About the lecture

In this module, we consider the question, ‘Did Elizabeth's reign settle religion in England?’, focusing in particular on: (i) the traditional view that Elizabeth’s reign represented the end of the Reformation, and the reasons for this view, e.g. the longevity of the 1559 Book of Common Prayer; (ii) the survival of Catholicism in Elizabethan England, particularly in certain areas of the country (e.g. Northumbria, Lancashire, etc.), and the concepts of recusancy and church papistry; (iii) the emergence of Puritanism and Presbyterianism in this period; (iv) the emergence of ‘avant-garde Conformists’ in this period, who want to reorient the Elizabethan church along more conservative lines, e.g. a greater emphasis on the sacraments, a reigning in of predestinarianism, etc. (v) the extent to which local church services would have differed depending on where you were in the country; and (vi) the idea of the Elizabethan church as a ‘middle way’ – but between what?

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.