of religion (everybody following the same religion) was the best way to avoid disturbances or even civil war occurring in their countries. Elizabeth was not a fanatic Protestant or Catholic having once declared, “There is only one Jesus Christ. The rest is a dispute over trifles”. Elizabeth realized she would need popular support though and the vast majority of English were Protestant. She realized that in keeping England a Catholic country she would be hugely unpopular amongst the English public and possibly be overthrown. However by returning England to a Protestant state she would have a sizeable minority of Catholics in England who would be disenchanted with her. England had no standing army or police force and a civil uprising amongst Catholics could result in Elizabeth being overthrown. However, England was also surrounded by powerful Catholic countries such as France and Spain, who would possible invade England to make it a Catholic state. This is the Religious threat that faced Elizabeth during her reign. Elizabeth decided to compromise and while she returned Protestantism to England she also kept many of the rituals and traditions of the Catholic Church. She re-established Protestantism via two Acts of parliament, The Act of Supremacy and The Act of Uniformity. Technically these laws meant all Catholics should now believe and follow the Protestant religion. This law was rarely imposed so Catholics in England did not feel threatened and accepted the new Queen. Some historians though, like Christopher Haig believe that her compromise option was indicative of her “not attempt(ing) to solve problems, she simply avoided them”. However other historians like Penry Williams believe that “her moderation in the first part of her reign was probably important in bringing conservatives into sympathy with the new church”. It seems almost certain that her moderate approach helped avoid Ca...
