To what extent, by 1571, had Elizabeth solved the religious problems which had faced
Edward VI and Mary I? (25)
By the end of their respective reigns, neither Edward VI nor Mary I had been able to
successfully consolidate their ecclesiastical authority over England and establish their
extreme forms of Protestantism and Catholicism. In large part, this was due to factors
outside their control, such as their comparatively short reigns, but also vehement
opposition in the form of rebellions to the implementation of religious changes.
Contrastingly, it may ostensibly be seen that Elizabeth’s religious settlement, which
aimed to prioritise political stability and was a pragmatic approach to bridging the
divisions between Protestants and Catholics, meant that at least in the early years of
her reign, Elizabeth had larley solved the religious problems faced by her predecessors.
Despite this, it is more convincing to argue that although Elizabeth aimed for a balanced
religious approach, this in fact angered more extreme religious factions, leading to
multiple attempts to depose of her and further reform the Church, showing that by 1571,
Elizabeth had not solved the religious problems faced by her predecessors.
To some extent, it may be argued that by 1571, Elizabeth had managed to solve the
religious problems which had faced Edward VI and Mary I, especially in terms of
creating a generally supported doctrine. While Edward VI’s religious policies and the
pace of reform was hampered by unpopular public opinion according to Bishop Hooper
in 1550, and Mary I’s punitive heresy laws - including the burning of 248 Protestant
martyrs - arguably amplified the intensity of resistance against her, Elizabeth took a
more measured and incremental approach to religious reform, as exemplified by the
modifications she made to the 1552 Prayer Book that had been imposed by Edward VI,
which she passed through the May 1559 Act of Uniformity. Although Edward’s version of
the Prayer Book was seen as the most radical Protestant reform to the doctrine, and
under Elizabeth it undoubtedly remained more Protestant than Catholic, Elizabeth
retained some elements of Catholic worship,like communion, and fines for recusants
were purposefully lenient. This demonstrates that rather than take the radical, forceful
approach of her predecessors, which had led to more resentment, Elizabeth used the
doctrine to represent the various religious beliefs held across her kingdom, enabling her
to more easily consolidate herself as Supreme Governor of the Church of England,
ruling for all her subjects. In addition, the fact that these doctrinal compromises were
later affirmed during her reign, with the 1563 39 Articles and 1559 Royal Injunctions,
which mandated an English Bible in every Church, but also provided the Catholic
concession of wafers at communion, highlights Elizabeth’s continued commitment to
ensuring the stability of England at the expense of her personal Protestant beliefs. This
shows that, in the early stages of her reign, Elizabeth had procured a pragmatic method
for implementing religious change, avoiding the heavy-handed approach of her
Edward VI and Mary I? (25)
By the end of their respective reigns, neither Edward VI nor Mary I had been able to
successfully consolidate their ecclesiastical authority over England and establish their
extreme forms of Protestantism and Catholicism. In large part, this was due to factors
outside their control, such as their comparatively short reigns, but also vehement
opposition in the form of rebellions to the implementation of religious changes.
Contrastingly, it may ostensibly be seen that Elizabeth’s religious settlement, which
aimed to prioritise political stability and was a pragmatic approach to bridging the
divisions between Protestants and Catholics, meant that at least in the early years of
her reign, Elizabeth had larley solved the religious problems faced by her predecessors.
Despite this, it is more convincing to argue that although Elizabeth aimed for a balanced
religious approach, this in fact angered more extreme religious factions, leading to
multiple attempts to depose of her and further reform the Church, showing that by 1571,
Elizabeth had not solved the religious problems faced by her predecessors.
To some extent, it may be argued that by 1571, Elizabeth had managed to solve the
religious problems which had faced Edward VI and Mary I, especially in terms of
creating a generally supported doctrine. While Edward VI’s religious policies and the
pace of reform was hampered by unpopular public opinion according to Bishop Hooper
in 1550, and Mary I’s punitive heresy laws - including the burning of 248 Protestant
martyrs - arguably amplified the intensity of resistance against her, Elizabeth took a
more measured and incremental approach to religious reform, as exemplified by the
modifications she made to the 1552 Prayer Book that had been imposed by Edward VI,
which she passed through the May 1559 Act of Uniformity. Although Edward’s version of
the Prayer Book was seen as the most radical Protestant reform to the doctrine, and
under Elizabeth it undoubtedly remained more Protestant than Catholic, Elizabeth
retained some elements of Catholic worship,like communion, and fines for recusants
were purposefully lenient. This demonstrates that rather than take the radical, forceful
approach of her predecessors, which had led to more resentment, Elizabeth used the
doctrine to represent the various religious beliefs held across her kingdom, enabling her
to more easily consolidate herself as Supreme Governor of the Church of England,
ruling for all her subjects. In addition, the fact that these doctrinal compromises were
later affirmed during her reign, with the 1563 39 Articles and 1559 Royal Injunctions,
which mandated an English Bible in every Church, but also provided the Catholic
concession of wafers at communion, highlights Elizabeth’s continued commitment to
ensuring the stability of England at the expense of her personal Protestant beliefs. This
shows that, in the early stages of her reign, Elizabeth had procured a pragmatic method
for implementing religious change, avoiding the heavy-handed approach of her
