Wait! It's Not Over! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thomas Cranmer

It seems rather precocious that at the age of ten years, when Edward VI became King of England, he would be so interested in religion. John Foxe, the English historian, said Edward was "a godly imp". Apparently he enjoyed sermons and read twelve chapters of scripture daily. Under the guidance of Thomas Cranmer, his most trusted adviser, the reforms that were set into motion by Henry VIII's political problems became more theological.

Answer: Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer, written in 1549, was intended to be a compromise between Protestants and Catholics in England; some, however, claimed it was too "popish", while other said that it did away with too many of the sacred rituals. Composed mostly by Thomas Cranmer, it was the first book in English that included the forms for both daily and Sunday worship.

The second edition of the book came out in 1552, and then, well, Mary I became Queen in 1553 and began her own period of religious change.

Answer: Bloody Mary

Edward was young, sick and dying in 1553, and feared that both of his sisters might jeopardize the English Reformation. He was especially concerned about Mary, who was a practicing and ardent Roman Catholic, but both of them raised concern simply because their legitimacy to rule was under question, and they were not, of course, men! His attempt to block his sisters from the throne of England failed miserably. Lady Jane Grey, Edward's chosen successor, was been executed and Mary was proclaimed Queen.

As such, she made the defeat of Protestantism her main goal, having at least 280 burned at the stake for their religious beliefs. One of her victims was Edward's trusted adviser, Thomas Cranmer.

Answer: Phillip II of Spain

Poor Mary! She was thirty-seven when she married Philip, and she ought to have known that it might be impossible to produce the heir (and it really needed to be male) she needed to prevent Elizabeth's succession. Most people in England objected to her marriage to Philip because it represented a strong Catholic alliance; nevertheless, they were married and Philip became King of England. Even though he had to double check with Mary before acting, he was a joint ruler. (Incidentally, one of the conditions of their joint rule was that Phillip's reign as King of England would only last as long as Mary was alive).

It is said that Mary was in love and Philip was in "kindness". Philip traveled to Belgium after the death of his father, and he was there when he learned of Mary's death.

In a letter he wrote, "I felt a reasonable regret for her death". During the time of their marriage, Mary had what is considered to have been one false pregnancy; she could not hope to block her half-sister's ascent to the throne.

Answer: True

Both the Catholic and Protestant churches had declared Elizabeth illegitimate. However, while the Catholic Church had declared her illegitimate from birth, the Protestant Church had done so retroactively in order to ensure the succession of the issue from the marriage of her father to Jane Seymour.

It would be easier to undo the retroactive declaration. Noting that her brother's reforms had ruffled too many feathers, Elizabeth set out to try and make the majority of the English people happy with the new Church.

The Catholic Church would not be tolerated; people loyal to the pope could not be tolerated because he did not recognize Elizabeth as the rightful ruler of England. In fact, in 1570, Pope Pius V called on English Catholics to rise in rebellion against Elizabeth. Radical Protestants, who wanted the reforms to go much further, were also unwelcome.

Answer: Act of Uniformity

Passed by only three votes in 1559, the Act of Uniformity reestablished the order of prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, and levied a fine to those who did not attend church every Sunday. Part of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, which is sometimes called the Revolutions of 1559, the Act of Uniformity attempted to bring an end to the religious turmoil that had started with her father, Henry VIII.

The Act of Supremacy of 1558-9, which re-established the Church of England's independence from Rome and recognized Elizabeth as the Supreme Head of the Church of England, was the other part of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement. Elizabeth's long reign allowed time for acceptance of the new Church of England, even though religious disagreements still existed.

Answer: John Calvin

Those Puritans who wanted to stay within the Church of England earned their name by complaining that the Church of England needed to be further "purified" of its Catholic practices. Rituals needed to be simplified and the use of bishops that remained in the Church should be eliminated. Actually the various groups of Puritans did not agree as how to "complete" the Reformation of the Church of England - just that it needed to be done! The Calvinist Puritans led a rather solemn lifestyle and preferred to called themselves "the godly".

Answer: John Winthrop

The Puritans who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony were determined to create "a city upon a hill", watched by the world, that would become an ideal model for all. Known for their nontoleration of other religions, Winthrop and his followers established a commonwealth, in which godly leaders ruled the masses. Only church members were allowed to become "freemen", but in order to become a church member, one had to testify that he had experienced conversion (spiritual rebirth) and then one still had to be accepted by the congregation, church leaders, and minister. Strict and stern, this group made the Church over to suit their beliefs and lifestyle.

Answer: Separatists

Separatists wanted to either destroy the Church of England or totally break away from it. They believed the Church had retained too much of its Catholic heritage; in addition, they were critical of the lax lifestyle of many of the Church's followers. Calling themselves "Saints", Separatists believed they had been chosen by God for salvation, and feared religious contamination if they stayed among the "Strangers". Led by men like William Brewster, the group decided they had no choice but to leave, a task not easily completed, as it was against the law to leave England without permission.

Answer: The Netherlands

In The Netherlands the group's leaders made the mistake of continuing their criticisms of the Church of England. The arrival of King James in the country forced them into hiding. In addition, even though the Pilgrims found them to be very friendly and welcoming, the Dutch were eventually viewed as being too friendly. Fearing that their children would grow up forgetting their faith and assimilating into Dutch culture, the Pilgrim leaders decided in 1620 to emigrate to America.

There they would establish Plymouth Colony.