Elizabeth's Religious Settlement of 1558
Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement of 1558 was a success between 15581571. Assess the
Validity of this Statement. When Elizabeth succeeded her sister Mary I in 1558 the official doctrine of the Church of
England was still Catholicism and so Elizabeth enacted a series of reforms and doctrinal changes to bring about a largely Protestant religious settlement that retained some elements of Catholicism which the Queen was partial to. For the Elizabethan religious settlement to be considered successful it would have had to been widely accepted and supported by both the laity and the clergy, faced little opposition from conservative Catholics and radical Protestants and undergone very little change throughout the period due to Elizabeth’s desire that the settlement be final. Indeed Doran has argued that the Elizabethan religious settlement was accepted by the government the clergy and the laity and as a result Protestant worship and devotion developed. On the other hand Haigh has argued that the Church of England was populated with a clergy who were at very least conservative if not Catholic. This essay will argue that in the period 15581564 the religious settlement was broadly successful as it was slowly adhered to with little opposition up until 1564. In 1564 there were challenges to it from radical protestants and in 1568 conservative catholics also reacted against it. However despite such challenges, which were from a highly committed minority, the settlement remained largely unchanged and as such was broadly successful. In the period 15591564 the religious settlement was broadly successful. The nature of the settlement was moderate as it retained some elements of catholicism’s rituals and ceremonies; such as the allowing the wearing of ‘popish’ vestments after the royal injunctions of 1559 and, after 1560, allowing requiem masses (a catholic mass for repose of the souls of the dead) to occur. The retainment of these rituals encouraged
Validity of this Statement. When Elizabeth succeeded her sister Mary I in 1558 the official doctrine of the Church of
England was still Catholicism and so Elizabeth enacted a series of reforms and doctrinal changes to bring about a largely Protestant religious settlement that retained some elements of Catholicism which the Queen was partial to. For the Elizabethan religious settlement to be considered successful it would have had to been widely accepted and supported by both the laity and the clergy, faced little opposition from conservative Catholics and radical Protestants and undergone very little change throughout the period due to Elizabeth’s desire that the settlement be final. Indeed Doran has argued that the Elizabethan religious settlement was accepted by the government the clergy and the laity and as a result Protestant worship and devotion developed. On the other hand Haigh has argued that the Church of England was populated with a clergy who were at very least conservative if not Catholic. This essay will argue that in the period 15581564 the religious settlement was broadly successful as it was slowly adhered to with little opposition up until 1564. In 1564 there were challenges to it from radical protestants and in 1568 conservative catholics also reacted against it. However despite such challenges, which were from a highly committed minority, the settlement remained largely unchanged and as such was broadly successful. In the period 15591564 the religious settlement was broadly successful. The nature of the settlement was moderate as it retained some elements of catholicism’s rituals and ceremonies; such as the allowing the wearing of ‘popish’ vestments after the royal injunctions of 1559 and, after 1560, allowing requiem masses (a catholic mass for repose of the souls of the dead) to occur. The retainment of these rituals encouraged