1. Event
Significance
Elizabeth was Protestant and her education had been influenced by Protestants
When Elizabeth became Queen, she showed her Protestantism by forbidding priests from performing Mass in royal chapels. Elizabeth rejected the old idea of Transubstantiation. Elizabeth hated containing pictures because she hated the use of superstitious images
She was no radical and liked church decoration and music
Elizabeth came up with a compromise religion – its aims were political rather than religious
Elizabeth wanted to heal divisions between Catholics and Protestants before it led to unrest or civil war (this had happened in Germany and France)
England was divided. Protestantism was strong in the south east but Catholicism was strong in the north and west
Elizabeth wanted to maximise her personal power and wealth by controlling the Church
In May 1559 the Act of Supremacy was passed. This re-established the break from Rome and an independent Church of England
Elizabeth chose the less controversial title “Supreme Governor” rather than Supreme Head. She hoped this would pacify the Catholics who regarded the Pope as the Head of the Church
All members of the clergy had to swear an oath of loyalty to her
The Church kept its pre-Reformation episcopal structure – two archbishops, one at York and one at Canterbury
The Court of High Commission monitored people and prosecuted those who seemed to be disloyal
A second law was passed in May 1559, the Act of Uniformity. This attempted to make it clear what the Anglican Church believed in. This was followed by Royal Injunctions 2 months later, which outlined 57 rules to be followed and then the Thirty Nine Articles in 1563
The Church created was Protestant. A new Book of Common Prayer was issued which contained radical Protestant ideas. Catholic Mass was abandoned. The Bible was written in English, services were held in English and clergy were allowed to marry. Pilgrimages and Saints’ images were banned. The alter was replaced with a communion table. To please Catholics crosses and candles could be placed on the table. Priests also had to wear traditional Catholic vestments
Catholics in public office who refused to accept Elizabeth as Head of the Church were fired
Attendance at the Anglican Church was made compulsory but the Pope ordered English Catholics not to attend. Recusants who followed the Pope’s orders were fined a shilling a week
Attendance at Mass was punished through fines and anyone performing mass could face the death penalty
In 1568 a school for training seminary priests was founded in the Netherlands to send priests to England to convert Protestants. In 1569, leading Catholic nobles rebelled in the north and in 1570 the Pope excommunicated Elizabeth and ordered Catholics to disobey Elizabeth or be excommunicated themselves
The Papal Bull that excommunicated Elizabeth increased the threat of Catholic plots and assassination attempts against Elizabeth. In response, a new Treason Act was introduced in 1571 – this said that denying Elizabeth and bringing the Pope’s bull into England could be punished by death
Anyone who left the country for more than six months had their land confiscated – this was an attempt to stop Catholics going abroad to train as missionaries

2. Event
Significance
In 1572 thousands of French Protestants were killed in St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. It was believed the Catholic government was behind it. England’s relationship with Catholic Spain was worsening and fear of plots spreading to England increased
From 1580s a new, extremist Catholic group called the Jesuits emerged. They served the Pope and aimed to change England back to Catholic. They smuggled Catholic priests into England. A famous Jesuit priest was Edmund Campion. He held secret services in important Catholic homes
As the Catholic threat increased, the authorities introduced further measures. In 1581 new laws were passed. The fine for recusancy was raised to £20 and convert to Catholic was treason
In 1585 the government passed a law: the Act Against Jesuits and Seminary Priests – this made becoming a priest treason and all priests had to leave England within 40 days or die
Officials who raided safe houses were called Pursuivants and their searches could last a week. Campion was caught within a year and offered his freedom if he became Protestant but he refused. He was tortured on the rack but denied plotting against Elizabeth. He was executed for treason
Large gatherings of Catholics was made illegal in 1593 and Catholic freedom of movement was restricted
By 1603 Elizabeth’s government had reduced the Catholic threat. About 10% of the population were Catholic sympathisers and 2% of those were recusants
The Pope was also to blame for a fall in English Catholicism by forbidding poor Catholics who needed to pray from going to Church services, by appointing unpopular Jesuits and by backing plots which made reinforce the idea that Catholicism was dangerous, unpatriotic and foreign
Puritans (extreme Protestants) were also a threat to Elizabeth. The did not think her “Middle Way” approach to religion was harsh enough towards Catholics.
There were many senior people at Court, in the Church and in Parliament who were sympathetic to Puritans – even Robert Dudley was a Puritan
Calvinist ideas were becoming popular in Scotland and inspired Thomas Cartwright to deliver a series of lectures at the University of Cambridge in 1570 – he called for the abolition of bishops
Elizabeth was horrified at the idea of the Church hierarchy should be removed and saw it as a serious and dangerous threat
Puritan printing presses were destroyed in 1572 after Elizabeth’s Church was criticised. In 1576 Elizabeth said that Puritans ideas could not be discussed by MPs without her permission. A Puritan, Peter Wentworth, challenged this and was imprisoned. Elizabeth fell out with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Edmund Grindal, when he refused to shut down prayer meetings that debated the Bible (practice of prophesying)
John Whitgift became Archbishop. He was a strict Anglican and stopped the prophesying. He forced all clergy to swear loyalty and suspended 300 ministers. His harsh approach pushed a few Puritans to break away and become Separatists
In 1589 Puritan pamphlets were published that were so shocking, they turned more people against Puritans and 1593 the government passed a law, the Act Against Seditious Sectaries, which allowed authorities to execute anyone suspected of being a Separatist

3. Elizabeth’s religious settlement 1559
Catholic
Protestant
Pope is head of the Church
Elizabeth’s religious settlement 1559
Monarch is the head of the Church
Church is governed by two archbishops and bishops below them
Bible is in Latin
Priests not allowed to marry
Churches brightly decorated
Use of saints images
Priests are the people’s link with God
Bible is in English
Priests are allowed to marry
Churches are very simply decorated without crosses or candles
Priests wear plain black robes
People connect to God through prayer
The bread and wine taken in services literally transforms into the body and blood of Jesus. This is known as transubstantiation
Bread and wine taken in services represents the body and blood of Jesus

4. Elizabeth’s religious tolerance (towards CATHOLICS)
Elizabethan England
1559: Elizabeth’s Coronation / Act of Supremacy/ Act of Uniformity
1563: John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs published/ Thirty-Nine Articles
1566 August: Protestant uprisings in several Dutch cities
1568: Mary Queen of Scots exiled to England from Scotland
1568: The ‘Bishops Bible’ published
1568: Most Puritans (extreme Protestants) accepted Elizabeth’s changes
1569: The Northern Rebellion
1570: Pope commands English Catholics to disobey Elizabeth
1570s: Meetings known as prophesyings became popular
th April: Pope excommunicated Elizabeth
1571: The Ridolfi Plot
1571: The Treason Act
1571: Recusancy fines introduced for not taking part in Protestant services. Illegal to own Catholic items such as rosary beads
1572: Norfolk executed
1572: Puritan John Field imprisoned for writing “A view of Popish Abuses yet remaining in the English Church”/ Puritan Printing Presses destroyed
1572: Puritan Thomas Wilcox wrote “Admonition to Parliament”
1576: MPs no longer allowed to discuss religious matters without Elizabeth’s permission
1580: Jesuits arrived in England
th July: Edmund Campion placed in Tower of London
1580: A new separatist church was established in Norwich
1581: Recusancy fines increased to £20. Made high treason to convert to Catholicism
1581 1st December: Campion hanged, drawn and quartered
1581: Law passed making it treason to attend a Catholic Mass
1583: The Throckmorton Plot/ Bond of Association
1583: New Archbishop of Canterbury (John Whitgift) introduced rules to crack down on Puritanism
1584: Leader of the Dutch rebels, William of Orange, assassinated by a Spanish Catholic
1585: Any Catholic who became a priest after 1559 made a traitor. It became legal to kill anyone who attempted to assassinate the Queen/ Act Against Jesuits and Seminary Priests
1585: Elizabeth sent troops to support Protestant rebels in the Netherlands
1585: Act passed which made it treason to have a Catholic priest in your home
1585: Act passed against Jesuits and Seminary Priests – call to drive them out of England
1586: The Babington Plot
1587 8th February: Mary Queen of Scots executed (privately)
1587: English Catholic, William Allen, made Cardinal on recommendation of King Philip II of Spain
1590: Puritan Thomas Cartwright imprisoned
1592: A second separatist church set up in London
1593: Law said that Catholics could not travel more than five miles from their homes – “Statute of Confinement”/ Act Against Seditious Sectaries/ The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity
Elizabeth’s religious tolerance (towards CATHOLICS)
Elizabeth’s religious outlook
Elizabeth’s greatest religious threat
Not tolerant Tolerant
Beginning End
Extreme Catholic Extreme Protestant
Low threat High threat
Jesuits Catholics Puritans