Religious Change Under Mary (Edexcel A-Level History): Revision Notes
Religious Change Under Mary
Mary's aims and initial changes
When Mary Tudor became queen in 1553, her strong Catholic faith drove her to restore the English Church to papal authority. During Edward VI's reign, she had courageously refused to stop hearing Mass despite immense pressure from the king and his Council. Her marriage to Philip of Spain, son of Charles V, was a crucial element of her strategy to return England to Catholicism.
Mary's first moves towards Catholicism began immediately in 1553 when she imprisoned several prominent Protestant bishops, including Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. These men had been key architects of Edward's Protestant reforms.
Initially, Mary hoped for a spontaneous and popular return to Catholicism across England. However, this expectation proved unrealistic for several important reasons.
Challenges facing Mary's Catholic restoration
Mary encountered significant obstacles that forced her to adopt a more cautious approach:
Protestant resistance
Mary had underestimated the determination and strength of English Protestants. They were not willing to simply abandon their faith, and many had become deeply committed to Protestant theology during Edward's reign.
Political complications
News of Mary's planned marriage to Philip of Spain sparked Wyatt's Rebellion in 1554. This uprising demonstrated that religious change could not be rushed without risking political instability, forcing Mary to proceed more carefully.
The monastic lands problem
One of the most difficult issues Mary faced was the question of former monastic property. During Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, enormous amounts of church land had been sold to new owners from the nobility and gentry. Mary realised she could not demand the return of these lands without alienating the powerful landed classes whose support she needed.
This required delicate negotiations with both the pope and his representative, Reginald Pole, who initially wanted to take a more hard-line approach. With Philip's help, Mary eventually secured a compromise.
The return to Catholicism: November 1554 onwards
The full restoration of Catholicism only began during Mary's second parliament in November 1554. This marked a turning point in Mary's religious policy.
Reginald Pole's arrival
In November 1554, Pole finally arrived in England as papal legate. He offered complete papal absolution (forgiveness) to the English nation in exchange for repealing all religious legislation passed since 1529. This meant undoing all of Henry VIII's and Edward VI's religious reforms.
Crucially, Pole agreed to a vital compromise: former church lands would not have to be returned to the Church. This agreement kept parliament and the landed classes satisfied, removing a major obstacle to Catholic restoration.
Successes of Catholic restoration
Mary and Pole achieved several significant successes in restoring Catholicism to England:
Appointing loyal bishops
They appointed six educated and committed Catholic bishops, such as Thomas Goldwell, Bishop of St Asaph. The dedication of these men was later proven when five of them resigned in protest at Elizabeth I's Protestant policies, demonstrating their genuine commitment to Catholic faith.
Catholic publications
To counter Protestant use of the printing press, Pole encouraged the publication of Catholic literature. Between 1554 and 1558, 64 Catholic titles were published, providing theological support for the Catholic restoration.
The Church synod (1555-56)
Pole called a Church synod (a meeting of church leaders) with the aim of improving both the education of the clergy and the overall running of the Church. This represented a top-down approach to reform, focusing on improving church leadership and structure.
The synod recommended establishing seminaries (training colleges for priests) to ensure better-educated clergy. However, only one seminary was actually established before Mary's death, limiting the impact of this reform.
Improving clerical standards
Pole encouraged his bishops to set good examples for their clergy. He ordered all priests to live in their parishes rather than being absent, which would improve the quality of spiritual care that congregations received.
New religious institutions
Mary and Pole succeeded in founding six new monastic institutions, beginning to restore some of the monastic life that had been destroyed under Henry VIII.
Protestant exile
Around 800 Protestants were either encouraged or forced to leave England during Mary's reign. They remained in exile on the continent until Elizabeth I's accession, removing some of the most committed Protestant voices from the country.
Limitations and failures of Catholic restoration
Despite these successes, Mary's Catholic restoration faced serious limitations that prevented it from becoming permanent:
Insufficient time
Mary simply did not live long enough to enforce and embed her religious changes. She died in 1558 after only five years as queen, which proved insufficient time for Catholicism to become deeply rooted again.
Pole's isolation and misunderstanding
Reginald Pole had been out of England for 20 years and did not fully understand the extent or nature of the religious changes that had taken place. His long absence meant he was somewhat out of touch with English religious life.
His situation worsened when he quarrelled with Pope Paul IV. This conflict meant that appointments to seven bishoprics were held up in 1557-58, seriously frustrating his attempts to renew church leadership at a critical time.
Shortage of qualified clergy
Pole's top-down approach was fundamentally undermined by a shortage of well-educated priests to serve all parishes. This problem was so severe that Pole had to grant 200 exemptions allowing pluralism – the practice of one clergyman being responsible for multiple parishes and congregations.
This created the related problem of absenteeism, with poorly qualified or semi-literate priests trying to meet the needs of parishioners. The quality of pastoral care inevitably suffered.
Limited publishing success
While Catholic publications increased, they were no match for Protestant works. During Mary's reign, 98 Protestant titles were published, outnumbering Catholic publications and showing that Protestants were winning the propaganda battle.
Rejection of Jesuit help
Pole made a critical error by rejecting an offer of assistance from the Jesuits. The Jesuits were members of a movement founded in 1540 by Ignatius Loyola to spread Christianity through missionary work. Although not specifically created to combat Protestantism, they had become a powerful tool for the Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation.
The Jesuits used a technique known as 'spiritual exercises', a form of meditation which could lead to renewed commitment to Catholicism. Their emphasis on preaching to congregations might have encouraged ordinary people to embrace Catholic changes more completely. However, Pole's focus on reforming the clergy rather than engaging congregations meant he turned down this valuable help.
The burning of Protestants
The most notorious and controversial aspect of Mary's religious policy was the execution of nearly 300 Protestants between 1556 and 1558. These people were burnt at the stake for the heresy of refusing to abandon their Protestant beliefs.
Scale and context
While these executions mirrored the punishment of heretics across Europe, England's burnings were actually on a much smaller scale than continental persecutions. Nevertheless, the policy had a profound and lasting impact on England's religious culture.
High-profile victims
Some burnings involved prominent religious figures from Edward's reign:
- Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and John Hooper (all Protestant bishops) were burnt in 1555
- Thomas Cranmer, the former Archbishop of Canterbury and architect of Edward's Protestant reforms, was the most famous victim
The Execution of Thomas Cranmer (1556)
Under examination, Cranmer had recanted (publicly renounced) his Protestant views, hoping this would save his life. However, Mary was determined he should be executed.
In 1556, he was burnt at the stake. According to John Foxe's later account, Cranmer thrust into the flames the hand that had signed his recantation, declaring it should burn first. This dramatic gesture became one of the most memorable moments in the Protestant martyrologies.
Humble victims
Most victims came from much more humble backgrounds than the bishops. They were mostly artisans (skilled craftsmen), labourers or yeomen (independent farmers). This shows that Protestant belief had spread widely through English society, not just among the educated elite.
Public reactions
Reactions to the burnings were mixed and complex:
- Some burnings attracted popular outcry and sympathy for the victims
- However, there was also acceptance or even support for these punishments
- Some members of local government, such as the Earl of Derby, actively helped hunt down heretics
- This suggests religious opinion in England remained divided
Propaganda impact: John Foxe's Book of Martyrs
Protestant writer John Foxe used the burnings for powerful propaganda purposes. Foxe had been educated at Oxford and became a Protestant in the 1540s, being ordained as a priest during Edward's reign. During Mary's reign, he went into exile to escape persecution.
While abroad, Foxe wrote his Book of Martyrs (sometimes called 'Acts and Monuments'), which recorded the martyrdom of Protestants burnt for their faith. The book included gruesome illustrations of their deaths and was designed as Protestant propaganda.
First published abroad in 1554, an expanded English edition appeared in 1563 after Elizabeth's accession, incorporating accounts of Mary's burnings. Foxe dedicated his book to Elizabeth I and pursued a successful career in the English Church.
The Book of Martyrs remained in print throughout Elizabeth's reign and beyond, shaping English Protestant identity for generations. It created a lasting image of 'Bloody Mary' persecuting innocent Protestants, though historians have noted it presented a one-sided picture of the events.
Assessment of Mary's religious changes
While Mary lived, it seemed likely that Catholicism would remain the dominant religion in England. Her government had achieved substantial success in restoring Catholic practices, institutions and leadership.
However, Protestantism had not been completely destroyed. Protestant ideas remained alive, as shown by the number of Protestant publications and the resistance of those burnt as martyrs. The brevity of Mary's reign meant Catholic restoration remained incomplete and vulnerable to reversal.
When Mary died in 1558 (the same year as Reginald Pole), the religious future of England remained uncertain. Elizabeth I's accession would soon reverse Mary's work and establish a Protestant settlement that proved far more enduring.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Mary's strong Catholic faith drove her determination to restore papal authority, but she faced significant challenges including Protestant resistance, political instability (Wyatt's Rebellion), and the problem of former monastic lands
- The full return to Catholicism began in November 1554 when Reginald Pole arrived and offered papal absolution in exchange for repealing religious laws since 1529
- Successes included appointing six loyal Catholic bishops, publishing 64 Catholic works, calling a synod (1555-56) to improve the clergy, and founding six new monasteries
- Failures included Mary's short reign, Pole's 20-year absence making him out of touch, shortage of qualified clergy requiring 200 pluralism exemptions, and rejection of Jesuit help
- Nearly 300 Protestants were burnt for heresy (1556-58), including high-profile victims like Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley, as well as humble artisans and labourers
- John Foxe's Book of Martyrs used the burnings for Protestant propaganda, creating the lasting image of 'Bloody Mary' and shaping English Protestant identity for generations
- While Catholicism was dominant when Mary died in 1558, Protestantism had not been destroyed, and the restoration was incomplete and vulnerable to reversal