Act of Supremacy 1558 facts for kids
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Acte restoring to the Crowne thauncyent Jurisdiction over the State Ecclesiasticall and Spirituall, and abolyshing all Forreine Power repugnaunt to the same. |
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| Citation | 1 Eliz. 1. c. 1 |
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Status: Amended
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| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Act of Supremacy 1558 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk | |
The Act of Supremacy 1558 was an important law passed by the Parliament of England. It is sometimes called the Act of Supremacy 1559. This law was brought in by Elizabeth I when she became Queen.
It replaced an earlier law from 1534, which her father, Henry VIII, had created. That first law gave the King power over the Church. But Mary I, Elizabeth's sister, had cancelled it. The 1558 Act, along with another law called the Act of Uniformity 1558, formed what is known as the Elizabethan Religious Settlement.
This Act stayed in place for a long time. Parts of it began to be cancelled in the 1800s. By 1969, almost all of it was gone, except for one small part.
What the Act Did
This important law brought back ten older laws that Queen Mary I had removed. It also made the rules about heresy (beliefs against the official church) much clearer. Most importantly, it officially made Elizabeth the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
Being "Supreme Governor" meant Elizabeth was the head of the Church. But it was a clever title. It avoided saying she was the "Supreme Head." This was important because many people at the time felt a woman should not be the head of the Church.
The Act also made it a crime to say that any foreign ruler or religious leader had power in England. This was directly aimed at stopping the Pope from having authority there. If someone did this a third time, it was considered high treason, which could mean death.
The Oath of Supremacy
| Supremacy of the Crown Act 1562 | |
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| Citation | 5 Eliz. 1. c. 1 |
The Act of Supremacy also created the Oath of Supremacy. This oath made anyone taking a public job or a church role in England promise loyalty to the Queen. They had to accept her as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
Not taking this oath was a crime. Later, in 1562, a new law called the Supremacy of the Crown Act 1562 made refusing the oath an act of treason. The oath was later required for Members of Parliament and students at universities.
Many bishops and university officials lost their jobs because they refused to take the oath. New people who supported the Queen's changes were then put into those positions.
Here is what the oath said in 1559:
I, A. B., do utterly testify and declare in my conscience that the Queen's Highness is the only supreme governor of this realm, and of all other her Highness's dominions and countries, as well in all spiritual or ecclesiastical things or causes, as temporal, and that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state or potentate hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence or authority ecclesiastical or spiritual within this realm; and therefore I do utterly renounce and forsake all foreign jurisdictions, powers, superiorities and authorities, and do promise that from henceforth I shall bear faith and true allegiance to the Queen's Highness, her heirs and lawful successors, and to my power shall assist and defend all jurisdictions, pre-eminences, privileges and authorities granted or belonging to the Queen's Highness, her heirs or successors, or united or annexed to the imperial crown of this realm. So help me God, and by the contents of this Book.
This oath was very important for English Roman Catholics. It meant they had to reject the authority of the Pope, who was a foreign power. At first, Queen Elizabeth tried to be fair to both Catholics and the Church of England. This helped her gain full power and protect England from threats from France and Spain.
However, later in her reign, things changed. The Pope encouraged people to try and remove Elizabeth from power. Some Catholic priests, called Jesuits, secretly came to England. There was also a big threat of Spain invading England. Because of these dangers, Catholics faced more difficulties. Over time, their power in England decreased. They were not allowed to hold public jobs and slowly lost their lands. This led to events like the Gunpowder Plot in 1605.
What Remains Today
One part of the Act, Section 8, is still in force in Great Britain. It says that the Queen (or King) has the power to oversee the Church and correct any mistakes or problems within it. This power is forever linked to the Crown of England.
Here is the original text of that section:
AND That suche Jurisdictions Privileges Superiorities and Preheminences Spirituall and Ecclesiasticall, as by any Spirituall or Ecclesiasticall Power or Aucthorite hathe heretofore bene or may lawfully be exercised or used for the Visitacion of the Ecclesiasticall State and Persons, and for Reformacion Order and Correccion of the same and of all maner of Errours Heresies Scismes Abuses Offences Contemptes and Enormities, shall for ever by aucthorite of this present Parliament be united and annexed to the Imperiall Crowne of this Realme: ...
Related Laws
| Treason Act 1558 | |
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| Citation | 1 Eliz. 1. c. 5 |
A similar law was passed in Ireland in 1560, called the Act of Supremacy (Ireland) 1560.
The Papal Jurisdiction Act 1560 is still in force in Scotland.
Another law passed in 1558 (1 Eliz. 1. c. 5) dealt with treason. It made it treason to plan to remove the Queen from her throne. It was also treason to try and harm her or start a war against her.
Another law (1 Eliz. 1. c. 6) dealt with sedition, which means encouraging people to rebel against the government.
See also
- Elizabethan Religious Settlement
- List of Protestant martyrs of the English Reformation
- Religion in the United Kingdom
- Praemunire
- High treason in the United Kingdom
- Jesuits, etc. Act 1584
