Unit 1B - England, 1509-1603: authority, nation and religion
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
Detailed essay plan produced by an A* student analysing the spread and decline of Catholicism during the reigns of Henry, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth. This was written as revision for topic two of Edexcel Tudor History A-Level, Option 1B: England 1509– 1603: authority, nation and religion.
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Unit 1B - England, 1509-1603: authority, nation and religion
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To what extent did English Catholicism decline in the years 1558-88?
To what extent did Catholicism survive in England?
Catholicism Survived Catholicism Declined
Henry Henry
● Until the break with Rome in the 1530s, Catholicism ● Royal supremacy suppressed key practices and
was the sole faith in England, an integral part of beliefs of Catholicism
people’s lives, and despite its criticisms it was still ○ parish clergy required to take an oath
popular renouncing the power of the pope and to
○ Hundreds or even thousands of pilgrims remove all references to the pope from
would visit shrines where the relics of saints the prayer books
were kept, such as Our Lady at Walsingham ○ Cromwell pushes Convocation to pass an
- demonstrates popularity as these centres of Act that removed many of the traditional
pilgrimage suffered economic decline when feast days, especially those that fell
the shrines were destroyed in the 1530s during the harvest period - excuse was it
○ Living holy men and women attracted was damaging the economy but attacked
popular attention, such as Elizabeth Barton Catholic beliefs and practices
(Holy Maid of Kent) was whose prophecies ○ By 1536 some permanent changes had
and preaching while in a trance-like state been made to the English Church,
drew large in the early 1530s indulgences disappeared, traditional
○ Popular Catholicism can be seen in the new concepts such as purgatory, worship of
trend of building pulpits in churches, which saints and images and pilgrimages were
began in the late 14th century - used for under attack, moderately Protestant form
preaching and their addition shows sermons of worship had been introduced
were an increasingly popular method of ○ Royal control of the printing press and
spreading understanding about the Catholic pulpit meant only one view was put
faith forward
● Resistance to religious change ● The dissolution of monasteries
○ Pilgrimage of Grace - name signalled ○ affected 372 in England - often had links
commitment to traditional forms of worship, with foreign Catholic powers and owed
evidence of popular anger, demanded return allegiance to the pope himself so
of the traditional Catholic religion, the papal removing their existence lessened the
supremacy and the reinstatement of the threat to Henry’s supremacy and
monasteries, monks and clergy joined the weakened the Catholic church
rebels, gentry and commons united by ○ Wolsey may have set a precedent by
government intervention in religious affairs, dissolving 29 monasteries in the 1520s
wide geographical spread as affected whole ○ Reformers objected to their purpose
of the north of England, only less successful (prayers for the souls of the dead)
region was Lancashire where the Earl of ○ The larger monasteries put up little
Derby remained loyal to Henry opposition - spurred Henry and Cromwell
○ Cromwell found it difficult to stamp out on
popular practices that had been in place for ○ 1537 - number of “voluntary” surrenders
centuries eg his campaign against purgatory of larger houses took place - forced on
in 1535-36 met with opposition from the houses through the pressure exerted by
Bishop of London, who openly preached at royal commissioners
St Paul’s in defence of prayers for the dead ○ 1538 - Cromwell and his agents embarked
○ Cromwell has to issue a second set of on the dissolution of the remaining large
injunctions to the clergy in 1538 which monasteries - within 16 months 202
suggests his first set didn't have the desired houses had surrendered
effect ○ 1539 - second Act for the Dissolution of
● Still strong popular belief in traditional Catholic the Monasteries passed, legitimising the
doctrine voluntary surrenders and giving
○ in 1535 Cromwell issued orders to bishops parliamentary sanction to the work of
and JPs telling them to arrest and imprison Cromwell and his agents
clergy who were still preaching in support of ○ March 1540 - Waltham Abbey
, papal supremacy surrendered, 563 houses dissolved in total
○ Evidence from wills shows traditional and 8,000 monks pensioned off
Catholci beliefs about what would happen to
someone’s soul after death continued - 85%
of wills made in 1530s in London, where
Protestantism took root more quickly, were
using traditional reference to saints and
prayers for the soul - references gradually
declined during the rest of the Tudor period
but here are strong evidence that the extent
of religious change was limited
● Survival made partly possible by Henry’s own
approach - after 1539 the pace of change slowed or
was even reversed
○ 1539 Act of Six Articles - anyone denying
the Catholic idea of transubstantiation could
be burnt alive, enforced celibacy for priests
○ 1543 Act for the Advancement of the True
Religion limited ordinary people’s access to
the Bible and the King’s Book 1543
emphasised traditional beliefs in the Mass
and rejected reformist beliefs
Edward Edward
● Resistance to religious change ● Fundamental changes to the doctrine, liturgy and
○ Western Rising in Cornwall and Devon in appearance of local churches as there was a move
1549 triggered by the government’s order for to radical Protestantism
all clergy to use the new prayer book - rebels ○ Even before parliament could meet to
demanded a return to the religiously repeal the later Acts of Henry’s reign
conservative Act of Six Articles 1539, change had begun e.g. July 1547 Cranmer
services in Latin and prayers for the dead - published his ‘Book of Homilies’ which
evidence of open resistance, showed had a moderate protestant slant, in the
contempt for the new English liturgy by same month a new series of injunctions
calling it a ‘Christmas game, 2,000 besieged was issued to remove all remaining
Exeter on 2nd July Catholic practices in parish churches such
○ Resentment of changed imposed by as encouraging congregations not to leave
Edward’s government can be seen in Duffy’s money for Masses in their wills, religious
famous study of the parish or Morebath - conservatives such as bishops Gardiner
found that villagers resented the changes to and Bonner were imprisoned when they
the extent that in 1552 they concealed the tried to protest
Priest’s traditional vestments from ○ Protestantism began to take hold and
government officials rather than surrender there were laws controlling the censorship
them as they had been ordered to - evidence of books, meaning 159 Protestant works
of passive resistance were published compared to 1 Catholic
● Popular Catholicism in regions such as the west of work
England remained strong ● 1548-49 pace of change increased and became
○ particularly remote from London central more radical
government and therefore harder for ○ 1549 clergy given the right to marry
monarchs to enforce their will directly on the ○ Cranmer issued an English form of
region (west remained a Catholic wording for the Mass and the Act of
stronghold) - fundamental beliefs of people Uniformity in January 1549 imposed
unlikely to change in so short a time Cranmer’s new English Book of Common
○ only 10% of clergy married in Lancashire Prayer on the country
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