Annals of the Reformation and Establishment of Religion

The English ecclesiastical historian John Strype (1643-1737) published the first volume of his monumental Elizabethan religious history Annals of the Reformation in 1709. For over two centuries it remained one of the most important Protestant histories of the period and has been reprinted in numerous editions. Volume 1 Part 1 introduces the Elizabethan era and covers Elizabeth's first years as Queen from 1558 to 1562. It focuses on how Elizabeth dealt with the immediate dangers she faced on coming to power; her early religious policy including the freeing of religious prisoners; the 1559 Act of Supremacy; the importance of the Book of Common Prayer; the bill for marriage of priests; relations with the episcopate; and the early synods and religious debate. Strype's thorough use of primary sources and the enormous scope and detail of his history has ensured its place as an outstanding work of eighteenth-century scholarship.