Explain the factors behind the decision to impose the Elizabethan Church Settlement in
1559. Evaluate the consequences for Roman Catholics between 1559 and 1625.
The candidate’s response to the first part of the essay question could include:
 Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne meant an opportunity to change the existing
religious situation and establish a new Protestant national church that would
signal England’s independence. She needed to signal her intentions early to avoid
the instability that uncertainty would bring given the context of the religious
turmoil of the previous three reigns.

Elizabeth’s personal preference, influenced by her upbringing and education, was
for continuity with her father’s church settlement and royal control of the new
English church through Protestant bishops of her own choosing.

Catholicism during the reign of Mary I had been linked to the burning of English
Protestant martyrs and submission to Rome. Mary’s marriage to Philip II had
caused English foreign policy to be subservient to the interests of Roman Catholic
Spain. Elizabeth was reluctant for England to continue under such foreign
domination.

The Catholic Church had in the recent past declared Elizabeth to be illegitimate
(Henry VIII’s divorce of Katherine of Aragon had not been sanctioned by the
Pope). The international situation remained uncertain. Mary Queen of Scots was a
rival Catholic claimant to the thrones of Scotland and England and had marriage
connections with France (England’s traditional enemy). A uniform state church
would be vital to national security.

Elizabeth wanted to reward the support shown to her by Protestants in the SE of
England and welcomed the return of some of the more moderate Marian exiles.
But she did not want the radical Protestant reforms of Edward VI that had aroused
resentment and disturbed harmony in the localities.

She recognised that a state church free of ties to the papacy was an important
source of income for the Crown through vacant sees, tithes and first fruits and
tenths. She was also aware the governing class had an economic interest in
supporting any settlement that did not require the land distributed during the
dissolution of the monasteries to be returned.

Given the precedent set by the religious changes in her father’s reign, it was going
to be necessary to somehow secure the acceptance of both houses of Parliament
for the new church settlement, despite the incumbent Roman Catholic bishops in
the House of Lords. Reinforcing that Parliament had that role during periods of
religious change was inescapable and no doubt Elizabeth understood it would
mean that some might assume it was a place where further church reform could be
initiated.

Elizabeth therefore, decided on a broad-based national Church enacted by
Parliament that would gain her uniformity and conformity, perhaps eventually
assimilating those English Catholics who were prepared to accept her both as
monarch and head of the church. It was both a reflection of her personal views
and Erastian (intended to subordinate the needs of the church to the authority of
the state).
The candidate’s response to the second part of the essay question could include:
 Elizabeth began her settlement through parliament with the Acts of Supremacy
(requiring clergy and royal officials to accept the Queen’s new title of Supreme
Governor of the Church under oath) and Uniformity (requiring use of a Book of
Common Prayer in all churches). An Act of Exchange later in 1559 allowed
Elizabeth in various ways to tap into the wealth of the Church for her own
purposes. The settlement was completed in the Royal Injunctions 1559, the Thirty
Nine Articles of 1563, and the Bishops visitations that followed. Clergy had to
swear an oath of supremacy acknowledging Elizabeth as head of the Church.
Although only one of the 26 bishops took the oath, almost all of the lower orders
did. Consequently less than 4% of the clergy were deprived of their office.

The Settlement was clearly a compromise – Protestant in doctrine but retaining
elements of a traditionally Catholic appearance, eg episcopacy, clerical dress and
some rituals. Initially, the government was content with outward conformity and
did not strictly enforce recusancy fines (12 pence a month). The Settlement did
not immediately affect rural areas; and although some people in the localities did
not like it imposed on them, the vast majority of people eventually accepted it.

Elizabeth as Supreme Governor was firmly in control of the Church and was
prepared to use her bishops to ensure conformity within it by visitations intended
to remove papist images, relics, altars and vestments. But, she was also to accept
no changes after the Thirty Nine Articles. Each parish church was to obtain the
Bible in English, and there were very clear restrictions on preaching without a
licence. She demanded Archbishop Parker publish the Advertisements in 1566,
stating expectations of the clergy in terms of practice and dress.

Catholics challenged both the monarch’s position as head of the Church and the
changes in their churches. Many, especially in the north, stayed faithful to the
Pope and the old religion, while others became Church Papists, attending the
national Church but worshipping in the Catholic manner in secret.

However, resistance of Catholics within England to the Settlement was not
apparent until the arrival of Mary Stuart in 1568. Her confinement in house arrest
until her death in 1587 made her the focus of a number of plots (such as the
Northern Rebellion in 1569), to free her and place her on Elizabeth’s throne.

The Papal Bull of 1570 announcing Elizabeth’s deposition and requiring
Catholics to disobey her sparked the response of the Treason and Fugitives Acts.
This made it high treason to publish the Bull and caused loss of property for
English Catholics who remained abroad. When priests from the continent were
smuggled into England to revive the faith, recusancy laws were further tightened,
making it treason to reconcile others to the Catholic faith and priests were hunted
out and executed. Recusancy fines were also raised to twenty pounds a month.

The massacre of St Bartholomew 1572 and the assassination of William of
Orange with papal blessing in 1584, enflamed fears of Mary Stuart’s involvement
in plots against Elizabeth and inspired the Bond of Association and the Privy
Council’s work to ensure her eventual execution for complicity in the Babington
plot.

The war against Spain from 1585 to 1603 and Irish rebellion caused Catholics to
be treated as potential traitors who would support a foreign Papist inspired
invasion and led to the Five Mile Act prohibiting all recusants from moving more
than five miles beyond their homes ending any real Catholic resistance to the
Church Settlement. The Archpriest controversy of the 1590’s indicated most
English Catholics were desperate to show they could be regarded as loyal.

The hopes of Catholics for tolerance on the accession of James I (via his Catholic
mother and wife) were soon dispelled after the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, when the
Popish Recusants Act provided a new oath of allegiance, which denied the power
of the Pope to depose monarchs. Recusants were prohibited from remaining
within ten miles of the city of London, or from moving more than five miles from
their home without a licence. They were disabled from holding commissions in
the army or navy, from practising the professions of law and medicine or voting
in local or Parliamentary elections and debarred from maintaining or defending
any personal action or suit in the civil courts. Their houses were liable to be
searched at any time and their arms and ammunition seized. Finally, they were
liable to a fine of 10 pounds a month for each guest or servant who failed to
attend the Anglican Church. It led the majority of Catholic families to simply
withdraw from society as a whole.

However, the Oath did not make James a persecutor of Catholics; he insisted no
blood be spilled and that subversive Jesuits and seminary priests should simply be
asked to leave the country. He regarded persecution, he wrote to Cecil, "as one of
the infallible notes of a false church". In practice, James proved lenient towards
Catholic laymen who took the Oath of Allegiance, and he tolerated Catholicism
and crypto-Catholicism even at court (eg the Howards).

It was the outbreak of the Thirty Years religious war in Europe in 1618 that again
stimulated anti-Catholicism in England. The failure of the Spanish Match and
resulting call for war with Spain from Parliament in 1625 revived the paranoia
that was to play such an important part in the new King Charles I’s downfall.
Explain the factors behind Elizabeth’s decision to establish a church settlement in 1559.
Evaluate the consequences for the nature of the English Church between 1559 and 1625.
The candidate’s response to the first part of the essay question could include:
 A new reign meant the chance to change the existing situation and establish a new Protestant
national church to signal England’s independence. She needed to signal her intentions early
to avoid the instability uncertainty brought.
 Elizabeth’s own preference was for Protestantism and continuity with her father’s church
settlement. She wanted royal control of the English Church through bishops.
 Catholicism in the reign of Mary I had been linked to the burning of English Protestant martyrs
and submission to Rome. Mary’s marriage to Philip II had caused English foreign policy to be
superseded by the policies of Roman Catholic Spain. Elizabeth was reluctant for England to
continue under foreign domination.
 Elizabeth wanted to reward the support shown to her by Protestants in England and the
returning Marian exiles; but she did not want the radical Protestant reforms of Edward VI that
had aroused resentment and disturbed harmony in the localities. Elizabeth needed to secure
the acceptance of both houses of Parliament, including the Catholic bishops in the House of
Lords.
 Elizabeth did not want to offend the governing class by enforcing the return of land distributed
during the dissolution of the monasteries.
 Catholicism had declared Elizabeth to be illegitimate because Henry’s divorce from Katherine
of Aragon had not been sanctioned by the Pope. The international situation remained
uncertain. Mary, Queen of Scots was a rival Catholic claimant to the thrones of Scotland and
England and had marriage connections with France.
 Elizabeth wanted a broad-based national Church that would eventually assimilate Catholics.
She completed this in the Acts of Supremacy (requiring clergy and royal officials to accept the
Queen’s new title of Supreme Governor of the Church under oath) and Uniformity (requiring
use of the Book of Common Prayer in all churches).
The candidate’s response to the second part of the essay question could include:
 The Settlement was a compromise – Protestant in doctrine but retaining elements of a
traditionally Catholic appearance eg episcopacy, clerical dress, and some rituals. Initially the
government was content with outward conformity. The Settlement did not immediately affect
remote rural areas; and although some people in the localities did not like it imposed on them,
the vast majority of people eventually accepted it.
 Elizabeth as Supreme Governor was still firmly in control of the Church and was prepared to
use her bishops to ensure conformity within it. She would accept no changes after the 39
Articles in 1563. Each parish church was to obtain the Bible in English, and there were very
clear restrictions on preaching without a licence. She demanded that Archbishop Parker
publish the Advertisements, stating expectations of the clergy in terms of doctrine, practice,
and dress. She also suspended Archbishop Grindal for refusing to act against the prophesying
movement. Some 400 clergy were deprived of their positions.
 The Settlement was a parliamentary one. Some parliamentarians believed that Parliament
now had a role in religious affairs and should have a voice in initiating further church reform.
 Puritans were concerned that the Settlement had too many Catholic elements and sought to
reform the Church from within through parliament, convocation, and the universities in the
1560s and 1570s. Later, Puritans tried to influence the clergy through the prophesying and
classis movements. By the 1590s, some began to deliberately separate themselves from the
Anglican Church, attacking its Episcopal nature through pamphlets such as the scurrilous
Martin Marprelate Tracts. Under Archbishop Whitgift, the Anglican Church went on the
defensive against Puritanism in the Three Articles of 1583, use of the High Commission, and
Coventicle Act 1593. By the end of Elizabeth’s reign, the Presbyterian movement was broken.
 Catholics challenged both the doctrine and monarch’s position as head of the Church. Many,
especially in the north, stayed faithful to the Pope and the old religion. Some became Church
Papists, attending the national Church, but worshipping in the Catholic manner in secret.
Resistance from Catholics within England to the Settlement was not apparent until the arrival
of Mary Stuart in 1568. Her confinement in house arrest until her death in 1587 made her the
focus of a number of plots to free her and place her on Elizabeth’s throne. The Papal Bull of
1570, announcing Elizabeth’s deposition and requiring Catholics to disobey her, sparked the
response of the Treason Acts. When priests from the continent were smuggled into England to
revive the faith, recusancy laws were tightened and priests hunted out and executed. The
assassination of William of Orange with papal blessing enflamed fears of Mary Stuart’s
involvement in plots against Elizabeth and inspired the Bond of Association and the Privy
Council’s work to ensure Mary’s eventual execution for complicity in the Babington plot. The
war against Spain caused Catholics to be treated as potential traitors and led to the Five Mile
Act, ending any real Catholic resistance to the Church Settlement.
 By 1603, the Anglican Church was well established. It had the legal sanction of Parliament, an
effective means of maintaining uniformity, an accessible English translation of the Bible, and
an academic defence of its separate identity via Jewel and Hooker.
 James I, the new king, had been brought up as a strict Protestant in Scotland; therefore, there
was hope for reforms. He made few reforms. He did authorise a new version of the Bible,
instructed bishops to improve preaching standards and published The Book of Sports in 1604
(banning games, etc on the Sabbath – it was withdrawn in 1618). He ignored the “lapses” of
the “godly”, as long as they did not undermine his authority; however, he appointed Richard
Bancroft as Archbishop of Canterbury to suppress subversive Puritans because he believed
that “no Bishop” would end in “no King”. This moved some Puritans into separatism or
emigration.
 Despite a Catholic plot to blow up Parliament in 1605 (Guy Fawkes Plot), James remained
tolerant (because he hoped for a Spanish marriage for Charles and knew most English
Catholics were loyal).
 James aimed for “a broad-based comprehensive Church, free from the hostilities of
Elizabeth’s reign”. In this he failed – he did not end the problem of religious division, even if
people were peaceful and loyal. Toleration encouraged variety: from Arminians who called for
greater ceremony and beauty in churches, to Puritans, who spread their ideas about forming a
more godly society.
Explain the factors behind Elizabeth’s decision to establish a single national broad-based Church
of England in 1558.
Evaluate the consequences of her decision on the lives of Protestant church-goers.
The candidate’s response to the first part of the essay question could include:
 The religion of the ruler would become the religion of the state. Religious conformity was
linked to political stability. England was essentially a conservative society in which people did
what they were told by those above them and in authority over them. There had been four
changes in religion over the last 20 years; hence there was a need for a permanent
settlement.
 In 1558 Elizabeth was made responsible for the temporal and spiritual wellbeing of the people
(shown in the icons of the sceptre and orb). The monarch could claim God had anointed and
authorised their rule (Divine Right) and that their government had a divine purpose.
Enforcement of a single national church was considered one of the most important duties of
government. Monarchs were responsible for the safety of their subjects in this world and in the
next and were obliged to ensure that the organisation and doctrines of the Church supported
the subjects in their search for salvation.
 The state’s faith provided a bond between the governed and governing and ensured divine
providence throughout the state’s affairs. Therefore, political loyalty and religious conformity
were inseparable. The Church taught that rebellion against the existing hierarchy was a sin.
Attendance at church was compulsory, and separate and independent religious groups were
not tolerated.
 Religious faith determined one’s salvation after death. Thus the existence of more than one
religion (ie Catholic and Protestant) in one country could lead to conflict and war. There was
also reluctance to continue with a faith that meant foreign domination. The Roman Catholic
Popes had considerable influence in the politics of Europe, and religiously inspired wars and
massacres plagued this era. England’s enemies after the Elizabethan Settlement (especially
after 1570), were Catholic, thus any Catholics within the state could be considered potential
traitors (eg nearly 200 Catholics were executed during Elizabeth’s reign).
 The Church of England also had connections with the political power of the State. Its two
Archbishops and twenty-six bishops held extensive landed properties, sat in the House of
Lords and were frequently Privy Councillors and attended the royal court. Elizabeth wanted to
reward the support shown to her by the returning Marian exiles.
Elizabeth wanted a broad-based Church that would eventually assimilate Catholics into the
national Church. A unified Church that did not persecute Catholics, but was more of a
compromise, would eventually bring the Catholics into that Church. She completed this in the
Acts of Supremacy (requiring clergy and royal officials to accept under oath the Queen’s new title
of Supreme Governor of the Church) and Uniformity (requiring use of a Book of Common Prayer
in all churches).
The candidate’s response to the second part of the essay question could include:
 The Elizabethan Settlement of 1558 was a compromise – Protestant in doctrine but retaining
elements of a traditionally Catholic appearance eg episcopacy, clerical dress and some rituals.
Initially the government was content with outward conformity so there was little immediate
effect on the remote rural areas, the vast majority of people accepted it. Some clergy who
could not take the Oath of Supremacy were deprived of their positions causing a shortage of
suitably qualified personnel.
 Elizabeth, as Supreme Governor, was still firmly in control of the Church and was prepared to
use her bishops to ensure conformity within it. Each parish church was to obtain the Bible in
English and there were very clear restrictions on preaching without a licence. Official homilies
could be used to instruct ordinary people concerning royal proclamations and laws passed in
parliament. However, Elizabeth’s propensity to run down church assets made it more difficult
for the Church to deliver its services to the people.
 Everyone was subject to church law as well as to the laws of the state. The church reinforced
the acknowledged hierarchy in society. Rich gentry sat in the front, the poor in the back. Men
sat on one side, women on the other. All citizens were required to attend their parish church
on Sundays and holy days – absentees would face recusancy fines.
 Each church parish was also a unit of local government and parish officials (constables,
churchwardens and overseers of the poor) carried out important roles. They collected a tax,
called the tithe, for the support of the church. The tithe was levied annually on all households
on everything that was produced.
 The parish church was effectively the social and administrative centre of rural towns and
villages.
– In most parishes religious festivals were marked by a communion service, which virtually
all attended, reinforcing communal identity through corporate worship.
– In most villages it was the only large building apart from the manor. Everybody used it — it
was not just for the ‘rites of passage’ in life and Sunday services. It housed the school (if
there was one) and contained a ‘village chest’ in which parishioners stored their valuables.
– Church bells summoned workers to work or to emergencies.
– It organised help for the poor (charity).
– The parish priest organised fêtes and festivals that were the high points of the year. The
Church calendar was important in setting dates for events. The pattern of seasonal
changes — when to plant, harvest and conserve food) were closely associated with
religious events.
 The Church’s missionary purpose was to instruct the people, make them conform, and ensure
that their lives were sober, virtuous, godly and industrious. The Church courts were a means
the government could use to influence manners and morality. These courts punished moral
lapses, ie adultery, drinking, gossiping, working on Sunday, not paying tithes, etc, and made
decisions in disputes involving marriages and wills. The Church could suppress ideas contrary
to church teachings. It licensed those practicing medicine and teaching.
 While most believed it was more important to obey the monarch than cling to their own
religious beliefs, some people used to worshipping in a certain way were very upset by any
change in their church life. Dissent was expressed by refusal to attend, protest and vandalism.
Protest by educated Protestants was initially muted as they expected the English Church to
gradually reform itself in a more Calvinist direction. Some attempts at protest were made
through the Church itself (e.g. At Convocation 1563 through discussion surrounding the Thirty
Nine Articles and the Vestarian Controversy stymied by Archbishop Parker’s Advertisements
1566), but were met by an insistence on uniformity. In the Universities debate criticising the
episcopal structure of the Church and proposing Presbyterianism was led by Thomas
Cartwright in 1570 until he was dismissed. Calls in Parliament for reform of the Book of
Common Prayer saw William Strickland imprisoned and Elizabeth vetoing the introduction of
any religious bills not approved by her bishops. John Field and Thomas Wilcox’s Admonition
to Parliament 1572 in favour of changes in church government, despite influential aristocratic
support (Leicester and Walsingham) saw Field imprisoned for a year. Support for the
prophesying movement (meetings of the lower clergy to discuss religious topics) lead to
Archbishop Grindal clashing with Elizabeth in 1576 and facing suspension till his death in
1583. The Classis Movement of the 1580’s (an underground form of prophesying) caused the
new Archbishop John Whitgift to order all clergy to subscribe to the Three Articles (recognising
the Queen as Supreme Governor and conforming to the 1559 Prayer Book and Thirty Nine
Articles). When Anthony Cope attempted to introduce a religious reform bill in 1587 while
England was preparing to counter a possible Catholic invasion he was still imprisoned in the
Tower of London. By the 1590’s important Presbyterian leaders had died (Field, Leicester,
Walsingham) and publication of the Martin Marprelate Tracts (an extreme attack on bishops)
had shocked moderates, causing some extremists to advocate Separatism (congregations
independent of the national church). The 1593 Act against Seditious Sectaries led to the
execution of leaders such as Henry Barrow and John Greenwood and forcing other radicals
into exile. Attempts at reform of the Elizabethan Church Settlement by “hotter” Protestants (or
Puritans) had failed, episcopacy was to remain, but the majority of English clergy still
supported the Calvinist doctrine of predestination and felt able to publicly petition the new King
(James I) for further church reform in a Protestant direction in 1603. Because the Elizabethan
Church Settlement was a legal document, Parliaments still felt they should have a role to play
in religious reform.