Elizabethan Religious Settlement

The religion control (English religious settlement) refers to the process under Elizabeth I, to reform the English Church in the Protestant sense, and finally to establish.

Parliamentary process

Elizabeth left the religion control by their first Parliament will discuss. After lengthy negotiations, Parliament decided in April 1559 that an Act of Supremacy, which made Elizabeth in place of the Pope as head of the church, and on the other an Act of Uniformity, which introduced a Protestant doctrine.

In order for the Church of England was one of Rome independent Protestant church.

Implementation

First, the British government tried to impose a new order on moderate way. The reigning Catholic clerics was offered to continue their offices. The upper clergy refused majority, the lower clergy participated in a majority. The population was the new doctrine in the numerous fairs preached again and again, so that a slow but continuous re-education took place. The limit of this tolerant policy was only exceeded when someone called publicly for disobedience. Go on their own religious beliefs in private, but was entirely possible.

In the course of Elizabeth's reign has seen increasing tensions with various religious groups. Inside it came to quarrel with Protestant theologians whom religion regulation had not gone far enough. From the outside Coming Catholic missionaries threatened the new order. The English government tightened This causes their action.

Historiography

In the history of science prevail two different interpretations as there has been religion control.

Historian John Neale coined in the 1950s, the view Elisabeth had sought a very moderate Reformation. You have like her father Henry VIII largely retained the Catholic theology and only want to separate from the papacy. With this project, Elisabeth had failed at the fierce opposition of radical Calvinists in the House. You had to give in and perform with the Act of Uniformity, a moderate Protestantization.

Since 1982, Neale's theory is provided by the research of Norman Jones in question. His reading of the sources say Elizabeth had sought from the outset a Protestant solution and adopted by the House, which was far less homogeneous than by Neale had no difficulties. Rather, the Catholic bishops and conservative laity had forced the House of Lords Elisabeth some compromises so that the English Church was indeed a Protestant of doctrinally, in their gestures and their structure, however, was continuing elements of the old religion.