The Puritan Challenge and Religious Tensions

The Puritan Challenge and Religious Tensions

While Catholic threats dominated Elizabeth's early and middle reign, she also faced growing pressure from Puritans — Protestants who believed the Religious Settlement of 1559 did not go far enough in reforming the Church of England.

Who Were the Puritans?

Puritans wanted to "purify" the Church of England of all remaining Catholic practices. Their demands included:

• Removing bishops and the church hierarchy — they wanted a Presbyterian system where each church was governed by elected elders.
• Simpler church services — no vestments (special clergy robes), no crucifixes, no organ music, no stained glass.
• No set prayers — services should be based on Bible reading and preaching (sermons), not set liturgy.
• A stricter moral code — no theatre, dancing, gambling, or lavish entertainment.
• Many Puritans were influenced by John Calvin's Reformed church in Geneva.

Puritans were a minority but an influential one — they included many educated clergy, MPs, and members of the gentry. Several of Elizabeth's own Privy Councillors (including Leicester and Walsingham) had Puritan sympathies.

Key Challenges

The Vestments Controversy (1566)

• Some clergy refused to wear the surplice (white robe) required by the Religious Settlement, seeing it as a "rag of popery."
• Archbishop Parker issued the Advertisements (1566), ordering all clergy to wear the correct vestments or face suspension.
• About 37 London clergy were suspended for refusal. Most eventually conformed.

Thomas Cartwright (1570)

• Professor of Divinity at Cambridge; argued that the New Testament required a Presbyterian church structure (no bishops).
• Cartwright was removed from his post and eventually fled abroad.

The Admonition to Parliament (1572)

• Two Puritan ministers (John Field and Thomas Wilcox) published a pamphlet demanding the abolition of bishops and a complete restructuring of the Church.
• Both were imprisoned for a year. The pamphlet was widely read.

Prophesyings (1570s)

• Prophesyings were local meetings where clergy gathered to study and discuss the Bible. Puritans used them to spread their ideas.
• Elizabeth saw them as a threat to her control of the Church and ordered Archbishop Grindal to suppress them.
• Grindal refused, writing to Elizabeth that he must obey God rather than the Queen. He was suspended from office (1577) and remained under house arrest until his death in 1583.

Archbishop Whitgift (1583-1604)

• Elizabeth appointed John Whitgift as Archbishop of Canterbury specifically to crack down on Puritanism.
• Whitgift required all clergy to accept the Royal Supremacy, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Thirty-Nine Articles. Around 300-400 clergy initially refused (most eventually complied).
• He used the Court of High Commission to discipline Puritan clergy.

The Marprelate Tracts (1588-1589)

• A series of anonymous pamphlets savagely attacking bishops with humour and satire. The author ("Martin Marprelate") was never identified.
• The government used a printing press hunt to stop them. The tracts actually damaged the Puritan cause by associating it with extremism.

Separatists

• A small minority of Puritans gave up on reforming the Church of England and formed separate congregations.
• This was illegal — two Separatist leaders, Henry Barrow and John Greenwood, were executed in 1593.
• The government passed an Act Against Seditious Sectaries (1593), making it a crime to attend unauthorised religious meetings.

How Serious Was the Puritan Threat?

Argument it WAS serious	Argument it was NOT serious
Puritans had support in Parliament and among Elizabeth's own councillors	They were a minority — most people accepted the settlement
They challenged the Queen's authority over the Church (Grindal)	Elizabeth successfully controlled them through her archbishops
Separatists rejected the established Church entirely	Separatists were tiny in number
Puritan ideas continued to grow (they would contribute to the Civil War of the 1640s)	Most Puritans conformed when pressured

Key Exam Points

• Elizabeth faced challenges from both sides — Catholics and Puritans. She needed to maintain her "middle way."
• Be prepared to compare the Catholic and Puritan threats — which was more dangerous?
• Understand the difference between Puritans who wanted to reform the Church from within and Separatists who wanted to leave it.