions,[58] which might be paid with money, wine, or ale and bread. [35], The most significant revision was a change to the Communion Service that added the words for administering sacramental bread and wine from the 1549 prayer book to the words in the 1552 book. Please donate to our server cost fundraiser 2023, so that we can produce more history articles, videos and translations. The queen had compromised a little on the wording of the Supremacy Act, calling herself the 'Supreme Governor' of the Church instead of the 'Supreme Head', thus making her more acceptable to Protestants who disliked the idea of a woman in that position. Symbolic of the general compromises going on, priests could place a crucifix and candles on the table. [5][6] The Mass, the central act of Catholic worship, was condemned as idolatry and replaced with a Protestant communion service, a reminder of Christ's crucifixion. Elizabeth I and English Patriotism | Western Civilization This division began during the reign of her father, Henry VIII. Rycote Chapel, OxfordshirePeter Reed (CC BY-NC) "[14], Historians Patrick Collinson and Peter Lake argue that until 1630 the Church of England was shaped by a "Calvinist consensus". Subsequently, two Catholics, John Felton and John Story, were executed for treason. But that does not mean that it was never again contested. [15] At Westminster Abbeystill a Benedictine monasterythe Queen disapproved of what she considered Catholic superstition, telling the monks bearing candles in procession, "Away with those torches, for we see very well". The proposed settlement was roundly rejected and adulterated by the House of Lords, with its Catholic majority. One of the most visible differences from traditional Catholic churches was the replacement of the altar with a communion table. Elizabeth I Sieve PortraitQuentin Metsys the Younger (Public Domain). Discover the rich royal history of the area where Henry VIII builthis first tournament ground, Elizabeth I took daily walks in the Park, and where Charles II raced early royal yachts against his brother We use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience and to help us improve our website. Elizabeth's Religious Settlement Essay - lagas The remaining bishops were all Catholics appointed during Mary's reign, and Elizabeth's advisers hoped they could be persuaded to continue serving. [28], The bill included permission to receive communion in two kinds. Even this was possible only through political intrigue. 8,000 priests and less important clergy did so. Elizabethan Religious Settlement | History | tutor2u Neither France nor Spain reacted to the changes, perhaps believing that they were as temporary as they hoped Elizabeth's reign would be. Once Whitgift had destroyed presbyterian activism, he was content to leave the Puritans alone. [32] The Litany in the 1552 book had denounced "the bishop of Rome, and all his detestable enormities". The bishops were placed in the difficult position of enforcing conformity while supporting reform. There were priests who conformed to the prayer book while also providing the Mass to their parishioners. Regardless of how quickly Elizabethan reform spread throughout England, the legislation of the Elizabethan Settlement did stabilize the face of the Church of England. It is more accurate to call Whitgift and those like him conformists, since the word conservative carries connotations of Catholicism. Parker was a prominent scholar and had served as chaplain to Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn. [42], To enforce her religious policies, Queen Elizabeth needed bishops willing to cooperate. The Elizabethan Clergy and the Settlement of Religion, 1558-1564. From the Arminians, it gained a theology of episcopacy and an appreciation for liturgy. Elizabethan Religious Settlement Religion became a very divisive factor in people's lives in England when Protestant ideas challenged the dominance of the Catholic Church of Rome. Additionally, today's Anglican Church structure is essentially the same as it was in 1563. How successful was the Elizabethan religious settlement? For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. 6 Essay on Thirty Nine Articles of Religion. Wealthy church papists attended their parish church but had Mass at home or hired two chaplains, one to perform the prayer book service and the other to perform the Mass. Keeping the hierarchy of archbishops and bishops. [111] Puritans became dissenters. [109] The English Civil War resulted in the overthrow of Charles I, and a Puritan dominated Parliament began to dismantle the Elizabethan Settlement. Elizabeth's intention was that the Religious Settlement would prove a compromise acceptable to people of all religious standpoints. After his wife, Catherine of Aragon, failed to produce a male heir, Henry applied to the pope for an annulment of his marriage. Most Catholics, however, were "church papists"Catholics who outwardly conformed to the established church while maintaining their Catholic faith in secret. So much flipping back and forth between Protestantism and Catholicism left the country deeply divided. Implemented between 1559 and 1563, the settlement is considered the end of the English Reformation, permanently shaping the theology and liturgy of the Church of England and laying the foundations of Anglicanism's unique identity. Failure to attend service resulted in a small fine (which was then given to the poor). With your support millions of people learn about history entirely for free, every month. [113] The suppression and marginalisation of Prayer Book Protestants during the 1640s and 1650s had made the prayer book "an undisputed identifier of an emerging Anglican self-consciousness. Last modified June 02, 2020. 8,000 priests and less important clergy did so. In 1560, Bishop Grindal was allowed to enforce the demolition of rood lofts in London. Secondly, attendance of a Catholic mass was forbidden, those found guilty of this offence received a large fine. [16] The Queen's principal secretary was Sir William Cecil, a moderate Protestant. [40], Another historian, Diarmaid MacCulloch, also finds Neale's thesis flawed. The 1549 prayer book required clergy to wear the alb, cope and chasuble. What were the main features of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement? This was partially due to ambiguous doctrinal changes which did not greatly affect everyday life, among other factors. Essentially, the act returned churches to their appearance in 1549 CE. Consequently, Elizabeth's reforms would have to be introduced with care. While some were happy to return to the traditional religion, many were not, and the land was ripped apart by rebellion. The Queen never forgave John Knox for writing The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstruous Regiment of Women, which denounced female monarchs, and the Reformation in Geneva was tainted by association. They sing the psalms in English, and at certain hours of the day they use organs and music. The Act of Supremacy 1559 This required all clergymen and government officers to . Hard-line Protestants and Catholics in England were both dissatisfied with Elizabeth's pragmatic stance as she went for a more middle-of-the-road approach which appealed to the largely indifferent majority of her subjects. The Church of Scotland was even more strongly Reformed, having a presbyterian polity and John Knox's liturgy, the Book of Common Order. Made Elizabeth I Supreme Governor of the Church. [74] In 1568, the English College at Douai was founded to provide a Catholic education to young Englishmen and, eventually, to train a new leadership for a restored Catholic Church in England. Everything you need for your studies in one place. [81] In 1580, the first Jesuit priests came to England. It was designed to settle the divide between Catholics and Protestants and address the differences in services and beliefs. This was by no means a simple task as, in these early stages, nobody quite knew what Anglicism precisely was except that it was not Catholicism or extreme Protestantism but somewhere in-between. Yes and no. William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (1520-1598 CE) was Elizabeth Thomas Cranmer served as the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury Elizabeth I reigned as queen of England from 1558 to 1603 CE. Fig. A.G. Dickens wrote of widespread popular support for Protestantism that made the Elizabethan settlement inevitable and immediately supported. Why did Henry VIII break with the Catholic Church? The 1559 Religious Settlement was an honest attempt to bring as many as was possible into the fold - but it could never have satisfied the wishes of those who were at the religious extremes of society. [33] The rubric provided instructions for clerical vestments, stating that until the Queen ordered otherwise ministers were to "use such ornaments as were in use by the authority of Parliament in the second year of the reign of King Edward VI". All members of the Church had to take the oath of supremacy under the Act of Supremacy if they were to keep their posts. Elizabeth's efforts led to the Religious Settlement, a legal process by which the Protestant Church of England was restored and the queen took the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England. [63], The Elizabethan settlement was further consolidated by the adoption of a moderately Protestant doctrinal statement called the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. In effect, Elizabeth was declaring that she did not believe in the doctrine of transubstantiation. She kept her crucifix and candles and dropped her plans to restore roods. Understand the context, creation and significance of the Armada Portrait in our concise guide. [30] The revised Book of Common Prayer removed this denunciation of the Pope. [79] The discovery of the Ridolfi plota Catholic conspiracy to overthrow Elizabeth and place Mary, Queen of Scots on the thronefurther alarmed the English government. During Edward's reign, the Church of England adopted a Reformed theology and liturgy. It was given statutory force by the Subscription Act, which required all new ministers to affirm their agreement with this confessional statement. [51], Many parishes were slow to comply with the injunctions. Henry VIII officially broke with the Catholic Church in Rome in 1534 by passing the First Act of Supremacy, making himself head of a new Church of England. The Religious Settlement - Religion in the Elizabethan age - WJEC The debate quickly descended into name-calling and two of the Catholics were sent to the Tower for contempt. In the aftermath of the conformist assault, the 1590s were relatively free of theological controversy. [65], With the Queen's approval, Convocation also issued a second Book of Homilies with sermons on 20 topics. Recently saved for the nation, the Armada Portrait commemorates the most famous conflict of Elizabeth I's reign the failed invasion of England by the Spanish Armada in summer 1588. [94] Rather, the Admonition's authors believed that presbyterianism was the only biblical form of church government, whereas Whitgift argued that no single form of church government was commanded in the Bible. Taxes that had been paid to Rome were, as before Mary's reign, redirected to the English government. Most Puritans, however, remained in the Church of England. [116] The clash between Calvinists and Arminians was never resolved, and the "seesaw battle between Catholic and Protestant within a single Anglican ecclesiastical structure has been proceeding ever since". Our publication has been reviewed for educational use by Common Sense Education, Internet Scout (University of Wisconsin), Merlot (California State University), OER Commons and the School Library Journal. It included the Act of Supremacy, Act of Uniformity, a new Book of Common Prayer, and the Thirty-Nine Articles. [16] In February, the House of Commons passed a Reformation Bill that would restore royal supremacy, the Edwardine Ordinal, and a slightly revised 1552 prayer book. 1559: Parliament passes the Act of Uniformity and the Act of Supremacy. We want people all over the world to learn about history. There was opposition to the moderate features of the Settlement from both radical Catholics and radical Protestants. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1565/the-elizabethan-religious-settlement/. When not in use, it was to be oriented north to south, the same as an altar. Why Was The Elizabethan Settlement Important? - QNA Experts The belief that the wafer and wine literally transform into Christ's body and blood during Communion service. [117] The preface to the 1662 prayer book defined the Church of England as a via media "between the two extremes of too much stiffness in refusing and of too much easiness in admitting any variation". The Elizabethan Settlement did not heal the divide between Protestants and Catholics. [87] Bishop Jewel called the surplice a "vestige of error". [41] During this time, Calvinist clergy held the best bishoprics and deaneries. The Elizabethan Religious Settlement is the name given to the religious and political arrangements made for England during the reign of Elizabeth I (15581603). Every church had to have a Bible in English available to its congregation, no further altars were to be destroyed, and pilgrimages were banned. [77] In 1562, the Council of Trent ruled out any outward conformity or Nicodemism for Catholics: "You may not be present at such prayers of heretics, or at their sermons, without heinous offence and the indignation of God, and it is far better to suffer most bitter cruelties than to give the least sign of consent to such wicked and abominable rites. Cartwright, Mark. The Church of England was then moved even closer towards full Protestantism under Henry's successor, his son Edward VI of England (r. 1547-1553 CE). Elizabethan religious settlement: the Timeline of key events. Bibliography [82] Afterwards, efforts to identify recusants and force them to conform increased. During this time, priests said Mass in Latin wearing traditional Catholic vestments. [76] Initially, recusant priests advised the laity to simply abstain from Protestant communion. This receptionist view had much in common with John Calvin's Eucharistic theology. How did the Elizabethan settlement affect the reformation in England? [64][pageneeded] In 1571, Convocation finalised the Thirty-nine Articles. By Elizabeth's death, Roman Catholicism had become "the faith of a small sect", largely confined to gentry households. Here is an example answer to the following 16-mark question on whether geographical divisions were the biggest problem for Elizabeth I in establishing the religious settlement in England. The Directory was not a liturgical book but only a set of directions and outlines for services. The Elizabethan . [86] In general, the bishops considered clerical dress adiaphora and tried to find compromise, but the Queen believed that the churchand herself as Supreme Governorhad authority to determine rites and ceremonies. The Act of Uniformity of 1559 set out the groundwork for the Elizabethan church. There were obstacles, notably the presence of many Catholic bishops who had been appointed by Mary and many catholic-minded nobles in the government. The traditionalist argument was very pro-Protestant. ", Salvation comes from God's grace alone and not through good works. The Act of Supremacy in 1534 removed any religious authority in England from the Pope and gave it to himself, and his heirs. Elizabeth's first Parliament was inaugurated on 25 January 1559. Essay on Elizabeth's religious settlement. Search here. The priests wear the hood and surplice. Elizabethan Religious Settlement - Wikipedia The Church of England was Protestant at its core but took the hierarchy from the Catholics by keeping archbishops and bishops. A priest found guilty of performing a mass could face the death penalty. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Enjoy the bank holiday weekend celebrating King Charles III's coronation, Why do artists draw, and what can their sketches teach us about their skills and techniques? [34][35] Opposition to the so-called "popish wardrobe" made it impossible to enforce the rubric. The injunctions ordered the "holy table" to be carried into the chancel during communion services but at all other times to be placed where the altar would have stood. [43], Elizabeth chose Matthew Parker to replace Pole as Archbishop of Canterbury. [52] Through the mid-1650s, there were an estimated 800 clergy who resigned or were deprived for refusal to conform. Which of the two mentioned historians do you agree with? Debating the Elizabethan religious settlement. World History Encyclopedia. Will you pass the quiz? The Council hoped that by separating them at least the Supremacy bill would pass. [27] Under this bill, the Pope's jurisdiction in England was once again abolished, and Elizabeth was to be Supreme Governor of the Church of England instead of supreme head. This iconic portrait isnow back on public display in the Queen's House after careful conservation. [77], In 1569, the Revolt of the Northern Earls attempted to overthrow England's Protestant regime. Find out with the European Space Agency's groundbreaking mission, Explore how water and the sea seeps into Shakespeare's works with the National Maritime Museum, Search our online database and exploreour objects, paintings, archives and library collectionsfrom home, Come behind the scenes at our state-of-the-art conservation studio, Visit the world's largest maritime library and archive collection at the National Maritime Museum, The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea, Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition, Coronation celebrations at Royal Museums Greenwich, A Sea of Drawings: the art of the Van de Veldes, The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre, Find out how you can use our collections for research, Royal Greenwich: A History in Kings and Queens by Pieter van der Merwe. As the historian D. Starkey notes, Elizabeth's cautious reforms resulted in "a Church that was Protestant in doctrine, Catholic in appearance" (314). All Christians may receive the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper. Meaning he could finally divorce Catherine! The Act of Supremacy became law. 2 Church Illustration from the Surrey Archaeological collection 1854. Irregular Unions: Clandestine Marriage in Early Modern English Literature Elizabeth I: A Captivating Guide to the Queen of England Who Was the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. The Queen still believed there should be a division between the chancel and the rest of the church. The Religious Settlement of 1559 - History Learning Site This shows that the religious settlement was for the most part, largely successful. This bill would have returned the Church to its position at the death of Henry VIII rather than to that when Edward VI died. The Elizabethan Religious Settlement was composed of the following principal elements: Henry VIII had started the English Reformation which split the Church in England from Catholic Rome. Edward died at age seventeen in 1533, and England's official religion suffered dramatic changes again. How far could one's views about faith go before the established church could no longer accept them? As for the manner of their service in church and their prayers, except that they say them in the English tongue, one can still recognise a great part of the Mass, which they have limited only in what concerns individual communion. When Parliament reconvened in April, the two issues were presented separately and considerable concessions were made. Calvinists were divided between conformists and Puritans, who wanted to abolish what they considered papist abuses and replace episcopacy with a presbyterian church government. [92] While Parliament still met, Thomas Wilcox and John Field published An Admonition to the Parliament that condemned "Popish abuses yet remaining in the English Church" and episcopal polity. What did the Elizabethan Religious Settlement do? At this point, the Privy Council introduced two new bills, one concerning royal supremacy and the other about a Protestant liturgy. Large numbers of deans, archdeacons, cathedral canons, and academics (mostly from Oxford but also from Cambridge) lost their positions. [14] He argues the modifications were most likely meant to appease domestic and foreign Lutheran Protestants who opposed the memorialist view originating from reformed Zurich. License. The next sovereign was Catholic Mary I of England (r. 1553-1558 CE), and she reversed the Reformation. This perception was seemingly confirmed when Elizabeth was excommunicated by Pope Pius V in February 1570. Between 1574 and 1603, 600 Catholic priests were sent to England. Returning to Protestantism would align England with the Dutch, its main trading partner, but risked antagonising Spain, the most powerful nation in the world. Elizabethan Settlement. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. The eldest Aqa A-Level History: The Tudors: England 1485-1603. With bishops, however, only one agreed to take the oath and all the others had to step down. Reactions to the Religious Settlement in Wales and England Immediately after becoming Queen, she created the Elizabethan Religious Settlement. [49], The Queen was disappointed by the extreme iconoclasm of the Protestants during the visitations. She envisioned a church rooted in traditional religious practices but upheld essential Protestant elements such as clerical marriage, Bibles in the vernacular language, and offering both kinds of communion (bread and wine) to all. The rebellion was defeated, but it contributed to a perception that Catholicism was treason. Those who refused to attend Church of England services were called recusants. 'Elizabeth's religious settlement was a successful compromise - Quizlet When his request was denied, Henry separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church and claimed that he, rather than the pope, was its supreme head on earth. The is essay will argue that in the period 15581564 the religious settlement was broadly success useful as it was slowly adhered to with little opposition up until 1564. According to the prayer book, the table should be placed permanently in the chancel oriented east to west. In October 1559, she ordered that a crucifix and candlesticks be placed on the communion table in the Chapel Royal. Henry VIII secured his position on the throne through violence in 1485 when he defeated Richard III. [67] Over time, however, this "survivalist Catholicism" was undermined by pressures to conform, giving way to an underground Catholicism completely separate from the Church of England. Later, she decided that roods should be restored in parish churches. [40] These new royal injunctions were meant to fill in the details of the settlement and were to be enforced nationwide by six groups of clerical and lay commissioners. Which of the following was NOT included in the Thirty-Nine Articles? [30] It encountered more opposition in the Lords than the Supremacy Act, passing by only three votes. World History Encyclopedia, 02 Jun 2020. James was himself a moderate Calvinist, and the Puritans hoped the King would move the English Church in the Scottish direction. His lineage was unstable, and his production of a male heir was necessary. Elizabethan Settlement - The National Archives From Hooker, Anglicanism "inherited its belief in the place of reason as an authority for action, its esteem for continuity over the Reformation divide, and a hospitality towards sacramental modes of thought". When Elizabeth I became queen in 1558, England's religious situation was dire. Afterwards, executions of Catholic priests became more common, and in 1585, it became treason for a Catholic priest to enter the country, as well as for anyone to aid or shelter him. Elizabethan Religious Settlement - AQA - BBC Bitesize 'Bloody Mary's' brief reign was ended by cancer, and her half-sister Elizabeth took the throne in 1558 CE. Extremism would not be tolerated and name-calling and mud-slinging would not move things forward. Its 100% free. [18][19], To avoid alarming foreign Catholic observers, Elizabeth initially maintained that nothing in religion had changed. P-The Religious settlement was successful because there was much about it that was acceptable to most Catholics. According to historian Diarmaid MacCulloch, the conflicts over the Elizabethan Settlement stem from the "tension between Catholic structure and Protestant theology". [74] Other leading Marian churchmen remained in England to serve as private chaplains to Catholic nobles and gentry. The most important outcome of the Conference, however, was the decision to produce a new translation of the Bible, the 1611 King James Version. There were 10,000 parishes in England at this time so this shows that the religious settlement was largely successful . Anglicans started to define their Church as a via media or middle way between the religious extremes of Catholicism and Protestantism; Arminianism and Calvinism; and high church and low church.