The paper examines the relationship between Crown and Church from the appointment of Archbishop Grindal in 1576 to the death of Archbishop Bancroft in 1610.
An examination of the interdependency of the Church and State in late Tudor and early Stuart England. The paper looks at how the Church and State were used in tandem to suppress opposition; and how religious beliefs impacted upon loyalty (or perceived loyalty) to the state.
“”Religion is the ground on which all other matters ought to take root”. These words, spoken by Elizabeth to Parliament, neatly summarize the interdependency between Church and State in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The quotation in the title implies that there ought to be a distinction between religious beliefs and the proper exercise of political power, when in fact there was no such separation in the eyes of Elizabeth and, later, James I. The history of this period is one of conflicting beliefs between the wings of the established church and the constant pressure by the Presbyterians and Puritan sects to reform the church and hence change the nature of the government of the country. This period also sees the attempts to suppress the radical teachings of Barrow and others, which were equated with sedition and treason, in order to maintain a conformity of worship if not necessarily of belief.”