Historical Analysis of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 Research Paper

Historical Analysis of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 - Research Paper Example This led to Queen Elizabeth's attempts towards religious tolerance which failed. The end result was a deep dissatisfaction amongst Catholics in England which culminated in the Gunpowder Plot to assassinate King James. Supremacy and Uniformity Act & Penal Law in the 1500s England encountered the reformation in the era of Henry VIII who passed the Act of Supremacy of 1534 which made the Crown take over the English Church from Pope1. This was due to some fundamental disagreement concerning monogamy and his desire to divorce his wife which was unapproved by the Pope. Due to this, the Church was deeply divided. The Uniformity Act of 1534 required all priests in England to swear an oath to the King of England and not to the pope. Notable bishops and priests refused to do this and they were executed. This included John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester who refused to swear allegiance to the King of England. The society was therefore divided between the Catholics, who were influenced by the need t o remain loyal to the Pope and Rome and the Anglicans who had decided to swear allegiance to the King of England. Also, the wind of Protestantism was blowing in Britain because many breakaway groups like the Calvinists and other such groups were fully operational in the country. The Protestants demanded a total breakaway from the Catholic Church and full derecognition of the Pope. However, the Anglicans maintained some of the traditions of the Catholic Church. Since the King had supreme power and authority, he managed to make important changes and reforms to the Anglican Church. He went further and married several women and had different children who were all capable of taking over from him. After his death in 1547, Henry VIII was replaced by Edward VI who reigned in 1553. Edward VI's mother was Jane Seymour and was a Protestant. He repealed six articles of the Uniformity Act and integrated some elements of Calvinism. Queen Mary took over in 1553 after the death of Edward VI. Mary's mother was Catherine of Aragon. She was a Roman Catholic and she promoted Catholicism in England during her reign. She defied all odds and married her cousin, Philip from Spain and this really angered many leaders in England who saw this as a major return to Catholicism. Mary's reign was said to be very bloody because she took so many steps to suppress Protestants and other views. In her reign, she burnt 300 people at the stake and this furthered her effort to return the country to its Catholic roots2. When Elizabeth I took over from Mary in 1558, there had been two important transitions ahead of her reign. Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and was the last Tudor to reign. At this point, the different religious had emerged. This included the Catholics, Protestants, and Anglicans. Within these sects, there were extreme groups and ideologies that sought to control affairs of the state in a more holistic manner. In order to prevent tensions in her reign, Eliza beth II passed the Act of Supremacy3. This was a kind of religious settlement that was meant to prevent further violence and promote national unity/stability. This Act canceled the pro-Catholic laws of Mary and the King/Queen of England was to become the head of the Anglican Church. People taking high public office were required to swear to the Queen.