Elizabeth I and Catholics

The Tudors – Elizabethan Catholicism in the British Isles, 1533-1603

In this course, Dr Francis Young (University of Oxford) explores Catholicism in the British Isles during the reign of Elizabeth I. In the first module, we look at Elizabeth I’s relationship with Catholicism, paying particular attention to how her reformist upbringing influenced her treatment of Catholics when queen. In the second module, we turn our attention to the Elizabethan Religious Settlement and how its legal enforcement impacted Catholics in Britain, before in the third module considering how this treatment of Catholics gave rise to a number of rebellions during Elizabeth’s reign. In the fourth module, we consider the extent to which a Catholic community survived in Britain, giving attention also to the communities of exiled English Catholics that formed on the Continent. In the fifth module, we debate the extent to which Catholics were persecuted and tolerated in Britain, before in the sixth and final lecture giving special focus to the experiences of Catholics in Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Elizabeth I and Catholics

In this module, we look at Elizabeth I’s relationship with Catholicism, focusing in particular on: (i) Elizabeth’s reformist upbringing and the survival of her interest in the reformed religion during the reign of her sister, Mary I; (ii) Elizabeth’s early reign, and the first indications of her plan for the Elizabethan Religious Settlement; (iii) the Elizabethan via media; and (iv) Elizabeth I’s policy of religious toleration.