Edward VI and Mary I: religious change

History · The Tudors

Whose reign was that?

Pick a change, then pick the monarch who made it. Go with your gut first. The reason appears after you commit.

11 of 11 still to sort.

Three monarchs, three very different churches. Decide who is responsible for each change, then read why.

What you need to know

• Between 1534 and 1558, what English people were required to believe changed with each monarch.
• In 1534 Henry VIII declared himself supreme head of the church, removing the pope's authority.
• He kept key Catholic teachings, such as transubstantiation and confession. This Henrician Reformation was effectively the Catholic Church under a different banner.
• Have a goYour classmate says, very confidently: "Henry broke with the pope, so England was Protestant by 1534." Name one thing Henry kept that proves them wrong.

  Transubstantiation (or confession).

  Breaking with Rome changed who led the church, but Henry kept key Catholic teachings, so it was effectively the Catholic Church under a different banner.

• Henry died in January 1547. Nine-year-old Edward VI took over, with a Protestant-dominated regency council and Somerset as protector.
• Under Edward, services were in English, the English Bible was encouraged, and Cranmer wrote the Book of Common Prayer.
• Edward's reforms also removed ornaments, replaced the altar with a communion table, ended vestments and let priests marry.
• Have a goYou step into an English church during Edward VI's reign. Name one thing you would hear and one thing you would see that is different.

  Hear: services in English. See: a communion table instead of an altar.

  Edward's reforms changed both what people heard (English services, the Book of Common Prayer) and what they saw (no altar, no vestments, fewer ornaments).

• Edward's changes were moderate: large numbers of Catholics remained, especially in the north, and Somerset feared bigger rebellions than Henry had faced.
• Edward reigned only briefly. Mary I became queen in July 1553, restored Catholicism and made the pope head of the Church again.
• In 1554 the heresy laws were revived, with the death penalty. 284 Protestants were executed in all, and Cranmer was burnt.
• Have a goCranmer wrote the Book of Common Prayer. The heresy laws were revived in 1554. Which of those two happened first?

  The Book of Common Prayer.

  It belongs to Edward VI's reign, and Edward's reign came before Mary's, when the heresy laws returned.

• In England, belief was driven by who the monarch was. In Europe, it was reformists interpreting the Bible in different ways.

The big picture

Between 1534 and 1558 what English people were required to believe changed with each monarch. Henry VIII broke with Rome but kept key Catholic teachings. Edward VI pushed Protestantism forward, carefully, and reigned only briefly. Mary I swept his changes away, revived the heresy laws in 1554 and persecuted Protestants. In England the monarch drove belief; in Europe it was reformists interpreting the Bible in different ways.

⚠ Watch out

Treating each Tudor religious change as permanent. Henry's break with Rome was not a Protestant England, Edward's reforms were cut short, and Mary reversed them.

Memory hook

Henry: new boss, same beliefs. Edward: new beliefs, not much time. Mary: undo the lot.

Check yourself

Cover the page. Which monarch declared himself supreme head of the church, brought in the Book of Common Prayer, and revived the heresy laws? Why did Edward's changes not last?