To what extent was the English Church in 1553 different from what it had been in 1532?
To argue that the English Church in 1553 was different to what it had been in 1532 is to suggest that
the Church underwent considerable change in terms of structure, doctrine, and local religious
experience. Proponents of this view would point to sweeping changes to the Church’s territory, the
transfer of supremacy from the Pope to the King, doctrinal reforms implemented by Cranmer, and
the dissolution of local Church institutions. Conversely, those challenging this view would argue that
Mary had initiated a doctrinal and structural counter-reformation by late 1553, in turn undoing the
changes to local experiences. Overall, the most convincing argument is that the Church in 1553 was
largely different to its state in 1532, as structural and doctrinal changes had persisted by the end of
1553.
While the English Church saw seismic shifts to its structure under Henry and Edward, with
sovereignty transferred from the Pope to the monarch, a plausible case can be made that by 1553,
Mary succeeded in returning the Church to its state in 1532 in an organisational sense. Upon her
accession in 1553, Mary immediately sought to reconcile England with Rome: she relinquished the
title of Supreme Head of the Church to the Pope in December 1553, effectively returning the Church
to its state in 1532. Equally, the purging of prominent Protestant clergy in August 1553 also marks
continuity with 1532, realigning the hierarchy of the Church with its prior, and more Catholic, state.
It is clear, then, that by late 1553 a counter-Reformation had been implemented, initiating the re-
establishment of the papal supremacy and the Church’s pre-1533 structure. In practice, though,
Mary’s structural changes in 1553 amounted to little more than cosmetic reforms, and the structural
upheaval of the Church enacted through the Henrician and Edwardian Reformation was far too
entrenched to be reversed in a single parliamentary session. Indeed, Mary was forced to concede
that former Church lands acquired through the Dissolution of the Monasteries could not simply be
restored to papal jurisdiction. This, then marks a fundamental reform to the Church’s structure: the
Acts of Suppression of Smaller Houses (1536) and Larger Houses (1539) had brought over a quarter
of all cultivated land under Henry’s control, whilst destroying the ‘last possible refuse of populism’,
as noted by Elton. And not only did Edward uphold the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but he also
extended this structural reform: Edward’s commissioners dissolved 3000 chantries following the
Chantries Act 1547. The Crown also pursued a systematic policy of asset stripping, plundering the
property of the bishoprics: the dioceses of Gloucester and Worcester were combined, with two-
thirds of the Worcester estate absorbed into Crown wealth. The Church had thus undergone
considerable territorial changes by 1553, and its structure at the end of Edward’s reign is difficult to
reconcile with its state in 1532. It is also important to note that, whilst Mary renounced the title of
Supreme Head of the Church in December 1553, this did not mean the Pope resumed his pre-1534
role. Indeed, Parliament refused to repeal the Act of Supremacy in 1553; the constitutional and
political reforms initiated by Cromwell remained in place by Edward’s death. In particular, both the
Act in Restraint of Appeals (1533) – which had affirmed the monarch’s imperial jurisdiction – and the
November 1534 Act of Supremacy had persisted by 1553 – a fundamental contrast to 1532, where
the Pope exercised supremacy over the Church. Overall, then, the structure of the Church in 1553
was almost wholly different to in 1532, with the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the affirmation
of the monarch’s supremacy proving difficult to reverse.
Alongside her endeavours to realign the Church with its structure before 1553, Mary also proved
partly successful in reversing the doctrinal aspects of the Edwardian Reformation. The 1553 Act of
Repeal revived the mass, ritual worship, and clerical celibacy, whilst also implicitly reaffirming the
traditional doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. Latin Mass was also restored as part of the Act, further
appearing to restore the Church to its pre-1533 state. However, whilst the Church’s Protestant
doctrine was certainly repealed in law, in practice Protestant beliefs were still rife and Mary was
unable to effect immediate sweeping reform – particularly as the Act was passed in Autumn 1553,
To argue that the English Church in 1553 was different to what it had been in 1532 is to suggest that
the Church underwent considerable change in terms of structure, doctrine, and local religious
experience. Proponents of this view would point to sweeping changes to the Church’s territory, the
transfer of supremacy from the Pope to the King, doctrinal reforms implemented by Cranmer, and
the dissolution of local Church institutions. Conversely, those challenging this view would argue that
Mary had initiated a doctrinal and structural counter-reformation by late 1553, in turn undoing the
changes to local experiences. Overall, the most convincing argument is that the Church in 1553 was
largely different to its state in 1532, as structural and doctrinal changes had persisted by the end of
1553.
While the English Church saw seismic shifts to its structure under Henry and Edward, with
sovereignty transferred from the Pope to the monarch, a plausible case can be made that by 1553,
Mary succeeded in returning the Church to its state in 1532 in an organisational sense. Upon her
accession in 1553, Mary immediately sought to reconcile England with Rome: she relinquished the
title of Supreme Head of the Church to the Pope in December 1553, effectively returning the Church
to its state in 1532. Equally, the purging of prominent Protestant clergy in August 1553 also marks
continuity with 1532, realigning the hierarchy of the Church with its prior, and more Catholic, state.
It is clear, then, that by late 1553 a counter-Reformation had been implemented, initiating the re-
establishment of the papal supremacy and the Church’s pre-1533 structure. In practice, though,
Mary’s structural changes in 1553 amounted to little more than cosmetic reforms, and the structural
upheaval of the Church enacted through the Henrician and Edwardian Reformation was far too
entrenched to be reversed in a single parliamentary session. Indeed, Mary was forced to concede
that former Church lands acquired through the Dissolution of the Monasteries could not simply be
restored to papal jurisdiction. This, then marks a fundamental reform to the Church’s structure: the
Acts of Suppression of Smaller Houses (1536) and Larger Houses (1539) had brought over a quarter
of all cultivated land under Henry’s control, whilst destroying the ‘last possible refuse of populism’,
as noted by Elton. And not only did Edward uphold the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but he also
extended this structural reform: Edward’s commissioners dissolved 3000 chantries following the
Chantries Act 1547. The Crown also pursued a systematic policy of asset stripping, plundering the
property of the bishoprics: the dioceses of Gloucester and Worcester were combined, with two-
thirds of the Worcester estate absorbed into Crown wealth. The Church had thus undergone
considerable territorial changes by 1553, and its structure at the end of Edward’s reign is difficult to
reconcile with its state in 1532. It is also important to note that, whilst Mary renounced the title of
Supreme Head of the Church in December 1553, this did not mean the Pope resumed his pre-1534
role. Indeed, Parliament refused to repeal the Act of Supremacy in 1553; the constitutional and
political reforms initiated by Cromwell remained in place by Edward’s death. In particular, both the
Act in Restraint of Appeals (1533) – which had affirmed the monarch’s imperial jurisdiction – and the
November 1534 Act of Supremacy had persisted by 1553 – a fundamental contrast to 1532, where
the Pope exercised supremacy over the Church. Overall, then, the structure of the Church in 1553
was almost wholly different to in 1532, with the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the affirmation
of the monarch’s supremacy proving difficult to reverse.
Alongside her endeavours to realign the Church with its structure before 1553, Mary also proved
partly successful in reversing the doctrinal aspects of the Edwardian Reformation. The 1553 Act of
Repeal revived the mass, ritual worship, and clerical celibacy, whilst also implicitly reaffirming the
traditional doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. Latin Mass was also restored as part of the Act, further
appearing to restore the Church to its pre-1533 state. However, whilst the Church’s Protestant
doctrine was certainly repealed in law, in practice Protestant beliefs were still rife and Mary was
unable to effect immediate sweeping reform – particularly as the Act was passed in Autumn 1553,
