History A level- themes in Religious conflict in the Church 1529-1570
I’ve got my y12 mocks in a few weeks and have just stared revision Im not sure how to revise for it.
Ive watched History Revision Success on Yt : ‘How do I revise for A level History? GET AN A* WITH THESE TIPS.’ Where she talks about Themes within the course but I can’t find any for Religious conflict in the Church 1529-1570.
If anyone else has done this and found themes could you share them with me please!!
Thanks sm!!
Ive watched History Revision Success on Yt : ‘How do I revise for A level History? GET AN A* WITH THESE TIPS.’ Where she talks about Themes within the course but I can’t find any for Religious conflict in the Church 1529-1570.
If anyone else has done this and found themes could you share them with me please!!
Thanks sm!!
Reply 1
Hi there!
I'm not too sure how helpful I can be, I study The Tudors as my breadth so I do religion as part of that, but it won't be the same level of depth that you do.
I'd need to look at your specification, but below I'll try pull out some things I do in the Tudors course but can't promise it'll be any help
Hopefully this helps at least a little, I might also have some essays that use religion as a theme but the depth still won't be as narrow. If you'd like me to send an essay just say and I can send that through.
Good luck with your mocks!
I'm not too sure how helpful I can be, I study The Tudors as my breadth so I do religion as part of that, but it won't be the same level of depth that you do.
I'd need to look at your specification, but below I'll try pull out some things I do in the Tudors course but can't promise it'll be any help
•
Opposition through rebellion. Henry VIII- Pilgrimage of Grace
•
Rivalry with the Pope- Elizabeth excommunicated in 1570 and Henry VIII's split with Rome over divorce
•
Security- Edward's attempt to bypass Mary in succession led to rebellion and murder of 9 day Queen. He didn't want a Catholic to rule after him
•
Elizabethan religious settlement- tried to please both Protestants and Catholics, but Catholics wanted mass and Protestants wanted more Protestant reform. Led to (Norfolk?) rebellion
•
Religion decided whom Elizabeth could and couldn't marry. She remained single but rejected Catholic suitors.
•
Mary Queen of Scots- was a Catholic and had support from England's Catholic population, rivalry with Protestant Queen saw her executed
•
Henry VIII dissolution of the Monasteries- shows significant religious change following split with Pope
Good luck with your mocks!
Reply 2
Original post by SharlLeglerg16
Hi there!
I'm not too sure how helpful I can be, I study The Tudors as my breadth so I do religion as part of that, but it won't be the same level of depth that you do.
I'd need to look at your specification, but below I'll try pull out some things I do in the Tudors course but can't promise it'll be any help
Hopefully this helps at least a little, I might also have some essays that use religion as a theme but the depth still won't be as narrow. If you'd like me to send an essay just say and I can send that through.
Good luck with your mocks!
I'm not too sure how helpful I can be, I study The Tudors as my breadth so I do religion as part of that, but it won't be the same level of depth that you do.
I'd need to look at your specification, but below I'll try pull out some things I do in the Tudors course but can't promise it'll be any help
•
Opposition through rebellion. Henry VIII- Pilgrimage of Grace
•
Rivalry with the Pope- Elizabeth excommunicated in 1570 and Henry VIII's split with Rome over divorce
•
Security- Edward's attempt to bypass Mary in succession led to rebellion and murder of 9 day Queen. He didn't want a Catholic to rule after him
•
Elizabethan religious settlement- tried to please both Protestants and Catholics, but Catholics wanted mass and Protestants wanted more Protestant reform. Led to (Norfolk?) rebellion
•
Religion decided whom Elizabeth could and couldn't marry. She remained single but rejected Catholic suitors.
•
Mary Queen of Scots- was a Catholic and had support from England's Catholic population, rivalry with Protestant Queen saw her executed
•
Henry VIII dissolution of the Monasteries- shows significant religious change following split with Pope
Good luck with your mocks!
Hi thank you so much!
This did really help especially because it’s so easy to digest!!
I would love to see some of your essays that’s so generous thank you again!!
Reply 3
I'm not too sure how to attach a file so hopefully this works!
The challenge posed to the Elizabethan crown by Catholicism was never as strong as Elizabeth and her ministers believed. Assess the validity of this claim.
The challenge posed by the Elizabethan crown by Catholicism was no doubt very strong, and this was also the view in the eyes of Elizabeth and her ministers. However, there were also elements of the threat that weren’t as strong as her and her ministers made it out to be. There was a different level of threat posed for the different periods in her reign. Taking over a Catholic county as a Protestant, Elizabeth was effective at controlling the threat for the first part of her reign. The decades that followed contained some degree of increased threat, most notably through Mary Queen of Scots. However, by the end of her reign, Elizabeth had been effective at controlling the Catholic threat her ministers believed to be so strong. This shows how overall, the extent Catholic threat was prevalent is best assessed by decade.
Elizabeth’s early religious policy aimed for a compromise between Protestantism and Catholicism, and in her early years as Queen this was effective at controlling any Catholic threat. Given Mary had ruled the country as a very devout Catholic, Elizabeth was inheriting an England that was mostly Catholic, which explains why her Protestant reforms were gradual in the hope to control opposition. This was largely successful at limiting the challenge Catholics posed as Elizabeth’s laws to punish mass and failure to take the oath of supremacy weren’t fully implemented. Given Elizabeth allowed Catholics in the gentry and nobility to attend their own private mass, she was able to control the Catholic threat. In addition, this law stated that the Catholics hosting private mass must continue to attend the Church of England. Through this, Elizabeth was able to ensure that the Catholic threat wasn’t severe in the early part of her reign, whilst ensuring Catholics respected her religion through CofE attendance.
It was Mary Queen of Scots whom arguably posed the greatest Catholic threat, not only through her own actions but through her supporters as well. Her presence in England increased the Catholic threat as she became involved in plots to overthrow the Protestant queen, most notably the Babington plot in which she helped to organise. Through this, Mary’s own threat as a Catholic can be shown to be very similar to the views of Elizabeth’s ministers, and Dudley’s urging of her to execute Mary was evident of this. However, what did increase the Catholic threat was Elizabeth’s reluctance to follow Dudley’s advice. On several occasions, Elizabeth signed and revoked the death warrant which increased the Catholic threat as it allowed more plots and rebellions in Mary’s favour to take place. An example of this is the religiously motivated Norfolk rebellion, where rebels wanted to restore Catholicism and used Mary as part of their plot. Despite this rebellion being easily overcome due to an effective crown response and poor organisation, signing an earlier death warrant could have prevented it completely and led to a less severe Catholic threat. Therefore, it can be argued that the Catholic threat in the 1560’s, 70’s, and 80’s was the result of Elizabeth’s indecision, and was more severe than it could have been with a more ruthless approach to Mary.
By the end of Elizabeth’s reign, Catholicism was dying out which is evident of the threat not being as strong as her ministers believed it to be. From Mary I’s fiercely Protestant England to Elizabeth’s compromise, to her eventual Protestant reform, what occurred was the dying out of the religion as opposed to Catholic opposition by the 1590’s. Whereas the majority had been Catholics when Elizabeth came into power in a religiously divided country, the figure at her death was 10% with 2% worshipping. The small fraction of Catholics whom actively worshipped evidences a low Catholic threat as it can be viewed that not only was Catholicism now the minority, but Elizabeth’s policies were effective at preventing worship. This means the threat wasn’t significant in the 90’s because the majority of Catholics remained Catholic only by name, not action. Therefore, this shows Elizabeth taking control of a situation that had once threatened her, and her actions had controlled the religion the majority had once belonged to. It means the Catholic threat was very minimal at the time of her death, even if there were still fears amongst her ministers.
Another event in the 80s and 90s was the Spanish Armada, which evidences how the majority of Elizabethans in this period were Protestant and thus limits the appearance of Catholic threat. Due to Phillip II’s nationality as a Catholic, the Armada led to the association between foreign influence, instability, treason, and Catholicism. This led to people becoming less associated with Catholicism- at least in worship- and led to lower levels of threat in this period. In addition, the English victory over Spain acted to show the people a Protestant Queen beating a Catholic King, and so there was less Catholic opposition in these decades as people had a greater instinct to support Elizabeth and her Protestant reforms.
Through assessing each decade of Elizabeth’s reign, it can be seen how the greatest Catholic threat was in the 70’s and first half of the 80’s. The latter half of the 80’s, with the execution of Mary Queen of Scots and the Armada, was pivotal in reducing this Catholic threat. It was here that her ministers believed the threat to be greater than it really was, and by the end of her reign the religion that had been so dominant when she came to power was now the minority.
This one hasn't been marked yet but pretty sure it's the stronger of the two i'll send. About half of it should be relevant to your time period.
‘Henry VIII might have made himself supreme head of the Church of England, but he did little else to change the Church.’ Assess the validity of this view
When Henry VIII made himself supreme head of the Church in 1534 following the Parliamentary act of Supremacy, this led to many alterations in the structure and running of the Churches that led to very significant changes overall, with the vast majority of these being systematic. Physical changes, however, were much more scares, thus showing that his influence over the Church was only prominent in certain areas. In addition, upper class men had a greater Bible allowance, thus showing that the experiences of change will not be the same for all classes.
One of the first major changes made to the Church was its structure. Henry’s appointment of Cromwell to the position of Vicegerent in Spirituals in 1534 was significant in the short-term, as can be evidenced by his influential position. In terms of power, Cromwell was only behind Henry and ranked above the archbishops and bishops. This change was significant because it signalled the loss of influence that traditional Churchmen had, giving Cromwell as a politician more power than religious influencers. Therefore, Henry did change the structure of the Church reasonably significantly, as evidenced by his promotion of Cromwell. From this, it can be learnt that Henry’s most significant changes were systematic rather than physical.
There was, however, also continuity in the structure of the Church. Spiritual jurisdiction remained in the hands of archbishops and bishops, thereby showing that the overall structural changes were not as significant as those in continental Europe. In addition, Cromwell’s position was only a major change for the short- term as it died with him, thus showing that in the long-term changes to the English Church the structural assignment of Cromwell was not overtly significant. This shows that the hierarchy and other systematic changes were much more significant than -physical ones.
Another significant change to the Church was the dissolution of the monasteries in 1535. Under Henry VIII as head of the supreme Church, monasteries with an income of under £200 were dissolved as a result of the 1536 Act of Parliament. This was a significant change because at the start of Henry’s reign these monasteries were deemed very stable. Whilst at first this dissolution was said to increase monastic quality due to smaller monasteries decreasing standards, a second Act in 1539 meant that the remaining monasteries were to also be dissolved. This change in the monasteries was very significant as it showed Henry’s involvement in Church life not being solely concentrated on the Church itself, but he expanded his power to include organisations related to the Church, such as the monasteries, and bringing about a significant change in their existence as a result.
Another change, albeit nowhere near as significant, was in the running of services. One of the main changes was marked by the 1543 Act for the Advancement of True Religion which ensured that only upper class males had access to the Bible to read it. Whilst this change may have appeared significant as it cut off a large amount of the population from God, it did not hold the same political significance that the events surrounding Cromwell and the Monasteries did. Upper-class men may have noted no significant change at all, but for the average worker they would be living without God’s word.
However, there was also continuity with these practices as Latin and music remained central to the services that the Church provided. These act of examples of systematic continuity that stayed the same throughout the reign. Services were still conducted in Latin and music was still used as a form of colligating churches, thus showing this systematic continuity to be very significant during the reign of Henry VIII as the service is what the people saw. Therefore, they may be largely unaware of what changes are taking place around them as their services have remained so similar.
Another continuum with the Church is the interior which remained pretty much identical following the split with the Pope. Church architecture remained gothic and perpendicular in style, just as it had under Henry VII, showing that the churches themselves had not physically changed. The changes to the Church physically were not significant enough to warrant referring to them as “changes” to the Church under Henry VIII- thus his changes can be said to be mostly systematical.
In conclusion, physical interior and exterior changes were scarce but changes to the structure of running was very significant during the time of Henry VIII, thus showing that he did change a large amount of the Church overall. It is also important to note the class divide. The change to the upper class would be much less than to lower classes due to bible access, showing that Henry’s work to change may have been largely covered.
I think this was an A/B grade essay but I can't remember exactly.
Hope this helps!
The challenge posed to the Elizabethan crown by Catholicism was never as strong as Elizabeth and her ministers believed. Assess the validity of this claim.
The challenge posed by the Elizabethan crown by Catholicism was no doubt very strong, and this was also the view in the eyes of Elizabeth and her ministers. However, there were also elements of the threat that weren’t as strong as her and her ministers made it out to be. There was a different level of threat posed for the different periods in her reign. Taking over a Catholic county as a Protestant, Elizabeth was effective at controlling the threat for the first part of her reign. The decades that followed contained some degree of increased threat, most notably through Mary Queen of Scots. However, by the end of her reign, Elizabeth had been effective at controlling the Catholic threat her ministers believed to be so strong. This shows how overall, the extent Catholic threat was prevalent is best assessed by decade.
Elizabeth’s early religious policy aimed for a compromise between Protestantism and Catholicism, and in her early years as Queen this was effective at controlling any Catholic threat. Given Mary had ruled the country as a very devout Catholic, Elizabeth was inheriting an England that was mostly Catholic, which explains why her Protestant reforms were gradual in the hope to control opposition. This was largely successful at limiting the challenge Catholics posed as Elizabeth’s laws to punish mass and failure to take the oath of supremacy weren’t fully implemented. Given Elizabeth allowed Catholics in the gentry and nobility to attend their own private mass, she was able to control the Catholic threat. In addition, this law stated that the Catholics hosting private mass must continue to attend the Church of England. Through this, Elizabeth was able to ensure that the Catholic threat wasn’t severe in the early part of her reign, whilst ensuring Catholics respected her religion through CofE attendance.
It was Mary Queen of Scots whom arguably posed the greatest Catholic threat, not only through her own actions but through her supporters as well. Her presence in England increased the Catholic threat as she became involved in plots to overthrow the Protestant queen, most notably the Babington plot in which she helped to organise. Through this, Mary’s own threat as a Catholic can be shown to be very similar to the views of Elizabeth’s ministers, and Dudley’s urging of her to execute Mary was evident of this. However, what did increase the Catholic threat was Elizabeth’s reluctance to follow Dudley’s advice. On several occasions, Elizabeth signed and revoked the death warrant which increased the Catholic threat as it allowed more plots and rebellions in Mary’s favour to take place. An example of this is the religiously motivated Norfolk rebellion, where rebels wanted to restore Catholicism and used Mary as part of their plot. Despite this rebellion being easily overcome due to an effective crown response and poor organisation, signing an earlier death warrant could have prevented it completely and led to a less severe Catholic threat. Therefore, it can be argued that the Catholic threat in the 1560’s, 70’s, and 80’s was the result of Elizabeth’s indecision, and was more severe than it could have been with a more ruthless approach to Mary.
By the end of Elizabeth’s reign, Catholicism was dying out which is evident of the threat not being as strong as her ministers believed it to be. From Mary I’s fiercely Protestant England to Elizabeth’s compromise, to her eventual Protestant reform, what occurred was the dying out of the religion as opposed to Catholic opposition by the 1590’s. Whereas the majority had been Catholics when Elizabeth came into power in a religiously divided country, the figure at her death was 10% with 2% worshipping. The small fraction of Catholics whom actively worshipped evidences a low Catholic threat as it can be viewed that not only was Catholicism now the minority, but Elizabeth’s policies were effective at preventing worship. This means the threat wasn’t significant in the 90’s because the majority of Catholics remained Catholic only by name, not action. Therefore, this shows Elizabeth taking control of a situation that had once threatened her, and her actions had controlled the religion the majority had once belonged to. It means the Catholic threat was very minimal at the time of her death, even if there were still fears amongst her ministers.
Another event in the 80s and 90s was the Spanish Armada, which evidences how the majority of Elizabethans in this period were Protestant and thus limits the appearance of Catholic threat. Due to Phillip II’s nationality as a Catholic, the Armada led to the association between foreign influence, instability, treason, and Catholicism. This led to people becoming less associated with Catholicism- at least in worship- and led to lower levels of threat in this period. In addition, the English victory over Spain acted to show the people a Protestant Queen beating a Catholic King, and so there was less Catholic opposition in these decades as people had a greater instinct to support Elizabeth and her Protestant reforms.
Through assessing each decade of Elizabeth’s reign, it can be seen how the greatest Catholic threat was in the 70’s and first half of the 80’s. The latter half of the 80’s, with the execution of Mary Queen of Scots and the Armada, was pivotal in reducing this Catholic threat. It was here that her ministers believed the threat to be greater than it really was, and by the end of her reign the religion that had been so dominant when she came to power was now the minority.
This one hasn't been marked yet but pretty sure it's the stronger of the two i'll send. About half of it should be relevant to your time period.
‘Henry VIII might have made himself supreme head of the Church of England, but he did little else to change the Church.’ Assess the validity of this view
When Henry VIII made himself supreme head of the Church in 1534 following the Parliamentary act of Supremacy, this led to many alterations in the structure and running of the Churches that led to very significant changes overall, with the vast majority of these being systematic. Physical changes, however, were much more scares, thus showing that his influence over the Church was only prominent in certain areas. In addition, upper class men had a greater Bible allowance, thus showing that the experiences of change will not be the same for all classes.
One of the first major changes made to the Church was its structure. Henry’s appointment of Cromwell to the position of Vicegerent in Spirituals in 1534 was significant in the short-term, as can be evidenced by his influential position. In terms of power, Cromwell was only behind Henry and ranked above the archbishops and bishops. This change was significant because it signalled the loss of influence that traditional Churchmen had, giving Cromwell as a politician more power than religious influencers. Therefore, Henry did change the structure of the Church reasonably significantly, as evidenced by his promotion of Cromwell. From this, it can be learnt that Henry’s most significant changes were systematic rather than physical.
There was, however, also continuity in the structure of the Church. Spiritual jurisdiction remained in the hands of archbishops and bishops, thereby showing that the overall structural changes were not as significant as those in continental Europe. In addition, Cromwell’s position was only a major change for the short- term as it died with him, thus showing that in the long-term changes to the English Church the structural assignment of Cromwell was not overtly significant. This shows that the hierarchy and other systematic changes were much more significant than -physical ones.
Another significant change to the Church was the dissolution of the monasteries in 1535. Under Henry VIII as head of the supreme Church, monasteries with an income of under £200 were dissolved as a result of the 1536 Act of Parliament. This was a significant change because at the start of Henry’s reign these monasteries were deemed very stable. Whilst at first this dissolution was said to increase monastic quality due to smaller monasteries decreasing standards, a second Act in 1539 meant that the remaining monasteries were to also be dissolved. This change in the monasteries was very significant as it showed Henry’s involvement in Church life not being solely concentrated on the Church itself, but he expanded his power to include organisations related to the Church, such as the monasteries, and bringing about a significant change in their existence as a result.
Another change, albeit nowhere near as significant, was in the running of services. One of the main changes was marked by the 1543 Act for the Advancement of True Religion which ensured that only upper class males had access to the Bible to read it. Whilst this change may have appeared significant as it cut off a large amount of the population from God, it did not hold the same political significance that the events surrounding Cromwell and the Monasteries did. Upper-class men may have noted no significant change at all, but for the average worker they would be living without God’s word.
However, there was also continuity with these practices as Latin and music remained central to the services that the Church provided. These act of examples of systematic continuity that stayed the same throughout the reign. Services were still conducted in Latin and music was still used as a form of colligating churches, thus showing this systematic continuity to be very significant during the reign of Henry VIII as the service is what the people saw. Therefore, they may be largely unaware of what changes are taking place around them as their services have remained so similar.
Another continuum with the Church is the interior which remained pretty much identical following the split with the Pope. Church architecture remained gothic and perpendicular in style, just as it had under Henry VII, showing that the churches themselves had not physically changed. The changes to the Church physically were not significant enough to warrant referring to them as “changes” to the Church under Henry VIII- thus his changes can be said to be mostly systematical.
In conclusion, physical interior and exterior changes were scarce but changes to the structure of running was very significant during the time of Henry VIII, thus showing that he did change a large amount of the Church overall. It is also important to note the class divide. The change to the upper class would be much less than to lower classes due to bible access, showing that Henry’s work to change may have been largely covered.
I think this was an A/B grade essay but I can't remember exactly.
Hope this helps!
Reply 4
Sorry idk how many times you have these, technology playing up. The one I messaged is just a duplicate
😁
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