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Throughout history, religion has been a key factor in society, changing work habits and the overall everyday life of people.  In early England, the King was the political ruler of the country while the Roman Catholic Church(RCC) was the spiritual head of religion.  This was changed when King Henry VIII wanted to branch off from the RCC in order to divorce his wife who could not conceive a son for him.  He made his own church, called the Church of England, where he was the head, causing tension to rise between England and the RCC.  After his death, the Church of England was mainly shown to be a Protestant Church and was advertised by the following king as such.  Control of religion throughout England after seesawed between these two massive religions until Queen Elizabeth gained the throne.  Queen Elizabeth brought back and made Protestantism the main religion in England; however, “Elizabeth was [still] lenient toward practicing Catholics, however specific laws, such as fining those who did not attend church, kept the Church of England firmly in place.”(Clunie).

The divide between the two religions grew substantially more dangerous from the laws and expectations that the two different highly-powered individuals had.  The “favored” religion was taught in schools and was commonly seen as the overall “correct” way to live.  Not following the “correct” religion would lead one to face punishment, like torture or execution.  Following the wrong religion could bring “risks to personal wealth, freedom and life”(Religion…).  Most common people who adhered to Catholicism were deeply unpleased with this way of living and even planned to overthrow the queen and replace her with Mary Queen of Scots.  However, these plans ironically led to Queen Mary’s execution.  Overall, religion was a deeply important part of European civilization that drastically affected the lives of everyone in society.

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“Religion in Elizabethan England.” Religion in Elizabethan England, www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/religion-elizabethan-england.htm.

Clunie, Aurelia. “Religion in Elizabethan England.” Hartford Stage, www.hartfordstage.org/stagenotes/hamlet/elizabethan-era.