The Archbishops of Canterbury

Abstract

When Elizabeth became queen the Catholicism and obedience to the pope that had been restored under Mary was again swept away. To establish the Anglican Church under Elizabeth the position of the Archbishop of Canterbury was critical. Not only was the Archbishop of Canterbury the highest churchman of the realm, but with the political and social significance of religion, the archbishop had a lot of influence in a wide range of ways. It was critical to the queen that she could work well with her archbishop; when she could not, the problems were serious. Elizabeth got along well with her first Archbishop, Mathew Parker. The queen had terrible problems with her second archbishop, Edmund Grindal. The one with whom she got along best, was her final archbishop, John Whitgift, though he alienated a number of others. Being able to work well with her Archbishop of Canterbury was very important as she had problems with many of her bishops. Some of her bishops felt Elizabeth did not support them adequately, while she mistrusted the more zealous Protestants among them.