What was the Religious Settlement of 1559, and how was it challenged?
The Elizabethan Religious Settlement of 1559 (the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity, the middle way) and the challenges to it from Catholics (recusants, missionary priests) and Puritans, including the impact and reception of the Settlement in Wales.
A focused answer on the Elizabethan Religious Settlement of 1559, covering the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity and the middle way, the Catholic and Puritan challenges, and the reception of the Settlement in Wales.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers the Religious Settlement of 1559 and how it was challenged. You need to explain the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity and the middle way, the Catholic challenge (recusants and missionary priests) and the Puritan challenge, and the reception of the Settlement in Wales. As a Unit 1 depth study, weigh why the compromise pleased neither extreme.
The Settlement of 1559: the middle way
The Catholic challenge
The Puritan challenge
The Settlement in Wales
Try this
Q1. What did the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity do? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. The Act of Supremacy made Elizabeth Supreme Governor of the Church of England; the Act of Uniformity imposed a single Book of Common Prayer and ordered church attendance, with recusancy fines for refusal.
Q2. Explain how the Settlement was received in Wales. [Short explanation]
- Cue. It was accepted fairly peacefully, helped by the translation of the Bible and Prayer Book into Welsh (1567 and William Morgan's Bible of 1588), which made the new Church accessible in Welsh and tied Protestantism to Welsh identity.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC Wales (Unit 1)4 marksDescribe two features of the 1559 Religious Settlement.Show worked answer →
The describe question (AO1). Reward two distinct, developed features, each with one supporting detail.
Feature one. The Act of Supremacy made Elizabeth Supreme Governor of the Church of England, a careful title chosen so that even some Catholics could accept a woman's authority over the Church.
Feature two. The Act of Uniformity set a single Book of Common Prayer and ordered everyone to attend church, with fines (recusancy fines) for those who did not.
Top marks. Two distinct features, each developed with precise detail.
WJEC Wales (Unit 1)8 marksExplain why Elizabeth's Religious Settlement was challenged.Show worked answer →
The explain question (AO1 and AO2). Reward a developed analysis of reasons, each supported and linked to the outcome.
Reason one. Catholics rejected a Protestant Church: recusants refused to attend, and from the 1570s missionary priests (such as Jesuits) arrived to keep the faith alive, which the government saw as treason.
Reason two. Puritans wanted a more fully Protestant Church, with simpler services and no bishops, and pushed Elizabeth to go further than her middle way.
Reason three. The Settlement was a compromise, so it satisfied neither extreme fully, leaving both Catholics and Puritans to challenge it.
Top band. Link each challenge to why the Settlement was contested, and judge which was the greater threat.
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Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE History (Wales) specification (3100) — WJEC (2017)