ELIZABETH 1 RELIGIOUS SETTLEMENT THE HEIR TO THE

ELIZABETH 1 RELIGIOUS SETTLEMENT

THE HEIR TO THE THRONE • On 28 th October Mary added a codicil (document that amends the will) to her will, stating that she would be succeeded by ‘my next heir and successor by the laws of this realm’ – she couldn’t bring herself to name Elizabeth • In November Mary sent her lady Jane Dormer to inform Elizabeth and to ask her to pay her debts and keep the Catholic church- reportedly she called herself ‘ a true catholic’ • It is highly likely that Elizabeth sent her assurances to Mary but had no intention of continuing her sisters Catholic legacy • Starkey asserts that Elizabeth left nothing to chance- she had servants positioned around the country in houses and at court with stockpiled weapons and had even laid plans for raising troops in the event that Mary denied Elizabeth as her successor • He suggests this renders her innocence in various plots during Mary’s reign somewhat doubtful • However she had the smoothest succession since that of Henry VI- both Lords and Commons proclaimed her as Queen when they were informed of Mary’s death

ELIZABETH’S RELIGIOUS BELIEFS • Elizabeth’s upbringing was decidedly Protestant- her mother Anne Boleyn had left her religious welfare in the hands of her chaplain Matthew Parker (moderate reformer and influential theologist)- later on he would become Archbishop of Canterbury under Elizabeth • The key maternal figure in Elizabeth’s life after Anne’s death was Catherine Parr, who was an enthusiastic protestant • Educated alongside Edward from early on by Cambridge tutor Roger Ascham (Cambridge=hotbed of Protestantism) • Evidence that Elizabeth’s personal translations, books of private devotion and her attitude to what she considered Popish influences (candles, images of saints and the elevation of the host at Mass which she refused to permit) • At her coronation she told priests carrying candles ‘away with those torches’ • Christmas Day 1558 she walked out of her chapel when the bishop raised the consecrated bread during Mass • In 1558 her Privy Council was dominated by Protestants and Protestant preachers were invited to give public sermons • HOWEVER she also held some more Catholic influenced beliefs e. g. strongly against married clergymen, liked clergymen to wear vestements, kept crucifixes and candles in her private chapel

ISSUES AFFECTING RELIGIOUS POLICIES National Considerations: • Majority of the population were conservative in their religious beliefs, preferred ceremonies and celebrations that were an integral part of the catholic church • Wanted to avoid Edward and Mary’s mistakes such as sparking rebellion as a result of religious policy, e. g. Western Rebellion, martyrdom of burning victims/hostility towards Mary • Knew the response from the House of Lord’s would be hostile- dominated by Catholics including Marian bishops Diplomatic Considerations: • Spain and France both Catholic- unlikely to support Protestantism in England • However Spain needed the alliance with England which gave Elizabeth the opportunity to pursue moderate reform without Spanish intervention or threat • On the other hand she didn’t want to antagonize France- hopeful of regaining Calais • Fears over power of the Papacy- Pope could excommunicate her, lead to religious crusades in which Spain and her own subjects could turn against her • She couldn’t even be certain of support from protestant states in Europe- in the Netherlands Protestant sympathies were growing, but they were controlled by the Spanish – risk of launching an invasion on England from its ports • Mary Queen of Scots= Catholic. When she married Francis II in July 1559 and took the French throne she proclaimed herself Queen of England too- this could sway the loyalty of England’s Catholics as many still didn’t recognise the legitimacy of Anne Boleyn’s marriage or heir, so Elizabeth had to tread very carefully

SO FAR. . . • Personal beliefs were highly protestant • But couldn’t just follow personal preference as both her sister and brother had done- she had to take into account both domestic and foreign reactions • Wanted to avoid sparking rebellions, resentment and Catholics turning on her in favour of Mary Queen of Scots • Thus she had to find a MIDDLE GROUND

So what did Elizabeth seek from her religious settlement? UNIFORMITY Elizabeth wanted to establish a national church that would be acceptable to all

So what did Elizabeth seek from her religious settlement? CONFORMITY Elizabeth was determined that her subjects would conform to the demands of her religious settlement regardless of their personal religious beliefs

The Church Settlement 1559

Introduction of religious bills • In early 1559, three religious bills were introduced at the house of commons • One was to establish the monarch as head of the church • The other two were to establish a Protestant form of worship • On 21 st February they were combined into a single bill and passed by the Commons, whose MP’s favoured Protestantism • However, Lords forced the bill into a committee dominated by Catholic sympathisers and rejected the restoration of Protestantism, refusing to repeal Mary’s heresy laws

The Easter Disputation • At Easter, Elizabeth prorogued (suspended the parliamentary session) parliament • During Holy Week a Disputation (debate designed to uncover truths in theology) was held at Westminster Abbey between four Catholic bishops and doctors and an equivalent number of Protestants • Elizabeth’s ministers left nothing to chance and the Catholics were barely able to state their case • Sir Nicholas Bacon (lawyer, statesman, made Lord Keeper of the Seal on Elizabeth’s succession and member of the Privy Council) in particular intervened • He stonewalled the bishops and forced them into an act of defiance • Bishops of Winchester and Lincoln were sent to the tower for contempt- this helped pass the Act of Uniformity later on • Elizabeth had won

The Act of Supremacy • Elizabeth was made Supreme Governor of the Church of England- a lesser claim than ‘Head of the Church’ though in reality Elizabeth would be able to exercise as much power as her father had done • Clergy and royal officials were obliged to swear acceptance of Elizabeth’s title on Oath • Papal supremacy was revoked • Heresy laws were to be repealed • Ecclesiastical high commission established to ensure changes were implemented at Parish level and that those whose loyalty swayed could be prosecuted • Archbishop of Canterbury remained primate (superior bishop in England, even above the Archbishop of York) • No other changes were made- this soothed traditional sympathies as the presence of a familiar structure was comforting

The Act of Uniformity • Focused on the appearance of churches and acts of worship within them • New book of common prayer was issued based on those of 1549 and 1552 • Punishments for those who failed to use it or publicly raised objection • Priest was instructed to use the wording of both the 1549 and 1552 prayer books in the communion service when offering communion in both kinds- the words were ambiguous enough for Catholics whilst it pleased Protestants • Everyone was to attend church on Sunday and holy days • A fine of one shilling for every absence imposed on those who failed to attend- these people became known as recusants • Ornaments in churches and clerical dress was to be the same as the second year of Edward’s reign • Taxes known as first fruit and tenths were paid to the crown • Monasteries and chantries that Mary Tudor had founded were dissolved and their assets transferred to the crown • Faced considerable opposition in Lords • The Act passed by the narrowest of margins- 21 to 18 • Only possible that it was passed due to the bishops of Winchester and Lincoln being detained in the Tower (Easter Disputation) and two others being absent

Was it a Puritan settlement? • Puritanism- the beliefs and actions of more extreme protestants influenced by John Calvin- emphasis on preaching and private prayer rather than ceremonies and rituals • Commons was not exactly a Puritanism hotbed- only 19 of the Marian exiles were elected in 1559 and were not sufficiently organised to exert any pressure on the Commons as a whole • According to Norman Jones only 25 MPs could be labelled as Calvinist. Radical protestants 0 since there were 400 MPs in the commons, their impact was extremely limited • However it seemed that Elizabeth, despite arguments for presenting a more conservative religious settlement in the eyes of Spain and France, favoured an essentially Protestant settlement, shown through her religious beliefs and her choice of protestant ministers Cecil, Bacon and the Earl of Bedford

The Royal Injunctions 1559 • The Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity needed reinforcement • Confirmed Elizabeth’s desire to establish a moderate but distinctly Protestant church • Clergy were instructed to observe and teach the royal supremacy and denounce papal supremacy • Catholic practices including processions, pilgrimages and monuments to ‘fake’ miracles were banned • Recusants were to be denounced and reported to the Privy Council/ JP’s, were to pay a shilling fine every time they failed to attend church on Sunday or holy days • Unlicensed preaching forbidden- this attacked radical Protestantism • Each parish was to possess an English bible • Clergy were to wear distinctive clerical dress including the surplice • Clerical marriage only permitted when the priest had permission from his bishop and two JP’s • In order to ensure the acts and injunctions were enforced 125 commissioners were appointed to visit churches across the country and require clergy to take the Oath of Supremacy

The 39 Articles 1563 • Based on Cranmer’s 42 articles in 1552 • Repudiated key Catholic doctrine e. g. Transubstantiation, sacrifice of the mass • Confirmed key protestant elements: authority of scriptures, that Adam’s fall compromised human free will, the necessity of communion in both kinds • Finally approved in 1571

The Bishops • Although her bishops were more distinctly Protestant than she might have desired- this was because all but one of the Marian bishops refused to take the oath of supremacy • Consequently Elizabeth turned to Marian exiles such as Matthew Parker who became Archbishop of Canterbury • Edmund Grindal was appointed Bishop of London (became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1575 after Parker’s death), John Jewell to Salisbury, Edwin Sandys to Worcester • Their enthusiasm for the more stripped down version of Protestantism that they experienced on the continent during their exile • This is reflected in the Visitations, in which they approved the removal and destruction of church ornaments

The Bishops • Elizabeth regarded her bishops first and foremost as loyal administrators who could be relied upon to enforce the royal will • Her attitude to curtail their power is reflected in the Act of Exchange 1559 - under this act, crown lands that had once belonged to the church were returned in exchange for valuable diocesan properties of a non spiritual nature • She used this new wealth to reward courtiers • She also put pressure on bishops to grant favourable leases to laymen • This didn’t sit well with the bishops who felt they were being used as tools for the crown

The Visitations • Essentially inspections of parishes by bishops to ensure that the acts and the Royal Injunctions were being promptly enforced • The visiting bishops often went further than Elizabeth intended in their reinforcement of the Protestant church • In many cases images, catholic clothing, relics and altars were deliberately destroyed • Although Elizabeth demanded that crucifixes be replaced she was obliged to back down and have on display in the royal chapel where it would be seen by foreign ambassadors to reassure them Elizabeth’s faith differed very little from their own Catholic faith

The Clergy • Those making the visitations were empowered to examine the beliefs of the clergy and to ensure they took the Oath of Supremacy and subscribed to the Book of common Prayer and royal Injunctions • 400 of the clergy refused to take the oath and were obliged to reign their livings as a result • Considering there were 8000 -9000 parishes in England at the time, the number is in fact remarkably low

The Vestiarian Controversy 1566 • In January 1566 Elizabeth wrote to Parker expressing her concern that members of the clergy were not abiding by the injunctions(1559) about the correct clerical dress- she required full vestements for church services • Parker reprimanded the clergy involved then went further • He issued the ‘book of advertisements’ • Although he reinforced the Queen’s insistence on issues such as communicants kneeling to receive the sacraments in both kinds, he showed himself very willing to compromise on clerical dress, allowing the clergy in parishes to wear the surplice and only insisting on full vestements in cathedral services • Elizabeth refused to give the Advertisements official endorsement • Parker also faced opposition from the Puritan clergy • In a display of the correct clerical clothing held at his palace at Lambeth, 37 of the 110 clergy present refused to wear clothing that they deemed to be Catholic • They were removed from office

How far had Elizabeth secured peace by 1566? • She had been largely successful in creating a Protestant settlement that retained a traditional Catholic appearance • The majority of the Catholic population had accepted the settlement • Most Catholics fell into the category of church papists (outwardly conformed, inwardly remained catholic). • Many parishes were slow to introduce reforms, however this suited Elizabeth as she sought to bring gradual change so as to avoid opposition • The levying of fines depended on the church wardens and if they were catholic sympathisers themselves • Despite this it wasn’t until the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots that Catholics felt divided; even the response of the majority was to support Elizabeth • The lower clergy had for the most part accepted the settlement; over 8000 took the Oath of Supremacy • It was the Puritans who were perhaps the most threatening at this point as they had the sympathy and in some cases support of Elizabeth’s bishops- under Parker this was controlled, but Puritan challenges would increase under Archbishop Grindal in the 1570’s • Elizabeth’s position as Supreme Governor was secure and she was able to enforce changes through her bishops with only limited challenge

SUMMARY SO FAR • Moderate Protestant reforms were implemented by Somerset • With the enthusiastic support of the King, Northumberland pushed England firmly on the path towards Protestantism • Whilst Mary was less prepared to compromise in her beliefs and adopted a policy of persecution to restore Catholicism, Elizabeth learned from Mary’s mistakes • She adopted a more pragmatic approach to the achievement of her settlement, focusing on the need for uniformity and conformity as the essential factors • The majority of the English subjects were prepared to conform at least outwardly, to the form of religion imposed by the monarch • Therefore although in 1558 the majority of the population was Catholic, by 1566 most had accepted the Anglican church

How far had Elizabeth secured peace by 1566? • She had been largely successful in creating a Protestant settlement that retained a traditional Catholic appearance • The majority of the Catholic population had accepted the settlement • Most Catholics fell into the category of church papists (outwardly conformed, inwardly remained catholic). • Many parishes were slow to introduce reforms, however this suited Elizabeth as she sought to bring gradual change so as to avoid opposition • The levying of fines depended on the church wardens and if they were catholic sympathisers themselves • Despite this it wasn’t until the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots that Catholics felt divided; even the response of the majority was to support Elizabeth • The lower clergy had for the most part accepted the settlement; over 8000 took the Oath of Supremacy • It was the Puritans who were perhaps the most threatening at this point as they had the sympathy and in some cases support of Elizabeth’s bishops- under Parker this was controlled, but Puritan challenges would increase under Archbishop Grindal in the 1570’s • Elizabeth’s position as Supreme Governor was secure and she was able to enforce changes through her bishops with only limited challenge