Year 8 - History
Elizabeth I and the Church of England
Elizabeth I: why has Elizabeth been represented so differently?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils learn about Elizabeth I's reign before examining some popular depictions of her. They build knowledge about her religious, domestic, and foreign policies before considering why she has been represented so differently.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe Elizabeth's religious settlement and the threats it faced.
Key Notes
- Elizabeth was known as the 'Supreme Governor of the Church of England'.
- Elizabeth's religious settlement, the 'Middle Way', found a middle ground between Catholic and Protestant beliefs.
- In 1570, Elizabeth was excommunicated giving Catholics a justification to act against her.
- Radical Protestants, known as Puritans, wanted more changes in the English Church.
- Elizabeth was able to defend her religious settlement from both Catholics and Protestants.
Vocabulary To Learn
- excommunicate: to excommunicate someone means to ban a person from church services and the community
- Jesuit: the Jesuits were a Catholic group who worked in secret to convert people in England to Catholicism
- Nicodemite: a Nicodemite is a person who pretends to follow one religion but secretly believes another
- Puritan: a Puritan was a member of the English Protestant movement of the 16th and 17th centuries which sought to simplify and purify worship
- recusant: a recusant is a person who refuses to attend Church of England services
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Everyone in Elizabethan England was Protestant.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.
Elizabeth was known as the 'Supreme Governor of the Church of England'. Elizabeth's religious settlement, the 'Middle Way', found a middle ground between Catholic and Protestant beliefs.
2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'excommunicate'
to excommunicate someone means to ban a person from church services and the community.
3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.
Mistake: Everyone in Elizabethan England was Protestant. Correction: Protestantism in Elizabethan England was the norm by the end of Elizabeth's reign, but England was religiously divided during her reign.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 8 History guide library.