... Foxe returned from exile. In order to gauge how much of a threat Catholicism was, it is necessary to consider the perceived threat (and who shaped this perception), the political power enjoyed by Catholics, the challenges from international Catholics such as Mary Stuart and the public's reaction to Protestant changes. One would assume that most Catholics would not be loyal to Elizabeth and keep their allegiance to the Church. Yet by the end of her rule, Catholics had not harnessed their influence and sheer number against the national Church, thus leaving Catholicism marginalised and impotent in England. On her accession, the theologically Protestant Elizabeth faced a formidable Catholic opposition in the House of Lords. Her religious settlement passed through the Lords only after three months of redrafting and appeasement; the repeal of Mary's heresy laws and the legal enshrinement of Elizabeth as the Supreme Head were especially contentious. The bill was ...

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