Religious Change under Edward

About the lecture

In this module, we think about the religious reforms of Edward VI, focusing in particular on: (i) changes to the doctrine of the church, including the adoption of justification by faith alone, and the elimination of the concept of purgatory; (ii) the introduction of Book of Common Prayer in 1549, and its replacement with an even more reformed version in 1552; (iii) the changes in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, including the elimination of the elevation of the host in the Eucharist; (iv) the changes in the 1552 Book of Common Prayer, including the denial of the 'real presence' of Christ in the Eucharist, the renaming of 'priests' to 'ministers', and the removal of the word 'mass' altogether; (v) the changes to the interiors of churches, including the removal of statues and rood crosses, the replacement of altars with tables, and the whitewashing of walls; (vi) the reasons why the Edwardian church developed in the way it did: Henry's decision to choose committed evangelicals as Edward's tutors, the removal of key conservative figures near the end of Henry's reign, and the preponderance of evangelicals in key political positions, e.g. Somerset as Lord Protector, Cranmer as Archbishop of Canterbury; (vii) the extent to which the people driving the changes to the church in this period were motivated by religious conviction as opposed to (e.g.) political and/or financial advantages; (ix) the extent to which Edward's reforms fell short of what some evangelicals wanted, e.g. the lack of reform to canon law.

About the lecturer

Susan Doran is Professor of Early Modern British History at the University of Oxford. She has a substantial publishing record which reflects a particular interest in the religious and political history of the Tudors, especially Elizabeth I. She is also a Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College and Director of Studies in History at Regent’s Park College.