When Elizabeth
replaced Mary as queen, she re-established
Protestantism as England's official religion. Although people were
fined for not attending Protestant church services, little effort
was made to persecute the many Catholics that still lived in England.
Some Protestants thought
that the Anglican Church was still too much like the Catholic church.
These people became known as Puritans. Some of the things Puritans
complained about included:
ministers wearing surplices (loose, white garments); people kneeling
while taking Communion; ornaments, paintings and stained glass windows
in churches; the playing of organ music during services and the celebrations
of saints' days.
Puritans,
deeply influenced by the writings of John
Calvin, also disliked the power that the bishops had in the church.
For example, many Puritans disapproved of bishops appointing
church ministers. Instead,
they suggested that ministers should be elected by the people who
attended church services.
Elizabeth resisted these
changes as she saw the Puritans as a threat to monarchical government.
She feared that Puritans who complained about the wealth and power
of bishops would eventually say the same thing about kings and queens.
In time, the type of Protestant church established by Elizabeth in
England became known as the Anglican Church.
Woodcut from a pamphlet published
in 1641.
(1)
J. Harrison, The Common People (1984)
Many Puritans preached in public. The idea of labouring men
(and also women) preaching was deeply offensive to the ruling classes.
(2)
Christopher Hill, The Century of Revolution (1961)
The pulpit
was used for making government announcements... ministers were frequently
instructed by the government to preach sermons slanted in a particular
way.
(3)
W. Weston, The Autobiography of an Elizabethan (c. 1580)
From the very beginning a great number of Puritans lived
here. Each of them had his own Bible, turning the pages and discussing
the passages among themselves... they would start arguing about the
meaning of passages from the Scriptures - men, women, boys, girls,
rustics, labourers and idiots - and more often than not, it was said,
it ended in violence.
(4)
Charles I, comment to one of his ministers (1638)
People are governed by
the pulpit more than the sword.
(5)
On 30 June, 1637, three Puritans were publicly punished for writing
pamphlets criticizing Archbishop Laud. Nehemiah Wallington witnessed
the event.
Mr Pryne...
went up first on the scaffold, and his wife, immediately following,
came up to him... and saluted each ear with a kiss... The executioner
came towards him. Mr Pryne spoke these words to him, "Come, friend,
come, burn me, cut me, I fear it not. I have learned to fear the fire
of Hell, and not what man can do unto me." The executioner...
heated his iron to
burn one cheek, and cut off one of his ears so close that he cut off
a piece of his cheek.
(6)
Lucy Hutchinson, History of the English Civil War (c. 1670)
King Charles...
married a Catholic... he became a most submissive husband... all the
Catholics were favoured... the Puritans were persecuted and many of
them chose to abandon their native country... Those that could not
flee were... fined, whipped and imprisoned.
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