The following study examines the political, economic, social, and religious lives of a variety of lay Catholic recusants in the context of their relationship with the monarch and royal government. The thrust of this thesis is to explore how this relationship affected both the individuals and the continued existence and form of Catholicism in a Protestant country.
The legislation and political maneuverings against English Catholics were not a unique experience for a minority faith during the 16th and 17th centuries. During Elizabeths reign, English Catholics faced inconsistent legislation, outright persecution, and disinterested government action against the practice of the Catholic faith and their persons. Their adaptions to this volatile environment produced what would eventually become the small, aristocratic enclaves of Catholicism in the 17th and 18th centuries. Despite their status, English Catholics did not retreat entirely from public life or give up their economic and political pursuits. These men and women were required to adapt to the new circumstances though. This thesis argues against previous scholars assertions that legal, financial, and religious barriers for English Catholics were simply another hurdle to jump through to attain political or economic aspirations. The numbers of individuals who faced legal and financial ramifications are telling of the extent the Elizabethan government could prosecute Catholics. But, the limitations of early modern bureaucracy are also found in the individuals who discovered ways around land sequestration, fines, and continued to practice Catholicism.
Over time, English Catholics were slowly, yet not systematically, removed from public offices and service until by the end of Elizabeths reign only a few remained in positions of influence in either the local or national setting. In most cases, these were aristocratic men.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-11112015-110605 |
| Date | 07 December 2015 |
| Creators | Lane, Michael David |
| Contributors | Kooi, Christine, Marchand, Suzanne, Stater, Victor |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-11112015-110605/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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