Page "Tudor dynasty" Paragraph 38

Elizabeth was a moderate Protestant ; she was the daughter of Anne Boleyn, who played a key role in the English Reformation in the 1520s.

She had been brought up by Blanche Herbert Lady Troy.

At her coronation in January 1559, many of the bishops – Catholic, appointed by Mary, who had expelled many of the Protestant clergymen when she became queen in 1553 – refused to perform the service in English.

Eventually, the relatively minor Bishop of Carlisle, Owen Oglethorpe, performed the ceremony ; but when Oglethorpe attempted to perform traditional Catholic parts of the Coronation, Elizabeth got up and left.

Following the Coronation, two important Acts were passed through parliament: the Act of Uniformity and the Act of Supremacy, establishing the Protestant Church of England and creating Elizabeth Supreme Governor of the Church of England ( Supreme Head, the title used by her father and brother, was seen as inappropriate for a woman ruler ).

These acts, known collectively as the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, made it compulsory to attend church services every Sunday ; and imposed an oath on clergymen and statesmen to recognise the Church of England, the independence of the Church of England from the Catholic Church, and the authority of Elizabeth as Supreme Governor.

Elizabeth made it clear that if they refused the oath the first time, they would have a second opportunity, after which, if the oath was not sworn, the offender would be deprived of their offices and estates.