4. How far was religious change driven by the personal religious beliefs of monarchs?

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we consider the question ‘How far was religious change in England during the years 1547-63 driven by the personal religious beliefs of successive monarchs?’, focusing in particular on: (i) the importance of the Third Succession Act (1543), which restores the Catholic Mary and Protestant Elizabeth to the royal succession; (ii) Edward’s personal religious beliefs, and the influence of individuals such as John Cheke, Jean Belmain, and Roger Ascham; (iii) the influence of Edward’s advisors after he became king, including Edward Seymour, John Dudley, and (especially) Thomas Cranmer; (iv) Thomas Cranmer’s role as the architect of the Edwardian Reformation; (v) Mary’s personal religious beliefs; (vi) the importance of Cardinal Reginald Pole; (vii) Elizabeth’s personal religious beliefs; and (viii) the nature of the Elizabethan Settlement, including Elizabeth’s determination not to “open windows into men’s souls”.

Course

In this course, Dr Jonathan Willis (University of Birmingham) explores religion and the church in Tudor England through six key questions: (1) To what extent was criticism of the Late Medieval Catholic Church the main reason for the growth of Protestantism in Tudor England?; (2) To what extent did religion in England change significantly during the reign of Henry VIII?; (3) To what extent did religion in England change significantly during the reign of Henry VIII?; (4) How far was religious change in England during the years 1547-63 driven by the personal religious beliefs of successive monarchs?; (5) What factors facilitated the survival of Catholicism during the reign of Elizabeth I?; and (6) Did the Elizabethan Settlement of 1559 mark the end of the English Reformation?.

Lecturer

Dr Jonathan Willis is a Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Birmingham. He is primarily a historian of the English reformation, with interests in the history and theology of late-medieval and early modern Europe more broadly. His research focuses on the religious and cultural history of England over the course of the long sixteenth century. His recent publications include Church Music and Protestantism in Post-Reformation England (Farnham: Ashgate, 2010) and The Reformation of the Decalogue: Religious Belief, Practice and Identity and the Ten Commandments in England, c.1485-c.1625 (CUP, forthcoming 2017)