How did the reign of Elizabeth transform the Tudor state?

Authors Avatar

British History 1400-1750                                                                Inderjeet Johal

How did the reign of Elizabeth transform

the Tudor state?

Elizabeth I came into succession when the state was in complete turmoil. Mary I had left the Tudor state in complete shambles. It was left ‘weak in strength, men and money and riches, and the queen was poor and the realm exhausted’. In ‘England under the Tudors’ by GR Elton and John McGurk, Elton writes of the chaotic country left by Mary I. Inflation was increased by famine, plagues and harvests; this led to exploitation of lands, and land being sold on the open market. The more profit made by producers for the use of their lands, the more landowners wanted for rent. This led to conflict within the country, and so when Elizabeth came to the throne, it was important that she took power and matters into her own hands so the country wouldn’t crumble. Mary and previous rulers had left the state virtually bankrupt, and England was in need of some sort of religious mediation. Within the reign of Elizabeth, the queen introduced ‘The Elizabethan Settlement of 1559’, restoring a moderate Protestant state. Her reign transformed the state into one which at first brought about stability; she cut down on inflation and reduced England’s debt, whilst also tackling religious opposition. By the end of her reign however, there was conflict and opposition with the Parliament and other European powers, and financial instability. The political and religious ideas of Elizabeth and her government had a major impact on the state as a whole, transforming the Tudor State and effecting social change during her reign.

Although Elizabeth’s academic intelligence was high, she wasn’t trained or experienced in politics. John McGurk writes the Queen possessed ideas, learning the mistakes of those before her, especially Mary. She wanted to resolve the extreme hostilities between Catholics and Protestants which her sister had created. Both Elizabeth and Cecil ‘held religion to be the matter of conscience’.  For this the queen felt that religion had to be settled within the country by getting dissolving Pope and Spanish dominance. She introduced the ‘Act of Supremacy’, making her the governor of the Church instead of supreme head, reducing the Pope’s influence. Many were uncomfortable with this because they did not like a woman being in charge of the state or the Church. The Queen restored the Edwardian Prayer Book of 1549 and 1552, which was portrayed to be capable of ‘either a Catholic or Protestant interpretation. The Lord’s, Marian bishops and conservative peers did not like these changes. Although property was only given to Bishops for ‘temporal revenues’, the more they resisted, the more they were removed further from religion. As far as Elizabeth was concerned, as long as the Catholics behaved themselves, were loyal to her, and attended church, they were free to believe what they wished. She tried to accommodate Catholic beliefs in her religious settlement. Elizabeth’s toleration to the Catholic faith, and her refusal to make changes to the Church she established in 1559, leads some historians to question her commitment to her faith. However, the queen wanted her church to be popular with the people, and for Catholicism to wither away naturally. Her reign transformed a Catholic state under Mary, to a Protestant state under herself.

Most Catholic Bishops and parish Clergy did not accept the Supremacy oath. Those who didn’t accept this oath were deprived of living, and those who refused to go the Church were fined, for the Queen felt this was a necessity. Going against the Queen and her religious ideas was seen as going against the state:

        “to support Rome by word, writing or deed was made punishable……while a second

        refusal to take oath was made treason’.

It wasn’t only the Catholics who caused any political opposition to these changes, Puritans (a form of extreme Protestantism), were not happy with this religious settlement. Presbyterians felt hold over the church should not be allowed, and elections should be held within ministries. Elizabeth was able to purge many extreme Puritans and Catholic groups by execution and imprisonment. Yet by 1575, English Catholics began to accept the transformation of the Tudor state under Elizabeth and they became Anglicans. The latter half of Elizabeth’s reign saw the beginnings of decay, born largely through the peace and prosperity she had brought to the country. Once the Catholic menace had been largely destroyed, the Protestants turned against themselves and thus began the rise of Puritanism. Elizabeth began to believe that the Puritans were more dangerous than the Catholics since they questioned the validity of royal leadership. Protestants exiled under Mary I, returned to England and with them they brought extreme ideas. John Calvin stressed importance of predestination, and he wanted the clergy to play less of a role in the state church. Elizabeth suspended the Archbishop of Canterbury Edmund Grindal when he would not punish Puritans who refused to kneel and make the sign of the cross. She imprisoned a member of parliament for introducing a bill to change the prayer book. However, her efforts did not stop the Puritans from criticising the established church, and converting others to their views. In spite of this, historians argue that the Elizabethan Settlement was able to hold a vast majority of people together, and the Puritans were just a small group within England.

Join now!

The Parliament was worried that if Elizabeth didn’t marry, then her incomplete succession would mean Mary queen of Scots would succeed her, returning the country back to Catholicism. If Elizabeth married a foreigner, she would have to choose which country to marry; it would mean handing over her rule to that country. Philip II of Spain hoped to marry Elizabeth so that England would be under the rule of Spain, and he could convert the country back to Catholicism. The Pope was hoping for this match too, so he could resume being the Head of the Church Of England. ...

This is a preview of the whole essay