YE OLD BLOG

Welcome to England! It is the year 1585 and Queen Elizabeth I is in power. England is once again Protestant. What is protestantism you ask? Let's go back 50 years to see where it began. In the early 1500’s a German Priest by the name of Martin Luther led a rebellion against the corruption of the Catholic church. His rebellion rejected the Pope and and many Catholic doctrines. His rebellion was so widespread that it became the Protestant Reformation, and many northern European countries turned away from Catholicism. However, the reformation was not a violent movement. Infact, England remained loyal to the Catholic church. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. Henry VIII was king at the time and he was desperate to have a son for an heir. Frustrated with his wife's infertility, Henry asked the Pope to deem his marriage legally invalid. He couldn’t ask for a divorce because the Catholic church has strict laws against that. When the Pope did not allow Henry’s annulment, Henry made himself leader of the Church of England (Protestant Church) and abandoned Catholicism. He closed monasteries and convents and took their land. However, he did not take any more drastic measures against Catholicism. Infact, he allowed priests and Bishops to keep their positions. Things did not change until Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary is a kid's worst nightmare. We all remember staring into a mirror with a flashlight saying “Bloody Mary” three times in hope/fear that she might appear. She was infact, a real person. She was Henry's daughter who made things in England a whole lot bloodier. She decided to reestablish Catholicism and under her rule, and more than 300 protestants were murdered. However, Mary died in 1558 and Elizabeth I became queen and reestablished Protestantism. Elizabeth tried to make sure that Catholicism and Protestantism remained somewhat intertwined. However, in 1570 the Pope declared that the Catholic church could not be loyal to Elizabeth because she rejected the Catholic faith. To make a long story short, people feared Catholics and under Elizabeth's rule, some 250 Catholics were killed. England has remained Protestant since.