Religion and Elizabeth I
Elizabeth inherited a country that was divided by fierce religious passions after the reigns of her siblings Edward VI and Mary I. She leaned toward Protestantism due to threats to her rule from Catholic Spain, France, and Scotland, but she wanted to reconcile her Catholic subjects at home as well. Her approach became known as the via media, or middle way. Following Henry's precedent she had herself named Supreme Governor of the Church of England. She modified some elements of the prayer book for the sake of Roman Catholics but not enough to prevent the Catholic Bishops from resigning. The very Protestant Forty-two Articles (of Religion) written by Thomas Cranmer were revised, and the resultant Thirty-nine Articles were adopted in 1563. They remain the doctrinal statement of the Anglican tradition.
Melton, J. Gordon. "Religion and Elizabeth I." Encyclopedia of Protestantism. Facts On File, 2005. Modern World History Online. Retrieved from http://db.corpus.wa.edu.au/login?url=http://online.infobase.com.db.corpus.wa.edu.au/Auth/Index?aid=102119&itemid=WE53&articleId=259319