The Reign Of Edward VI Essay Research

The Reign Of Edward VI Essay, Research Paper

The Reign of Edward VI

The reign of Edward VI saw great religious upheaval from a Protestant

religion that was Catholic in nature to a more clearly defined and radical

quasi-Calvinism. In that sense religious policy hardened. But the policies and

ideal never became deeply entrenched and accepted throughout the country and

often only existed to serve the interests of those who enacted them, and not the

future stance of the church. Under Somerset the changes involved merely creating

a Protestant facelift, and only under Northumberland did sweeping radical

changes emerge. However, policy never hardened enough, or became accepted enough,

to prevent it being disintegrated when Mary came to power in 1553.

The religious situation was highly unstable at the time of Edward’s

ascendance. Although Henry had allowed Protestant leaning clerics to predominate

in the later year of his reign, most religious statutes remained orthodox, and

conservative. But under Somerset Protestants who had previously fled to Europe

after the six articles, such as Hooper, Becon, and Turner, all returned. Many

were writers banned under Henry VIII, along with Luther and other European

Protestants. Guy points out that 159 out of 394 new books printed during the

Protectorate were written by Protestant reformers.

Reformers predominated the Privy council under Somerset, and reform was

popular amongst the gentry of the time. But outside London and East Anglia

Protestantism was not a major force. In terms of religious hardening, it is

unlikely that the surge of Protestantism had any particular long term impact

outside these areas. It was only in these areas that violent iconoclasm took

place. Elsewhere far more moderate reforms such as vernacular Bibles and

services were introduced.

The legislation of the Somerset era also did little to aid a definite

hardening of religious policy. The Privy council remained reluctant to make any

radical moves. The Council, parliament, and the convocation all wanted reform,

but not of the type that would firmly thrust the country into radical

Protestantism. Moderate leanings were all that was desired, and this was

reflected in the two major pieces of legislation, the Chantries Act and the

Treason Act, which both did little to resolve doctrinal uncertainties. The new

book of common prayer also trod a careful path between Protestantism and

Catholicism.

Jordan states that .These years … were characterised by patience with

the bishops, almost half of whom were conservative in their views and Catholic

in their doctrinal sympathies, though all, trained as they were in the reign of

Henry VIII, lent complete support to the Act Supremacy in all its constitutional

and political implications … the lesser clergy and the laity were with few

exceptions under no considerable pressure to conform, even after the passage of

the Act establishing the first Book of Common Prayer..

Guy suggests that the Protestant stance was only ever introduced by

Somerset to promote his own interests. .Although accurate figures are lacking,

roughly one fifth of Londoners were Protestant by 1547 … but elsewhere

Protestantism had barely progressed. Yet London activists had a disproportionate

influence on official policy … secret cells of .Christian brethren’ existed to

spread the word; links were forged with Lollard congregations , the Protestant

book trade established … Since so many of Somerset’s supporters were radical,

he had an incentive to assimilate the supremacy to their interests. The danger

was that religious opinion would polarise and lead to civil discord; uniformity

was the linchpin of order..

Bush argues that due to the political motivation behind reform, real

religious zeal was not apparent, the apparent hardening Protestantism only a

token gesture. .The outstanding characteristic of the settlement was its

moderate enforcement. Victims were relatively few, martyrs at the stake were

non-existent, and the conservative bishops tumbled from office in any number

only after Somerset’s fall … the regime certainly showed a noticeable leniency

in the persecution of religious dissent within the context of the age..

Northumberland presided over moves to a far more radical religion.

Ridley was appointed Bishop of London and Hooper Bishop of Gloucester.

Protestantism had already been hardened through doctrine and procedural changes.

By Northumberland’s fall, communion tables had been moved into the centre of the

church, and second new prayer book was issued in 1552. Communion no longer

resembled mass. Only plain surpluses were allowed, and the 1553 42 articles

produced far more Protestant doctrinal changes than had been seen before. The

new vernacular bible was reinforced by the new style of service. Also, the

number of priests marrying

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