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Elizabeth as Religious Leader
During the reigns of Elizabeth's father (Henry VIII), brother (Edward VI), and sister (Mary I), the English people experienced constant changes in religion. Catholics wanted to retain the traditional religion that had been reestablished under Mary. Radical Protestants, who had gone into exile under Mary, pinned their hopes for reform on Elizabeth, but they were disappointed when she preferred only moderate change.
Elizabeth attempted a broadly based compromise within the framework of Protestantism. She wanted prayers and services to be in English rather than Latin, but kept many of the ceremonies that the people loved. Above all, she wanted the English Church and the English subjects of all religious beliefs to be obedient to the English monarch, not to a foreign leader.
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