Explain why the Religious Settlement of 1559 was introduced

Question (12 marks): Explain why the Religious Settlement of 1559 was introduced. You may use the following in your answer: Marian persecution; Elizabeth's legitimacy. You must also use information of your own.

Mark scheme (Edexcel AO1/AO2, levels-based):

• Level 1 (1–3): Simple/general statements with limited detail.
• Level 2 (4–6): Some explanation of one cause; limited factual support.
• Level 3 (7–9): Clear analytical explanation of more than one cause; specific factual support.
• Level 4 (10–12): Sustained analytical explanation; precise specific information; explicit causal links; range of causes considered.

Indicative content (must analyse causation, not narrate):

• Religious division after Mary I: Marian burnings (c.280 Protestants, 1555–58) created martyrs — Foxe's Book of Martyrs (1563); returning exiles demanded reform.
• Elizabeth's legitimacy: Catholic Europe regarded her as illegitimate (born 1533 to Anne Boleyn after Henry's break with Rome); a Protestant settlement reinforced her right to rule.
• Foreign policy: war with France (Calais lost 1558); needed to avoid provoking Philip II of Spain — hence ambiguous Eucharistic wording.
• Personal conviction: Elizabeth was raised Protestant under Edward VI but valued ceremony — drove the via media.
• Parliamentary pressure: Commons more radical than Lords; bishops (all Marian Catholics) opposed — settlement passed by just 3 votes in the Lords.
• Top-level answers link causes (e.g. legitimacy required Protestantism, but foreign threat required moderation → hybrid settlement).