AQA A-level History · 2D

Religious conflict and the Church in England, c1529–c1570

50 exam-style questions with answers for 2D Religious conflict and the Church in England, c1529–c1570 in AQA A-level History (spec 7042). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below.

All 50 questions and answers

  1. Question 1 · Spec 2D, Part one

    State two roles of churchmen in government c1529. [2 marks]

    Answer:
    Any two from: royal advisers, eg Wolsey (1); sat in the House of Lords (1); ran Church courts (1); diplomats (1).
  2. Question 2 · Spec 2D, Part one

    State two features of popular piety c1529. [2 marks]

    Answer:
    Any two from: guilds and chantries (1); pilgrimages and saints’ cults (1); belief in purgatory (1); masses for the dead (1).
  3. Question 3 · Spec 2D, Part one

    Who were the Lollards? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Followers of John Wycliffe, who criticised Church wealth and wanted the Bible in English.
  4. Question 4 · Spec 2D, Part one

    Who was William Tyndale? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A reformer who translated the New Testament into English (1526) and was executed in 1536.
  5. Question 5 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the King’s ‘Great Matter’? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Henry VIII’s attempt to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
  6. Question 6 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the Reformation Parliament (1529–1536)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    The parliament that passed the laws breaking England from Rome.
  7. Question 7 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the Submission of the Clergy (1532)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    The clergy agreed not to make Church laws without the King’s consent.
  8. Question 8 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the Act in Restraint of Appeals (1533)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    It stopped appeals to Rome, so Cranmer could annul Henry’s marriage in England.
  9. Question 9 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the Act of Supremacy (1534)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    It declared Henry Supreme Head of the Church of England.
  10. Question 10 · Spec 2D, Part one

    Who were Thomas More and John Fisher? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Opponents of the break with Rome, executed in 1535 for refusing the Oath of Succession.
  11. Question 11 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the Valor Ecclesiasticus (1535)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A survey of Church wealth carried out for Cromwell.
  12. Question 12 · Spec 2D, Part one

    State two motives for the dissolution of the monasteries. [2 marks]

    Answer:
    Any two from: royal finance (1); removing loyalty to Rome (1); reports of abuses (1); rewarding supporters with land (1).
  13. Question 13 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What were the Ten Articles (1536)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A statement of doctrine recognising three sacraments.
  14. Question 14 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the Great Bible (1539)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    The official English Bible placed in every parish church.
  15. Question 15 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the Act of Six Articles (1539)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    It reaffirmed traditional Catholic doctrine such as transubstantiation.
  16. Question 16 · Spec 2D, Part one

    Why did Cromwell fall in 1540? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    The failed Cleves marriage and conservative faction attacks led to his execution.
  17. Question 17 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the King’s Book (1543)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A conservative statement of doctrine issued by Henry VIII.
  18. Question 18 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was simony? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Buying or selling Church offices.
  19. Question 19 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was nepotism in the Church? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Giving Church posts to relatives.
  20. Question 20 · Spec 2D, Part one

    Who was Simon Fish? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    The author of the anti-clerical Supplication for the Beggars (1529).
  21. Question 21 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the Supplication against the Ordinaries (1532)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A Commons petition against Church courts and clergy.
  22. Question 22 · Spec 2D, Part one

    Who was Elizabeth Barton? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    The ‘Nun of Kent’ who prophesied against Henry’s marriage to Anne and was executed in 1534.
  23. Question 23 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the Act of Succession (1534)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    It declared Anne Boleyn’s children heirs and required an oath.
  24. Question 24 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A northern rising against the dissolution and religious change.
  25. Question 25 · Spec 2D, Part one

    Name two leaders of the conservative faction in the 1540s. [2 marks]

    Answer:
    Any two from: the Duke of Norfolk (1); Bishop Gardiner (1); Bishop Bonner (1).
  26. Question 26 · Spec 2D, Part one

    What was the Bishops’ Book (1537)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A moderately reformist statement of doctrine.
  27. Question 27 · Spec 2D, Part two

    Who was Somerset? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Edward VI’s uncle and Protector, who began Protestant reform.
  28. Question 28 · Spec 2D, Part two

    Who was Thomas Cranmer? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Archbishop of Canterbury who wrote the Books of Common Prayer.
  29. Question 29 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What was the Western Rebellion (1549)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A Catholic rising in Devon and Cornwall against the English Prayer Book.
  30. Question 30 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What was Kett’s Rebellion (1549)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A Norfolk rising against enclosure and social grievances.
  31. Question 31 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What was the 1552 Prayer Book? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A more Protestant service book that denied the real presence in the Eucharist.
  32. Question 32 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What were the Forty-Two Articles (1553)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A Protestant statement of doctrine issued under Edward VI.
  33. Question 33 · Spec 2D, Part two

    Why did Mary I keep the title of Supreme Head at first? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Parliament had to repeal the Reformation laws before papal authority could be restored.
  34. Question 34 · Spec 2D, Part two

    When was papal authority restored? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    In 1554–1555 by Mary’s third Parliament, under Cardinal Pole.
  35. Question 35 · Spec 2D, Part two

    How many Protestants were burned under Mary? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    About 280.
  36. Question 36 · Spec 2D, Part two

    Who were Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Protestant bishops burned for heresy in Oxford (1555–1556).
  37. Question 37 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What was Wyatt’s Rebellion (1554)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A rising against Mary’s marriage to Philip of Spain.
  38. Question 38 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What were the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity (1559)? [2 marks]

    Answer:
    Supremacy made Elizabeth Supreme Governor (1); Uniformity imposed the 1559 Prayer Book (1).
  39. Question 39 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What were the Royal Injunctions (1559)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Instructions enforcing the Settlement in parishes.
  40. Question 40 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What were the Thirty-Nine Articles? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    The doctrine of the Church of England, agreed in 1563 and passed by Parliament in 1571.
  41. Question 41 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What was the Vestiarian Controversy? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A dispute in the 1560s over whether clergy should wear surplices.
  42. Question 42 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What was the Northern Rebellion (1569)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    A Catholic rising by the northern earls.
  43. Question 43 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What was the papal bull of 1570? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Regnans in Excelsis, which excommunicated Elizabeth.
  44. Question 44 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What were the Chantries Acts (1545 and 1547)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    They dissolved chantries, ending prayers for the dead.
  45. Question 45 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What were the Edwardian Injunctions (1547)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Orders to remove images and use English scripture in churches.
  46. Question 46 · Spec 2D, Part two

    Who was Northumberland? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    John Dudley, who ruled after Somerset and pushed further Protestant reform.
  47. Question 47 · Spec 2D, Part two

    Who was Lady Jane Grey? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Proclaimed queen in 1553 under Northumberland’s plan, deposed after nine days.
  48. Question 48 · Spec 2D, Part two

    Who was Cardinal Pole? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Mary’s Archbishop of Canterbury and papal legate.
  49. Question 49 · Spec 2D, Part two

    Who were the Marian exiles? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    Protestants who fled abroad under Mary and returned under Elizabeth with more radical ideas.
  50. Question 50 · Spec 2D, Part two

    What was Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (1563)? [1 mark]

    Answer:
    An account of the Marian persecutions that shaped Protestant identity.

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