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blueTopic: Queen Elizabeth
On the death of Henry VII I's, his nine-year-old son, Edward VI, born of his third marriage, become king and head of the state and church, A council of nobles, however was the rule until Edward grew of age. Edward died of tuberculosis six years later at the age of fifteen. In those years, Lutheran and Calvinism practices and belief were introduced and enforced, especially by Cranmer, Bishops who objected were imprisoned.
At Edward's death, his half-sister Mary Tudor, become Queen, She as the catholic daughter of Catherine of Spain, Henry's first wife. Mary restored England to the catholic church, for her faith was deep and strong.
I would rather lose ten crowns than put my soul in danger, she declared. But Mary's methods were not always the wisest, and though she had great courage she lacked personal charm and graciousness in dealing with people. Moreover, she married Philip of Spain, a marriage which was resented because they were afraid that their country's independence would be lost to the foreign influence. Their national pride and honor was hurt. Thus, although the country as a whole joyously welcomed the return to the faith, there was still some doubt and discontent, and it grew when the Queen Mary put to death those who had previously promoted the break of the church, Many of them, if not all, had been in the various revolts aimed at driving Mary from the throne.
Mary Tudor died after reigning only five years. She was succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth, Henry VII I's's daughter by Anne Bolyn. Elizabeth's one aim was to please the majority of the powerful noblemen and encourage the nationalistic spirit in the people so to ensure her popularity and her throne, She was gifted with uncommon intelligence and was very well educated. She was attractive, majestic in every sense, a lover of power and pageantry, and quick to sense what England wanted.
For such a woman, religion could never mean as much as her own power, She feared Catholicism because the pope was a foreign power, but she liked its munificent liturgical celebration which she could not have in Calvinism.
For some time, she felt her way, swinging between the old religion, stall practiced by most of the English, and the new religion, which was gaining followers among the wealthier middle class. Finally, she built up the official Church of England, or Anglican Church, in which the ruler holds supreme authority, and which has a liturgy closely resembling the catholic mass, but differs in many doctrinal teachings. Anglicanism became so entwined with loyalty to the Queen and to England's newly emerging glory as a world power that by the time Elizabeth died, after reigning forty five years, it was very solidly established.
Updated: Sunday, 3 December 2006 11:01 AM
