Religious Change Under Edward VI

Impact of Religious Change under Edward VI

The Church of England was clearly more Protestant in doctrine by the end of Edward VI's reign than at the start. This does not mean that everyone supported Protestantism.

Changes in church appearance

Many ordinary sights in churches were changed.
- Altars were replaced by communion tables.
- The clergy was not to wear vestments (their liturgical robes).
- All gold and silver ornaments were removed.
- In 1547 iconoclasm (destroying images) swept across some churches. Somerset banned images from churches.
This was unsettling for the laity.

Spread of Protestantism

Under Somerset, press censorship had been relaxed. This lead to a rise in pro-Protestant pamphlets spreading the Protestant message.
By 1553, the educated elites were more likely to be Protestant (but by no means all).
The reach of Protestantism was still patchy. Protestant strongholds included London and the south-east of England.

Incoherent reforms

During Edward VI's reign, religious reform was not consistent.
This shows that there was still internal division amongst key Protestant reformers.
This can be seen in the difference between the 1549 and 1552 Prayer Book (the latter being more aggressively Protestant).
Whilst there was considerable theological change, the ordinary layman mostly noticed the visible changes to the Church.

Historical interpretation of Edward VI

After his death, Protestants championed Edward VI for his vigorous reforms and used his example to pressure monarchs, such as Elizabeth I.
But Edward VI's Reformation was driven by a small group of Church ministers (such as Cranmer).
This does not reflect how the ordinary population viewed the Reformation.
Historians such as Haigh argue that most people were reluctant recipients of Protestantism.

1Monarch & Government

1.1Tudor Monarchs

1.1.1Henry VII

1.1.2Henry VIII

1.1.3Edward VI

1.1.4Mary I

1.1.5Elizabeth I

1.1.6Succession Disputes

1.2Changing Role of Parliament

1.2.1Parliament & Henry VII

1.2.2Parliament & Henry VIII

1.2.3Parliament After the Reformation

1.3Principal Servants to the Crown

1.3.1Principal Servants to the Crown

2Religious Changes

2.1Tudor Monarchs & Religious Change

2.1.1The Henrician Reformation

2.1.2Impact of Religious Change Under Henry VIII

2.1.3Religious Change Under Edward VI

2.1.4Religious Change Under Mary I

2.1.5Elizabethan Settlement

2.2Catholicism & Survival

2.2.1Popular Attitudes to Catholicism

2.2.2Catholicism Under Henry VIII

2.2.3Catholicism Under Elizabeth I

2.2.4Catholic Nobility

2.3Protestantism & Puritanism

2.3.1Protestant Influences

2.3.2Protestantism Under Edward VI

2.3.3Protestantism Under Elizabeth I

3State Control & Popular Resistance

3.1Tudor Control of the Country

3.1.1Councils

3.1.2Role of Nobility

3.1.3Justices of the Peace

3.1.4Lord Lieutenant

3.2The State & the Poor

3.2.1Reasons for Growth of Poverty

3.2.2Punishments for Paupers

3.2.3Role of Charities

3.3Resistance to Tudor Rule

3.3.1Resistance to Tax & Subsidies

3.3.2Uprisings Against Henry VIII

3.3.3Uprisings Against Edward VI

3.3.4Uprisings Against Elizabeth I

3.3.5Decline of Popular Resistance

4Economic, Social & Cultural Change

4.1Patterns of Domestic & Foreign Trade

4.1.1Wool & Cloth

4.1.2Exploration & Trade

4.2Changing Structure of Society

4.2.1Population

4.2.2Dissolution of Monasteries

4.2.3Enclosure

4.3Cultural Change

4.3.1Education & Literature

4.3.2Impact of Religious Change

4.3.3Patronage

4.3.4The Arts

4.3.5Cult of Gloriana

5Historical Interpretations

5.1Significance of Threats to National Security

5.1.1Spain

5.1.2The Spanish Armada

5.1.3Ireland

5.2Court Politics

5.2.1Court Factions

5.2.2Essex's Rebellion

5.3Elizabeth & Parliament

5.3.1Conflict with Parliament

5.4Social Distress in the 1590s

5.4.1Social Distress in the 1590s

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