Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the argument over whether England was a nation of Protestants by Elizabeth I's death in 1603. The paper looks at the progress towards Reformation and how it can be measured by how far Protestantism was accepted by the liturgy. It also discusses how far the laity accepted Protestantism and to what extent the shift of religion was influenced in creating the changed religious nature of England by 1603.

From the Paper:

"Overall it can be seen that by 1603, England was a Protestant nation, which largely contained a Protestant populace. It had taken decades for transition to take place and the Protestant cause had been faced with resistance from conservative laity and clergy, in-fighting and a Catholic missionary movement. Indeed, Haigh's thesis states that the Settlement was not the defining point of the Reformation and that Catholicism was strong, in some areas, well into the 1590s. However, he does not, in fact, strongly argue that, by Elizabeth's death, the nation was not one full of Protestants. Thus, it is clear that by 1603, Protestantism had overcome these setbacks. It is true that it was not 'completely' installed and some holiday rituals and saint worship remained, but by 1603, Catholicism was no longer the official faith of the State - or of the majority of the laity - proving that to all intents and purposes, England was a nation of Protestants by Elizabeth's death."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Haigh, Christopher, The Church of England, the Catholics and the People, The Reign of Elizabeth I, Carole Levin, Basingstoke, Palgrave, 2002, pp. 199
• Dickens, A.G., The English Reformation, 2nd edition, B T Batsford Ltd., London, 1989, pp. 352
• MacCulloch, Diarmaid, Building a Godly Realm, The Establishment of English Protestantism 1558-1603, pp. 7
• Palliser, D.M., Popular reactions to the Reformation during the years of uncertainty 1530-70, Church and Society in England, Henry VIII to James I, eds. Felicity Heal, Rosemary o' Day, Macmillan, 1977, pp.37
• Hayward's Annals, First Four Years or the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, ed. J. Bruce, p.28

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