Popular Attitudes to Catholicism

Popular attitudes to Catholicism

Traditional interpretations of the Reformation suggest that the Catholic Church was corrupt and very unpopular. In recent decades, this interpretation has been questioned.

Traditional interpretation

The narrative of the Reformation (shaped by Protestants in the 16th and later centuries) presents Catholicism as corrupt and detested.

Evidence of problems

Under Henry VII, the Roman Catholic Church did have its issues. These included:
- Absenteeism – some parish priests rarely visited their parishes.
- Pluralism – some clergy had more than one position in the church. For example, one bishop might have more than one bishopric at a time.
- Simony – selling positions in the Church for money.
- Quality – some clergy did not observe their vows (including chastity) while others were ignorant of religion. Poorly educated priests were a problem because the Bible and services were in Latin.

Revisionist interpretation

Revisionists have challenged the interpretation that the Catholic Church was moribund in the 1530s.
Duffy (1992): “Catholicism exerted an enormously strong, diverse and vigorous hold over the imagination and the loyalty of the people up to the very moment of the Reformation.”
Duffy on the spread of Protestantism (1992): Acceptance was just “grudging fulfilment of the will of the crown.”

Evidence of support

Haigh: It took the Elizabethan state over 15 years to impose a satisfactory observance of the Elizabethan Prayer Book upon the clergy and the laity.
Louth, Lincolnshire raised £350 for a new parish church.
Many left the Church money or gifts in their wills.
Over 60% of parish churches were renovated or rebuilt in the 15th century.

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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