1. What opposition was there to the Elizabethan Religious Settlement?

2. Learning objective – to be able to explain the challenge to the Elizabethan Religious Settlement of 1559.
I can describe the ways that the Elizabethan Religious Settlement was challenged.
Grade 3
I can explain the ways that the Elizabethan Religious Settlement was challenged.
Grade 6
I can explain and assess the ways that the Elizabethan Religious Settlement was challenged.
Grade 9

3. Starter
List the words in the word cloud. Look for them in the presentation.
Highlight in the word cloud, the three most important words and explain your decisions.

4. What role did the Church of England play in society?
Controlled what was preached. Licences were given to preachers who had to preach messages approved by the government. It have guidance to those in need. It enforced the religious settlement. It legitimised power to the monarch. It ran the church courts, which dealt with minor moral issues, wills and inheritance.

5. How was the Elizabethan Religious Settlement enforced?
Oath of Supremacy – All clergy had to swear an oath of loyalty to the monarch. Visitations – Elizabeth I sent commissioners to inspect how churches were implementing the religious settlement. Although people’s religious beliefs were not inspected too closely, church decoration and licences of not just the clergy but of other professions, such as doctors, were inspected Visitation – This visitation was the most crucial as 400 clergy were dismissed for not following the settlement and a significant amount of decoration was destroyed.

6. Why were the Puritans disappointed with the Elizabethan Religious Settlement?
The Puritans were pleased that the state church was now Protestant but felt that Elizabeth’s changes had not gone far enough. The Puritans opposed - Bishops running the Church. They felt there should be a committee instead. Church decoration. They wanted completely plain churches. Elizabeth as Head of the Church. Puritans believed there should be no Head of the Church. Religious robes. Priests should wear only plain clothes. Wording of the Prayer Book.

7. How did the Puritans challenge the Religious Settlement?
The Crucifix controversy – The Puritans thought that the display of the crucifix in churches was wrong while Elizabeth liked them and did not want to push Catholics too far. Puritan bishops threatened to resign if the crucifix was not removed from churches and forced Elizabeth to back down. The Vestment Controversy – Puritans felt that priests should not wear special clothes unlike the Catholic faith which favoured priests wearing elaborate clothing. Elizabeth wanted priests to wear special clothing and felt that this needed to be enforced. As a result, in 1566, Archbishop Parker published the ‘Book of Advertisements’ and held an exhibition in London to show and enforce what priests were expected to wear. Those priests who refused to attend the exhibition were removed from their posts. Bishops – A number of Puritans accepted bishoprics in order to influence to new Church of England in a Puritan direction.

8. Why did the Puritan challenge have a limited impact?
Between 1559 and 1565, Puritans tried to persuade Elizabeth to make changes and removed aspects of the Church of England that they saw as ‘too Catholic’. However, Elizabeth resisted all these demands for a number of reasons. Elizabeth’s views – Elizabeth liked some of the Catholic practices and felt her authority should not be challenged. Puritan aims – Puritans were not seen as a threat as they did not aim to overthrow Elizabeth or encourage a foreign invasion, compared with some Catholics. Puritan divisions – The Puritans were a small group, based largely in the south-east of England and were themselves divided about the direction of Protestantism. For example, the moderates wanted small changes while the Separatists wanted to get rid of a national church entirely.

9. What did the Catholics like about the Elizabethan Religious Settlement?
The majority of the population outside London and the south-east were still Catholic, which included 8,000 clergy from Mary’s reign. They remained strongly attached to their parish church but did not organise a serious rebellion which was mainly down to the compromise the settlement represented.
There were significant parts of the settlement the Catholics accepted and they included –
Leadership of the Church
Appearance and organisation
Enforcement
Nationalism

10. To what extent was there domestic Catholic opposition to the Elizabethan Religious Settlement?
People stored away their Catholic imagery as they did not know how long the settlement would last. There was serious upset over the omission of the Mass, so this was practised in secret meetings. Some Catholic refused to attend any of the new Church services, regarding Elizabeth I as a heretic and illegitimate, and refused to compromise. Many of these Catholics went underground, employing priests secretly. Around a third of the nobility, mainly in the north and from ancient families, were Catholic.

11. To what extent was there Papal opposition to the Elizabethan Religious Settlement?
The attitude of the Pope was central to any Catholic opposition to the spread of Protestantism. Pope Pius IV refused to take any direct action against Elizabeth hoping she could be persuaded to change her mind. This only served to give the new Church of England to embed itself. The Pope issued an order in 1566 for Catholics not to attend any Church of England service – but by then this was already happening. The Pope finally excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570 and this sparked a series of Catholic-inspired plots against Elizabeth. All failed.

12. To what extent was there opposition to the Elizabethan Religious Settlement from France?
France was a major Catholic country but from 1562 was engulfed in its own religious civil war which would last 35 years. This civil war distracted France’s attention away from Protestant developments in England. However, Elizabeth saw the civil war as potential from getting Calais back from France by aiding and protecting French Protestants who were fleeing France. However, this policy failed when the French Protestants made peace with the Catholics. In 1564, Elizabeth was forced to sign the Treaty of Troyes which gave French possession of Calais permanently.

13. To what extent was there opposition to the Elizabethan Religious Settlement from Spain?
Spain was the Catholic European superpower, but Philip II did not want to lead a crusade against Elizabeth as he did not want Mary, Queen of Scots to rule England because of her French connections. However, the 1560s would see Spain become increasingly irritated with England through a number of reasons – Spain controlled the Netherlands and he blocked English cloth trading there fearing merchants were spreading Protestant ideas there. In return, Elizabeth imposed a trade embargo with Spain. This embargo lasted a year. Diplomatic relations between England and Spain declined after the royal injunctions, which the Spanish saw as England moving more towards Protestantism.

14. Task
Complete the following knowledge questions. Remember to use full sentences when answering the questions.
What role did the Church of England play in society?
How did Elizabeth I enforce the Religious Settlement?
Who posed the greatest threat to the Elizabethan Religious Settlement – the Catholics or the Puritans? Explain your answer.

15. Task
For each statement, write three evidence bullet points which support it and three evidence bullet points that disagree with it.
The Catholics liked the Elizabethan Religious Settlement more than they disliked it.
The Puritan challenge to the Elizabethan Religious Settlement was ineffective and changed little.
France was too distracted by its own religious civil war to worry about the Elizabethan Religious Settlement.
Spain was becoming more irritated with Elizabeth over religion throughout the 1560s.
The Pope acted too late opposing Elizabeth’s religious settlement.

16. Plenary List the words in the word cloud.
List three words which you think should be included in this word cloud that summarise this lesson. Justify your decisions.

17. Homework – The Dutch Revolt
Answer the following questions.
How did Spain impose Catholicism in the Netherlands?
Why did Spain’s presence in the Netherlands pose a threat to Elizabeth?
How did Elizabeth assist the Dutch rebels?
Why did Elizabeth decide to harass the Spanish in the Netherlands?