Bliss Ross 9th May 2021
‘The Elizabethan religious settlement was successfully established in the years 1558 to 1603.’ Assess
the validity of this view.
When she acceded the throne in 1558, Elizabeth was intent on establishing a religious settlement
which would heal the divisions between Catholics and Protestants, and maximise her own control
over the Church. The Elizabethan Church Settlement of 1559 provided the framework for this,
creating a ‘via media’ between Catholicism and Protestantism. The latter would be built upon later in
Elizabeth’s reign once she had consolidated her power. Whilst it is valid to claim that the Elizabethan
religious settlement was successfully established in the years 1558-1603 because all major
opposition had been curtailed by the end of her reign, one must nonetheless acknowledge that its
success was severely impeded by the opposition it faced from subversive religious groups.
The Elizabethan religious settlement was successfully established in the years 1558 to 1603 due to
the statue and legislation introduced at the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign, which attempted to
establish a ‘middle way’ between Catholics and Protestants in order to discourage opposition.
Perhaps the greatest example of this was the 1559 Act of Supremacy which repealed the papal
supremacy and Marian heresy laws, reinstated the religious legislation of Henry VIII’s reign,
demanded an oath of supremacy from all clergymen and church officials, and, most importantly,
made the queen ‘Supreme Governor’ rather than ‘Supreme Head’ of the Church. In effect, her status
was the same as that which had been held by Henry VIII and Edward VI, though by choosing a less
controversial title than ‘Supreme Head’, she was able to satisfy those people who still regarded the
Pope as the rightful head of the Church, or who felt that it was wrong for a woman to hold top
position. Beyond the change of leadership, little else was altered concerning the national
organisation of the Church: England would continue to have two archbishops as it had done during
Catholic times, and bishops would remain. This form of organisation did not appear in any of the
Protestant churches in Europe, thus demonstrating the extent that Elizabeth went to, to appease
Catholics. Elizabeth also upheld the Catholic appearance to the Church, which was cemented by the
Act of Uniformity in 1559 that set out rules about how the Church should look. Although the altar
was replaced by the more Protestant communion table, Catholic artefacts such as crosses and
candles could be placed on it; the Act also set out what priests should wear to conduct services,
another nod towards Catholics. The French ambassador, de Maise, writing in 1597, described how “it
seems, apart from the absence of images, that there is little difference between their ceremonies
and those of the Church of Rome.” Despite this, Elizabeth did enforce some legislation to ensure that
Catholics complied with her settlement. Attendance at church was made compulsory and any
recusants were charged a fine; anyone saying Mass could face the death penalty. In spite of this, no
Catholic priest was executed for saying Mass until 1577- and this harshness reflected the huge
change in the international situation at the time. Overall, the reaction amongst most Catholics and
Protestants to the changes were muted. Compared to the 800 or so Protestants who had fled abroad
in Mary’s reign, the scale of refusal was initially minimal, presenting Elizabeth’s religious settlement
as successfully established.
Despite Elizabeth’s attempts to appeal to Catholicism within her 1559 religious settlement, it still
faced severe Catholic opposition between 1558-1603, arguably limiting its ability for it to be
considered as wholly successfully established. Regional surveys show that in some areas, such as
Lancashire, there was substantial support for Catholicism. In addition, between 1567-1572, Elizbeth
found it increasingly difficult to sustain her tolerance due to a number of events at home and
abroad. For instance, in 1567, the Pope showed his hostility to the Religious Settlement by
instructing English Catholics not to attend Anglican Church services, and, in 1568, Mary Queen of
Scots arrived in England seeking sanctuary. Since she was the Catholic contender for Elizabeth’s
