Somerset`s Policies 1547-49

Religion:

• logical policy at first, to buy time. he launched a full-scale enquiry into the state of the Church of England
• The Six Articles Act was undone and rules for English bibles and services to be held in English strengthened
• Treason Act repealed six articles act and herest, treason and censorship laws (can be interpretted as a failure because the lack of restraint on censorship allowed catholics to spread the word about their beleifs)
• Chantries act abolished chantries - done more to raise money for war than religious reasons
• 1549 Act of Uniformity was designed to set a single standard of worship and end religious confusion
• Archbishop Cranmer intorduced a new Prayer Book detailing the form services were to take - this was vague and didn`t really appease anybody - changes did not go far enough for revolutionaries, but were still concerning for conservatives
• he dismantled obstacles to religius reform, while still being able to keep the country together
• his achievements were impressive (considering the weakness of government) but did contribute to the causes of the 1549 rebellion
• …