Finally under Elizabeth, England became Protestant again Finally under Elizabeth, England became Protestant again. Protestantism was the religion of the country, but it was less extreme than it had been under Edward. Edward VI was only a child when he became King, and his advisors ensured that the colourful furniture and paintings of the Catholic Church were replaced by basic furniture in the Protestant churches. Henry VIII’s desire for a baby boy began a series of events that altered religion in England forever. In one move, he had his divorce and made himself more powerful. The Pope in Rome no longer had control over the English church. Mary, made England Catholic again. She had been brought up as a strict Roman Catholic and was horrified by her half-brother’s changes. During the reign of the boy-king Edward VI, the Church became even more focused on Protestantism. Churches becoming very plain. Under Henry it remained more or less 'Catholic without the Pope'. Under Edward priests did not have to dress in the bright clothing associated with the Catholic Church and under Edward, they were allowed to marry. Under Mary the Catholic Mass was restored and Holy Communion was banned. All priests had to be Catholic. TASK Pick out the key changes under each monarch and place it in the correct box on your diagram. When Mary came to power English people feared the power of Spain. To bring the two countries closer together, Mary accepted a marriage proposal from the king of Spain - Philip II. He was also a very strong Catholic. The people of England greatly feared that Philip would control England and this lead to Mary becoming very unpopular with her people. From 1538, Henry ordered that in every church the bible was to be read in English not Latin. Under Mary services were held in Latin and Cranmer’s English prayer book was banned. The Pope was made head of the church again.