Tension between Catholics and Protestants

The tension arised when Henry the eighth decided to split from the church and from Rome and convert England to Protestantism. Edward VI carried this on but then Mary turned England back to Catholicism and then when she died Elizabeth turned it back to how her father had made it, Protestant. The people of England had always been Catholic so the fact that the religion had changed three times in a decade confused and angered them. They were faithful to the church as that was all they knew. However most did not want to speak out against the religion in fear of the death penalty as, if you spoke against the Protestant church you were speaking against the Queen. The Elizabethan people were going through a very difficult time of famine, plague, inflation and war with France and Scotland, the religious upheaval and the violent persecutions as well increased the tensions and as both sides believed that what they were preaching was correct many religious disputes took place.