Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T23:45:17.783Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Papists and Patriotism in Elizabethan England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2015

Gillian E. Brennan
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

WHEN Philip II of Spain sent his Armada to invade England in an attempt to cut off support for the Dutch rebels, he did so in the name of God and the Catholic faith. Elizabeth, in turn recognised the propaganda value of an identification of monarch, country and Protestant church at times of national crisis. It was widely believed that, as the Spaniards wanted to overthrow the Protestant church, the English Catholics must have been pro-Spain. Elizabeth had always regarded the Catholics as a danger to her government; it was now easy for her to portray them as traitors to their country. The attempts by Catholics to claim to be patriotic were, understandably, treated with scepticism. But this had not always been the case. The purpose of this article is to outline the struggle to monopolise patriotic propaganda which took place between the government and the English Catholics throughout Elizabeth’s reign.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Catholic History , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , May 1988 , pp. 1 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © Catholic Record Society 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Notes

1 I wish to acknowledge the advice I have received in the preparation of this article from my colleague Dr. D. J. Meltett.

2 Nicholas, Pocock Records of the Reformation, 2 (Oxford, 1870) pp. 385–419.Google Scholar

3 For a discussion of the significance of the use of the term ‘empire’ to apply to the realm of England, see Elton, G. R. ‘The Tudor Revolution—A Reply’ Past and Present, 29 (December, 1964), pp. 26–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar The Act was 24 Henry VIII, c. 12 (1533).

4 26 Henry VIII, c. 1 (1534)

5 25 Henry VIII, c. 20 (1534)

6 25 Henry VIII, c. 21 (1534)

7 e.g. Thomas, Starkey's An Exhortation to the people instructing them to unity and obedience, (1536).Google Scholar Marshall's most important contributions were his translations of Valla's Donation of Constantine, (1534) and Marsiglio of Padua's Defensor Pads (1535). For an account of the ideas of the ‘commonwealth’ writers see Jones, W. R. D. The Tudor Commonwealth, 1529-1559, (London, 1970)Google Scholar

8 Brodie, D. M. ed. Edmund Dudley's The Tree of Commonwealth, 1509, (Cambridge, 1948) p. 22.Google Scholar

9 Richard, Morison An Exhortation to stir all Englishmen to the defence of their country, (1539)Google Scholar S.T.C. 18110, sig.C iii-iv, sig.D vii-viii.

10 S.T.C. 24322.

11 Original Letters Relative to the English Reformation, (Parker Society, 1846), 2nd October 1546, p. 20. Letter to Bullinger, p. 23. Letter to Calvin and Melancthon, pp. 24, 25.

12 Loades, D. M. Two Tudor Conspiracies, (Cambridge, 1965) pp. 16,Google Scholar 17. Malcolm, R. Thorpe ‘Religion and the Wyatt Rebellion of 1554’ Church History, 47 (1978) pp. 363–380.Google Scholar

13 Pollard, A. F. ed. ‘John Proctor's The History of Wyatt's Rebellion, 1554’ Tudor Tracts (London, 1903) pp. 209, 210.Google Scholar

14 T.R.P., 2, 399, 398, 401.

15 John, Ponet ‘Short Treatise of Politike Power’ reprinted in Winthrop Hudson, S. John Ponet: Advocate of Limited Monarchy, (Chicago, 1942) p. 61.Google Scholar

16 Charles, H. Mcllwain ed. Christopher Goodman's How Superior Powers Ought to be Obeyed, 1558, (Facsimile Text Society, New York, 1932) pp. 51,Google Scholar 52, 97, 100, 193, 129, 140.

17 Timothy, J. McCann ‘The Parliamentary Speech of Viscount Montague Against the Act of Supremacy, 1559’, Sussex Archaeological Collections, 108, (1970). pp. 50–57.Google Scholar

18 T.R.P., 2, 567, 568, 569.

19 T.R.P., 2, 557.

20 T.R.P., 2, 598.

21 Thomas, H. Clancy Papist Pamphleteers, The Allen-Persons Party and the Political Thought of the Counter-Reformation in England, 1572-1615, (Chicago, 1964), p. 15.Google Scholar

22 A Treatise of Treasons against Q. Elizabeth, and the croune of England, (Louvain, 1572), S.T.C. 7601, pp. 86a, 148a, 148b, 97b, 104.

23 T.R.P., 2, 660; cf 672, 665.

24 T.R.P., 3, 699.

25 13 Eliz. I, c. 2, (1571)

26 23 Eliz. I, c. 1, (1581)

27 An Act against Jesuits, seminary priests and other such like disobedient persons, 27 Eliz. I, c. 2, (1585)

28 e.g. in A Particular declaration or testimony, of the undutiful and traitorous affections borne against her majestie by Edmond Campion, jesuite and other condemned priests witnesses by their own confessions: in reproofe of those slanderous books and libels delivered out to the contrary by such as are maiitiously affected towards her majesty and the state. (1582)

29 Neale, J. E. Elizabeth and her Parliaments, 1584-1601 (1957) pp. 28, 168, 169–73.Google Scholar

30 Robert, M. Kingdon ‘William Allen's use of Protestant Political Argument’, in Charles, H. Carter ed. From the Renaissance to the Counter-Reformation: Essays in Honour of Garrett Mattingly, (London, 1966) pp. 164–178.Google Scholar

31 Robert, M. Kingdon ed. William Allen's A True, Sincere and Modest Defence of English Catholics, (New York, 1965) p. 69 Google Scholar

32 Robert, M. Kingdon ed. William Cecil's The Execution of Justice in England, (New York, 1965) p. 5.Google Scholar

33 Arnold, P. Pritchard Catholic Loyaiism in Elizabethan England, (London, 1979) is a useful account of Catholic attitudes, but does not distinguish between loyalty to England and loyalty to the government.Google Scholar

34 Clancy, op.cit. pp. 56-7.

35 The Copie of a letter Written out of England to Don Bernardin de Mendoza, pp. 24-5. Burghley's authorship of the letter is proved by Conyers Read in ‘William Cecil and Elizabethan Public Relations’ in Bindoff, S. T. ed., Elizabethan Government and Society: Essays presented to Sir John Neale, (London, 1961)Google Scholar There is some doubt as the accuracy of the story, but Manning's comment is opposite: ‘the story may or may not be true. Certainly Burghley knew it was plausible’, Roger, B. Manning ‘Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montague: The influence in County Politics of an Elizabethan Catholic Nobleman’, in Sussex Archaeological Collections, 106 (1968) pp. 103–112.Google Scholar

36 Strype, J. Annals of the Reformation and Establishment of Religion and other various Occurrences in the Church of England, During Queen Elizabeth's happy reign, (Oxford, 1824) 3, ii, pp. 583–97.Google Scholar cf Christopher, Bagshaw A Sparing Discoverie of our English Jesuits and of Fa. Persons proceedings under pretence of promoting the Catholike faith in England, English Recusant Literature Series, 39, (London, 1970) p. 51.Google Scholar John, Mush A Dialogue between a Secualar Priest and a lay gentleman, English Recusant Literature Series, 39, (London, 1970) Preface to the Reader. See also Clancy, op.cit. pp. 161–2.Google Scholar

37 Strype, op.cit., pp. 73 ff.

38 Bald, R. C. ed. An Humble Supplication to her majestie by Robert Southwell, (Cambridge, 1953), p. 11.Google Scholar This work was circulated in manuscript form but published by the Appellants in 1600.

39 Bagshaw, op.cit., p. 56.

40 William, Clarke A Reply to a certain libel, lately set forth by Father Persons, English Recusant Literature Series, 115 (London, 1972), p. 28b.Google Scholar

41 The Appellants were so called because of their appeals to Rome against the Jesuits, which first took place in 1598-9.

42 Anthony, Copley Another Letter from Mr. A. C. to his dis-Jesuited Kinsman, (1602) quoted in Clancy, op.cit. p. 162.Google Scholar

43 Tierney, M. A. (ed.) Dodd's Church History of England, 3, Appendix, pp. Ixiii.Google Scholar

44 A Conference about the next succession to the crowne of England … whereunto is also added a new and perfect genealogie of the descents of all the Kings and princes of England. (1595) S.T.C. 19398.

45 For a discussion of authorship see Hicks, L. ‘Father Parsons and the Book of Succession’, Recusant History, 4 (1957) pp. 104–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

46 Anthony, Copley An Answer to a letter of a Jesuit Gentleman, (1601) p. 46,Google Scholar quoted in Pritchard, op.cit., p. 163.

47 Bagshaw, op.cit. The Epistle to the Reader.

48 Tierney-Dodd, op.cit., p. lxxv.

49 Joel, Hurstfield Freedom, Corruption and Government in Elizabethan England, (London, 1973) p. 121.Google Scholar

50 Gladys, Jenkins ‘The Archpriest Controversy and the Printers’ The Library, 5th series, vol. 2, (1948) pp. 180ff.Google Scholar

51 Thomas, Dekker Wonderful Year, (1603), S.T.C. 6534.Google Scholar

52 Joel, Hurstfield Elizabeth I and the Unity of England, (London, 1967) p. 146.Google Scholar

53 Garrett, Mattingly The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, (London, 1959) pp. 15, 336.Google Scholar

54 John, Breuilly Nationalism and the State, (Manchester, 1982) p. 45.Google Scholar

55 Christopher, Hill ‘God and the English Revolution’, History Workshop Journal, 17, (1984) pp. 19–31.Google Scholar

56 Breuilly, op.cit. p. 49.