What were the main reasons why Roman Catholicism declined in England during the reign of Elizabeth 1?
For one, Elizabeth I was Anglican, following in the footsteps of her father, Henry VIII, who broke off the Church of England from the Vatican. For another, there was a backlash against Catholicism because of the rather violent reign of Elizabeth’s sister, the Catholic Mary I (aka “Bloody Mary”). There were also plenty of people in England who benefited from the schism created by Henry VIII, so it was in their best interests to keep England Protestant.
