Problems with religion
When Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558 her people were divided by religion. Her sister, Mary, had made The Church in Western Europe before the Reformation. The Pope was head of the Church. A member of the Roman Catholic Church. the official religion of the country, but many of the people were Christians who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation. They believe in the teachings of the Bible but reject the authority of the Pope.. There was also a growing number of Strict Protestants who wanted to get rid of ritual in church services and lead a plain and simple life.. Elizabeth had to find a compromise.
Learn more about religious changes during Elizabeth’s reign in this podcast.
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To try to bring together these different groups and ease religious tensions, Elizabeth came up with what became known as the Religious Settlement. In 1559 she passed two laws:
The Act of Supremacy
This made Elizabeth the Supreme Governor of the Church, taking power away from the Catholic Pope in Rome. Her father, Henry VIII, had done the same in his reign, but called himself the Head of the Church, so Elizabeth’s title as Governor implied she would not be so dictatorial and would be more tolerant. This appeased Catholics and Puritans who were uncomfortable with the monarch as head of religion as well as head of state.
The Act of Uniformity
This made Protestantism England’s official faith and also set out rules of religious practice and worship in a revised prayer book. This retained some Catholic traditions which Elizabeth hoped would make a good compromise and keep her people happy.
There was broad support for the new Settlement and very few refused to take the oath of loyalty to the Queen. Elizabeth’s tolerant approach seemed to have worked on the whole, but it did not keep everyone happy and she faced numerous threats.
