How to interpret the Elizabethan Settlement
The Emergence of a Settled Church of England
Nov 16, 2008
Elizabeth needed to quickly sort out a religious settlement at the start of her reign. Although she was a Protestant, the new Queen was also pragmatic and conservative. The government had to build a settlement that would provide a national church somewhere between Roman Catholicism and reformed Protestantism. Elizabeth, of cause rejected Catholicism, but the problem was the extent to which the Church of England was to be reformed. Just like Henry VIII
Re-establishing the Church of England
The Church of England was re-established with the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity, and a Revised Version of the 1552 Common Book of Prayer. The Act of Uniformity was virtually a word for word a repeat of the 1552 act except that Elizabeth was the Supreme Governor rather than the Supreme Head. The moderate, Matthew Parker was made the new Archbishop of Canterbury, unlike many of the new Bishops he had remained in England during the reign of Mary. The settlement was meant to keep moderates within the Church of England and satisfy all but the most ardent Roman Catholic or Swiss inspired Calvinist. Whilst Elizabeth was pragmatic the settlement legislation was passed through Parliament via the will and the skills of William Cecil who would be the Secretary of State until his death in the 1590s. As with the legislation that Thomas Cromwell passed through the Reformation Parliament it must be reckoned that Cecil was by and large carrying out the royal will. The only problem was that Elizabeth was not as decisive as her father and Cecil perhaps guessed what the royal will was before she made the decision (Guy from Morgan, 1993).
The Political Success of the Elizabeth Settlement
The Elizabethan Settlement can be seen as a political success, as it prevented the civil and religious strife that occurred in France, Scotland and the Netherlands, being repeated in England during the sixteenth century. Events in Scotland on the whole benefited Elizabeth, whilst the wars of religion in France and the Revolt of the Netherlands offered the nightmarish prospect of militantly Catholic Spain becoming all powerful on the continent with ports near enough to launch invasion fleets against England. On the other hand, Elizabeth only offered the Protestants in these countries the least aid they needed to survive. She had to strike a balance between allowing them to survive whilst avoiding a war with Spain. Elizabeth did not naturally support rebels but pragmatism would win the day (Ridley, 2002 p. 21).
Elizabeth did not always make her true feelings or beliefs known but would do things that maintained or enhanced her position. The country as a whole was not yet Protestant. Only in Kent and London did they form a majority of the population. The Queen's coronation was like a victory parade for Protestant reformers. They should have only been celebrating their survival of the Marian reaction, as Protestantism was not yet in a dominant position (Ridley 2002 p.36).
