Audio Season 1 Episode 6 (New) Series 1 Episode 6 - Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement: Revised and Updated.

© 20 26 The Rise of the Protestants., Author, Shaughan Holt.

Episode 6 : Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement: A Church Divided.

Since I first published this episode, I’ve gone back to the episode and incorporated your feedback.

As the series has grown, I've noticed a few areas that needed improvement or clarification, so I’ve updated parts of the original episode. The story and purpose are still the same, but I hope returning readers enjoy this updated version. If you’re new to the series, this is the starting point of our story.

The accompanying transcript also includes an epilogue with additional historical notes for those who would like to explore the story further.

The Artwork is a Portrait of Elizabeth I, Queen of England, by anonymous Artist.

It location is The Rijks Museum, Amsterdam.

The Music is The Volta, a couples' renaissance dance.

The music plays for the first 50 seconds.

Episode Notes :

When Elizabeth the First became queen in 1558, she inherited a country divided by decades of religious change. Her settlement restored Protestant worship and royal authority over the Church, but it could not resolve every disagreement.

This episode explores what changed in England’s churches, why some welcomed the settlement while others demanded further reform, and how Cecil and Parker helped establish and defend it. We also follow events across the Scottish border, where the Treaty of Berwick drew Elizabeth’s government into another struggle over religion and royal power

© 20 26 The Rise of the Protestants., Author, Shaughan Holt.

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Series 1.

Episode 6.

Elizabeth’s Religious Settlement: A Church Divided.

Elizabeth Inherits a Religious Divide.

The year is 15 58.

Between 15 55 and 15 58, hundreds of Protestants were burned for heresy during Queen Mary’s campaign to restore the Catholic religion.

Religious persecution, and the war with France made people even unhappy during Mary’s reign.

In January 15 58, England lost Calais, its last foothold in France.

From May 15 58, Queen Mary began to suffer from serious health issues.

Gravely ill, childless, and with her husband Philip abroad, she passed away at St James's Palace London, on 17 November 15 58, at the age of 42, during an influenza epidemic.

In her final testament, Queen Mary had expressed her desire, to be interred alongside her mother, Catherine of Aragon.

Spanish-born Catherine, was forced to spend her final years, separated from Henry and their daughter Mary, after the king rejected their marriage in pursuit of a male heir.

Catherine of Aragon, had died on 7 January 15 36, at Kimbolton Castle aged 50, and was interred at Peterborough Abbey.

Mary had asked to be buried beside her mother, but instead, she was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey.

In 16 06, Queen Elizabeth’s coffin was transferred from Henry VII's vault, and placed on top of the coffin of her half sister Mary.

The sisters, divided in life by religion, now shared a common resting place.

Elizabeth, Mary’s half-sister, now became the queen of a country where religion had changed many times - in just one generation.

Under their father, Henry the Eighth, the English Church had broken with Rome.

During their brother Edward’s reign, Protestant reforms went much further.

Mary then reversed those changes, restoring the Pope’s authority and Catholic worship in English churches.

Martin Bucer and the English Reformation.

The story of Martin Bucer shows, how these religious changes can shape a person’s life, and even affect them after death.

A former Dominican friar, he became a leading Protestant reformer in Strasbourg.

When Catholic authorities forced him to leave, he accepted Archbishop Thomas Cranmer’s invitation to come to England in 15 49, during Edward VI's reign.

At Cambridge, Bucer was appointed Regius Professor of Divinity, one of the university’s most prestigious academic posts.

Cranmer also asked for his opinion on the Book of Common Prayer, and Bucer suggested changes to its worship.

However, Bucer’s hopes went beyond just church services.

In his book, "On the Kingdom of Christ", which he wrote for King Edward, Bucer described a Christian society, where reform would shape education, care for the poor, and the conduct of everyday life.

Sadly, Bucer died in Cambridge in February 15 51, probably from tuberculosis.

Yet death did not protect him from the religious reversal under Mary.

In 15 57, he and the Hebrew scholar Paul Fagius, were condemned for heresy after their deaths.

Their remains were dug up and burned in Cambridge’s market square, together with some of their books.

Today, a small brass plaque on the chancel floor of Great St Mary’s Church in Cambridge, remembers Bucer.

The plaque’s Latin inscription and simple look make it easy to miss, but it honours a reformer whose influence went far beyond the city.

After Elizabeth became queen, Bucer and Fagius were formally rehabilitated.

Bucer did not live to see Elizabeth’s reign, but his writings still inspired English reformers - who wanted to build on his ideas.

For those who had fled abroad during Mary’s reign, Elizabeth’s accession, brought them renewed hope.

They looked to the new queen to welcome them home, and restore the Protestant reforms Mary had overturned.

However, many of Elizabeth’s subjects were still used to Catholic worship.

Priests continued to serve in parish churches, and the Mass had been a regular part of people’s religious lives during Mary’s rule.

Elizabeth, now faced the decision of what the Church of England - should be.

No matter what she decided, some people would think she changed too much, while others would say she did not change enough.

Elizabeth did not make these decisions by herself.

Soon after becoming queen, she chose William Cecil as her Principal Secretary.

Born in Bourne Lincolnshire, in 15 20, Cecil had already served in government under her brother, Edward the Sixth.

He had experience with Protestant reforms, and the practical work of running a kingdom.

His responsibilities would now cover matters both at home - and abroad.

He advised the queen, managed her correspondence, and helped carry out her decisions, and for many years, he remained one of Elizabeth’s most trusted ministers.

He was later named "Lord Burghley” and appointed Lord High Treasurer in 15 72.

Cecil supported the restoration of a Protestant Church, and played a key role in shaping the religious settlement of 15 59.

But he also understood, that religious change could affect the Crown’s authority, and with it, - England’s security.

That concern, would reach beyond England’s borders.

In Scotland, French soldiers were present, supporting the Catholic Regency rule, of Mary of Guise.

Cecil wanted to help the Scottish Protestant leaders, and was soon to find a way to reduce French influence and improve relations with Scotland.

For Cecil, the future of religion at home was therefore closely connected with the dangers abroad.

His task was to help Elizabeth establish a lasting Scottish settlement, while protecting her kingdom.

The final decisions were still the queen’s, but Cecil played a key role in making them happen.

The Settlement of 15 59.

Elizabeth responded by passing two Acts of Parliament in 15 59.

The first, the Act of Supremacy, once again took away the Pope’s authority over the Church of England.

Elizabeth became the Supreme Governor of the Church.

Bishops - clergy and royal officials, were all bound to her authority.

The second, the Act of Uniformity dealt with what happened inside the churches.

It required church services to use a new Book of Common Prayer, which was mostly based on the Protestant prayer book from Edward the Sixth’s reign.

For a parish congregation, the change would be noticeable.

Services in English replaced the Latin Mass.

People could now hear familiar prayers and Bible passages in a language they understood.

Communion was carried out as described in the new prayer book.

However, Elizabeth kept some familiar parts of church life.

Bishops stayed in their roles, and the prayer book kept some words and ceremonies that stronger reformers wanted to change.

The settlement therefore gave England a common form of public worship, under the queen’s authority.

But even though everyone had to attend the same services, people still disagreed about what those services meant and whether the Church had changed enough.

And soon, those disagreements would become too big to ignore.

Why the Settlement did not please everyone.

When Elizabeth became queen, Protestant exiles began returning to England.

They had found refuge from Mary’s persecution in cities such as Geneva, Zürich and Strasbourg, where they experienced different ways of worshipping and governing a church.

Many welcomed the end of the Mass and the return of services in English.

And yet, some believed the settlement had stopped short of the reforms they had hoped for.

Some questioned why bishops still governed the Church, and why ministers were required to wear garments associated with the Catholic priesthood.

Some also objected to ceremonies prescribed in the prayer book, believing that these raised questions of faith, rather than simply matters of appearance.

They wanted the Church’s worship and government to follow Scripture as closely as possible.

Yet the returning exiles did not agree on every proposed change, and not all opposed the bishops.

Most hoped to reform the Church of England while remaining within it.

Heinrich Bullinger and the English Reformers.

The exiles, who returned to England, often stayed in touch with their contacts abroad.

In Zürich, Heinrich Bullinger had welcomed English Protestants fleeing persecution.

As Ulrich Zwingli's successor, he led one of the most influential churches of the Swiss Reformation.

After returning home, some exiles continued to write to Bullinger about the state of the English Church.

Both reformers seeking further change, and bishops working to uphold Elizabeth settlement, valued his advice.

Bullinger also reached English readers through his writings.

His best-known work, The Decades, brought together fifty sermons, arranged in five groups of ten.

They explained Christian belief and how it should guide everyday life.

Published in English in 15 77, the book became an important resource for ministers.

Alongside Calvin, Bullinger helped shape English Protestantism through the words people red, studied and preached.

However, Bullinger did not always give dissatisfied ministers, the advice they had hoped for.

During the dispute over clerical clothing, he encouraged them to distinguish between the essential matters of faith, and the clothing required for order and decency, - further advising them, not to leave their ministry - because of this disagreement.

His response showed that it was possible to remain committed to Protestant reform, while also accepting some practices, - others wanted to eliminate.

However for Elizabeth, this issue was also about royal authority.

She required a single Church, - with a shared form of worship - and expected its ministers to follow the rules she set.

While the settlement may have restored Protestant worship, - it had not decided or tested, how far the English Reformation should actually go.

Matthew Parker and the Challenge of Conformity.

Elizabeth needed bishops who would uphold her religious settlement, and chose Matthew Parker to lead the English Church as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Born in Norwich in 15 04, Parker studied at Corpus Christi College Cambridge, and was ordained in 15 27.

He supported Protestant reform, and served as chaplain, first to Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn, and later to Henry VIII.

An experienced scholar and administrator, he became Master of Corpus Christi in 15 44 and subsequently served as vice-chancellor of Cambridge University.

Under Edward the Sixth, Parker supported the growing Protestant Church, - but Mary’s accession ended his public career.

As a married clergyman, he was deprived of his Church positions and withdrew from public life.

He had remained in England throughout Mary’s reign and was hesitant to return to public life.

Nevertheless, in 15 59, he accepted Elizabeth’s offer to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

By this time, most of Mary’s bishops had refused to accept Elizabeth’s settlement, and had therefore lost their positions, - so the Church urgently needed to rebuild its leadership.

Parker became Archbishop at Lambeth Palace on 17 December 15 59.

There were four bishops, selected to preside over the ceremony.

Among them was Miles Coverdale, the former Bishop of Exeter, whose translation work had helped bring the Bible to English readers.

Parker did much more, than simply enforce Elizabeth’s rules.

He helped revise the statements of faith, inherited from Cranmer’s time, and helped shape the Thirty-Nine Articles, which were completed in 15 63.

These articles set out the Church’s views on Scripture, salvation and other key beliefs

But agreement about doctrine did not resolve every dispute over worship.

Parker supported Protestant reform, while upholding the queen’s requirement that ministers use the authorised prayer book and follow common rules.

Clerical clothing became a particularly visible point of disagreement.

Some ministers refused to wear the surplice, a white garment used during services.

They regarded it as a survival from the old religious order.

To Elizabeth, allowing ministers to disregard rules threatened the uniformity she had established.

Parker stood between her demand for obedience and ministers who otherwise shared much of his Protestant faith.

In 15 66, he issued directions known as the Advertisements, seeking greater consistency in worship and clerical dress.

Some ministers complied reluctantly.

Others refused and faced suspension.

The argument concerned more than clothing.

Could practices that some considered harmless be imposed on those who believed them wrong?

Who should decide how far the Church would reform: the queen and her bishops, or ministers who believed Scripture required further change?

Parker’s efforts to maintain a united national Church, would make that unresolved question, - all the more pressing.

The Push for More Reform.

For these reformers, changing the Church meant more than eliminating ceremonies they disliked.

They wanted ministers who could explain the Bible clearly, congregations that understood their faith, and communities where people lived out Christian values every day.

They asked for better clergy training, more frequent preaching, and greater attention to keeping Sunday as a day for worship.

They were also concerned about drunkenness, and other behaviours they believed were ungodly.

Their goals would reach beyond the parish church: to homes - workplaces and public life.

However reformers did not agree on every specific aspect of reform.

Some accepted bishops, - while seeking changes to worship.

Others came to believe, that it was the government of the Church itself, that needed reform.

What united them, was the conviction that England’s Reformation remained unfinished.

Those pressing for further reform, became increasingly known as Puritans.

Influential people close to Elizabeth, also supported the same hopes and ambitions.

During her reign, men such as Robert Dudley - The Earl of Leicester, Francis Walsingham and Walter Mildmay, became important supporters of Protestant ministers and their causes.

Cecil also had connections with reformers, although his responsibilities required him to balance religious concerns with those of government.

Such support could help ministers obtain positions, promote preaching, and even appeal against disciplinary action.

Reformers therefore had allies within the establishment, even when they challenged decisions made by the bishops.

Elizabeth nevertheless remained determined, to preserve the Church’s common rules.

Sympathy among her advisers, did not mean that she would permit ministers to decide for themselves, which rules to obey.

The emerging Puritan story - would develop, - and within this tension.

A Protestant Church established by law, and Protestants within it, - who believed that further reform was still required.

The Settlement: - What It Achieved and Where It Fell Short.

Elizabeth’s settlement, established a Protestant Church under royal authority, with a common form of worship, - that would endure throughout her reign.

However, just because people followed the rules did not mean they all agreed.

For Catholics, the loss of the Mass and the rejection of papal authority remained profound objections.

For Protestants seeking further reform, the settlement left too much unfinished.

People might attend the same parish church but still hold very different beliefs.

So, while the settlement set up a national religious system, it did not bring everyone together.

Maintaining that order involved pressure, penalties and, at times, persecution.

When Elizabeth died in 16 03, her successors inherited these disagreements.

Under James the First, demands for further reform continued.

When Charles the First was king, arguments about worship, bishops, and royal power became part of a bigger political crisis.

These disputes contributed to the English Civil Wars, alongside wider struggles over political power and royal authority.

During the wars and the following republic, bishops were removed, and using the prayer book for worship was no longer required.

The restoration of the monarchy in 16 60, brought about the return of bishops and prayer-book worship.

The Act of Uniformity of 16 62, again would require conformity, and those ministers who would not accept its conditions lost their positions.

Elizabeth’s settlement left a long-lasting impact, but it also left an important question unanswered.

How could a national Church keep a shared way of worship, while allowing for different beliefs?

That question, would shape the history of Puritans, Separatists and other dissenters, long after her reign had ended.

The Treaty of Berwick.

While Elizabeth established her religious settlement in England, Scotland faced its own struggle over religion and royal authority.

Mary Queen of Scots, remained in France, while her mother, Mary of Guise, governed Scotland as regent with the support of French troops.

The Protestant nobles known as the Lords of the Congregation challenged her authority.

But to overcome the forces supporting the regent, they needed military help from England.

On 27 February 1 560, Elizabeth’s representative, the Duke of Norfolk, reached an agreement with the Scottish lords at Berwick-upon-Tweed, a coastal town on the Anglo-Scottish border.

England would help them expel the French forces.

The alliance served both sides.

The Scottish lords wanted to advance the Reformation and weaken the regent’s position.

Elizabeth’s government, wanted to remove the threat posed by French troops, across England’s northern border.

An English army was quickly assembled, and marched north to join its Scottish Protestant allies.

Together, they laid siege to Leith, the fortified port near Edinburgh held by French troops.

The siege continued through spring and early summer, but the attackers failed to take the town by force.

Meanwhile, Mary of Guise became gravely ill, and died at Edinburgh Castle on 11 June 15 60.

As a result, William Cecil and his fellow English commissioner, Nicholas Wotton, were able to subsequently negotiate with French representatives.

The Treaty of Edinburgh, signed on 6 July 15 60, ended the fighting, and called for both the French and English troops to leave.

The French departure strengthened the position of Scotland’s Protestant leaders, and helped open the way for the religious changes that followed.

Still, Scotland’s queen was Catholic.

When Mary returned from France, she would have to govern a kingdom, transformed during her absence.

In the next episode, we’ll see what happened next, by looking at the lives of John Knox and Mary Queen of Scots.

I am currently revising and updating that previously published episode, and expect the new version to be available mid October.

Epilogue.

The Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

Elizabeth’s settlement gave England a common form of worship, but it could not give everyone a common conviction.

Debates about religion and authority continued after her reign and became mixed with arguments over taxes, Parliament, and the limits of royal power.

These disagreements did not make civil war inevitable.

Yet under her successors, attempts to impose religious order helped deepen the divisions that eventually led to war.

The English Civil Wars were part of the larger Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a linked series of conflicts involving England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Historians usually break the English wars into three main phases, lasting from 16 42 to 16 51.

The First Civil War began in 16 42.

In August, Charles the First raised his royal standard at Nottingham, calling his supporters to arms against Parliament.

Royalists and Parliamentarians battled for control of England and Wales.

By 16 46, the king’s forces were defeated, and Charles surrendered to the Scottish army.

The Scots then handed him over to the English Parliament.

But military victory had not produced an agreed peace.

In 16 48, Royalist uprisings and a Scottish invasion to support Charles led to more fighting.

Parliament’s forces overcame these threats during the Second Civil War.

Army leaders now saw Charles as the one responsible for starting the fighting again.

After the army removed its opponents from Parliament, the members who remained approved putting Charles on trial.

He was found guilty of treason and executed on 30 January 16 49.

The monarchy was abolished, and England became a Commonwealth.

The Scots recognised his son as Charles the Second.

His effort to win back the throne ended at Worcester on 3 September 16 51, when Cromwell defeated his mostly Scottish army.

Charles escaped into exile and returned when the monarchy was restored in 16 60.

The wars overturned institutions that Elizabeth had preserved.

But neither the king’s defeat nor his son’s return settled the issue of religious identity.

Elizabeth had tried to create unity through shared worship.

Her successors found it was hard to keep that unity when people were asked to go against their beliefs.

The real question was not just who should lead the Church, but how people with deep differences could live together in the same country.