Act of Uniformity 1552
Encyclopedia
The Act of Uniformity 1552 was enacted in 1552 by Edward VI of England
. It was one of the many steps taken by Edward
and his councillors to make England
a more Protestant country. It replaced the Book of Common Prayer
authorised by the Act of Uniformity 1549
with a revised and more Protestant Book of Common Prayer
.
Anyone who attended or administered a service where this liturgy
was not used faced six months imprisonment for a first offence, one year for a second offence, and life for a third. This Act was repealed by Mary
in 1553.
Mary I's reforms and Elizabeth I's restorations
After Edward VI's death, his sister Mary I proceeded to bring the English clergy back under the auspices of the Catholic Church. She repealed all her brother's religious laws and imprisoned the country's leading Protestant clerics. In addition, she had her mother's marriage to Henry VIII declared valid. Later on, her husband Philip II of Spain persuaded Parliament to repeal all of Henry VIII's religious laws, thereby returning England to the control of the Church in Rome.
When Mary I died in 1558 and her sister Elizabeth came to the throne,
Catholic clergy sought to block her wish to make reforms that would turn the Church in England back in the direction of Protestantism. Elizabeth was fortunate that many of the bishoprics of the country were vacant, which meant that the bishops could not, in a Parliament, outvote the members who supported reform. A new Act of Settlement was eventually passed in 1559; at the same time, Mary I's heresy laws were also repealed, in order to make punishments for violating the Act less severe. The Church of England then started to use an adapted version of the 1552 Book of Common Prayer. Today's Anglican Church still uses the adapted Book of Common Prayer;for example, the recent nuptials of HRH The Duke of Cambridge were based on this older Protestant ritual, rather unlike the modernized rite used by the Catholic Church since Vatican II.
King Edward VI of IrelandUniformity
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
. It was one of the many steps taken by Edward
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
and his councillors to make England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
a more Protestant country. It replaced the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
authorised by the Act of Uniformity 1549
Act of Uniformity 1549
The Act of Uniformity 1549 established The Book of Common Prayer as the sole legal form of worship in England...
with a revised and more Protestant Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
.
Anyone who attended or administered a service where this liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
was not used faced six months imprisonment for a first offence, one year for a second offence, and life for a third. This Act was repealed by Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
in 1553.
Liturgical changes
King Edward VI's decision to enact this Act brought out revolutionary changes to the liturgy Catholics celebrated called Mass. The Act of Uniformity 1552 called this religious ceremony to a much more simplistic state. Priests would not be suited in their usual vestments but rather more clothing that made them appear more a part of the congregation. The large, firm altars most Catholic churches today possess were not allowed. Rather, this new age demanded that simple tables be used in the altar's place.Prayer Book
In addition, the new Prayer Book revised the theology behind the liturgical celebration. The bread and wine, which normally is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ himself in the Catholic Eucharistic celebration, was now understood as more representational (though Real Presence and Receptionism could fit the new language of the Eucharist.Transubstantiation
Importantly, Transubstantiation, the Roman Catholic theological view of the Eucharistic feast, was not supported with the liturgical reforms.Mary I's reforms and Elizabeth I's restorations
After Edward VI's death, his sister Mary I proceeded to bring the English clergy back under the auspices of the Catholic Church. She repealed all her brother's religious laws and imprisoned the country's leading Protestant clerics. In addition, she had her mother's marriage to Henry VIII declared valid. Later on, her husband Philip II of Spain persuaded Parliament to repeal all of Henry VIII's religious laws, thereby returning England to the control of the Church in Rome.
When Mary I died in 1558 and her sister Elizabeth came to the throne,
Catholic clergy sought to block her wish to make reforms that would turn the Church in England back in the direction of Protestantism. Elizabeth was fortunate that many of the bishoprics of the country were vacant, which meant that the bishops could not, in a Parliament, outvote the members who supported reform. A new Act of Settlement was eventually passed in 1559; at the same time, Mary I's heresy laws were also repealed, in order to make punishments for violating the Act less severe. The Church of England then started to use an adapted version of the 1552 Book of Common Prayer. Today's Anglican Church still uses the adapted Book of Common Prayer;for example, the recent nuptials of HRH The Duke of Cambridge were based on this older Protestant ritual, rather unlike the modernized rite used by the Catholic Church since Vatican II.
King Edward VI of IrelandUniformity