When Henry VIII declared England’s break from Rome, he enabled Protestantism to become the official religion of Tudor England. This did not, however, constitute an actual conversion of the population. Most people conformed. Few actively changed their beliefs.
Fast-forward 30 years. In the first decade of Elizabeth I’s reign, the lack of true conversion was perceived as a serious threat. Not only did officials worry that souls were at risk from the devil (a very real concern embedded in a universally accepted belief in evil), but more prominent was the worry of rebellion and a concern that the populace would not defend against a foreign invasion advertised as a promise to return to the Roman Catholic religion. The Elizabethan government could easily fall, and they knew it.
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