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Heresy means holding a religious
belief which the Church disagrees with;
Treason means trying to overthrow the government.
During this period, religious unity was thought necessary
to keep a country together. Religious tolerance was therefore
out of the question. Furthermore, the religion of the country
depended on the religious views of the monarch. Disagreement
with the monarch's religion was inseparable from treason,
and many paid the price as England in the 16th century went
through a series of religious about-turns.
Henry VIII took the Church in England away from the Roman
Catholic Church in the 1530s. Several people who disagreed
with this change were executed, including the king's former
friend and minister, Sir Thomas More. Under Henry's son, Edward
VI, 1547-1553, England became more Protestant, leading to
protests and rebellion from Roman Catholics. From 1553 to
1558, England was ruled by Henry's daughter Mary I. She was
determined to restore Roman Catholicism. Aided by such supporters
as Bishop Bonner of London, (see Source
2) Protestants were arrested,
tried as heretics and about 280 of them burnt.
When Elizabeth became queen in 1558 a new, Protestant, religious
settlement was made. Elizabeth herself was unwilling to persecute
people for their beliefs, and many Roman Catholics continued
to worship freely for a while. However, by the 1580s relations
between England and Roman Catholic Spain were moving towards
open war. The Pope authorised Roman Catholics to rebel against
Elizabeth. Her ministers, some of whom, such as Sir Francis
Walsingham, were determined Protestants, became worried about
the danger to the queen and the country. Roman Catholics were
arrested and about 250 were executed, not for heresy, but
for treason.
Roman Catholics hoped for greater tolerance from King James
when he became king in 1603. When this did not happen a small
group of Catholics set out to assassinate him and most of
the rulers of the country by blowing up the Houses of Parliament
on November 5th, 1605.
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