Challenges to the religious settlement

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The puritan challenge

  • Puritans hoped that Elizabeths religious reforms would be the begining of further more Protestant developments to the Church of England. It wasnt long before Puritans started disobeying the laws of the religious settlement. The two biggest issues were: Crucifixes and Clothing.
  • Crucifixes: As part of the religious settlement Elizabeth demanded that crucifixes be put in every church. Puritans saw the crucifixes as representing idols (which was not a puritan belief). Many puritan preists didnt like them being in their churches, so threatened to resign. In the end the puritans won and all the crucifixes were taken down apart from the one in the royal chapel.
  • Vestement controversy: Another feature of the religious settlement was that preists would wear elaborate vestements. Puritans believed that catholics wearing elaborate vestements set them apart from ordinary people. In response to this Elizabeth put on an exhibition in london to show people what preists should wear.
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The catholic challenge

  • The papacy: The papacy was a system drawn up by the pope to try and strengthen the Catholic faith in England, by supporting local communities, persecuting those who have controversial opinions and opose the catholic faith.
  • The pope also issued an instruction in 1566 that catholics should not attend church of england services. 
  • In 1569 the earls of northumberland and westmorland led a rebellion against Elizabeth. They captured Durham Cathedral. Their actions bought many other northeners to their cause. By november 22nd they controlled the land east of the pennines.
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Foreign challenges

  • Scotland: Had an Auld alliance with France, Elizabeth was worried that Scotland would remove her from the throne and put on a catholic monarch
  • France: When religious war broke out in 1562 in France Elizabeth was threatened by its ability to increase religious conflict in England. Elizabeth agreed to help french protestants hoping to win back Calais, but unfortunately her attempts failed and the country made peace later on in 1562.
  • Spain: Elizabeth had irritated philip of Spain by helping the french and scottish protestants rebel. Because of this he banned all trade with England, In retaliation to this Elizabeth stopped trading with spanish owned netherlands.
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The dutch revolt

Philip of spain set up the inquisition. The inquisition was a political and religious organisation designed to keep spanish territories true to catholicism.

  • Inquisition united dutch catholics and protestants, as they united in the dutch revolt 1556.
  • In response to the revolt, Philip sent the duke of Alba to the netherlands with an army of 10,000 men to control the revolution.
  • Alba put in place a council of troubles to enforce catholicism and obedience to the crown, it ignored local laws and put many protestants to death because of this many fled.
  • Some rebels fled by the water they were known as the sea beggars and they attacked spanish ships sending supplies to Albas army.
  • In 1568 spanish ships carrying gold to Alba took refuge in English ports. The ships were carrying money on loan to philip from Genoa. Because of this Elizabeth decided to take the money for herself because she argued that it didnt belong to Spain. This was known as the Geonese loan.
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