. A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools. council of nobles atfirst dominated by the Duke of Somerset (an upright and justbut unpractical man), and after his downfall (1549) by theDuke of Northumberland, — a selfish, worthless politician, whocovered his unworthy personal intrigues under show of avast zeal for Protestantism. The Government was accord-ingly corrupt, extravagant, rapacious, and unpopular. Outside of London probably only a minority of the popula-tion wished for a religious change, but the new worship wasintroduced in a wholly violent and tactless way. Under
. A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools. council of nobles atfirst dominated by the Duke of Somerset (an upright and justbut unpractical man), and after his downfall (1549) by theDuke of Northumberland, — a selfish, worthless politician, whocovered his unworthy personal intrigues under show of avast zeal for Protestantism. The Government was accord-ingly corrupt, extravagant, rapacious, and unpopular. Outside of London probably only a minority of the popula-tion wished for a religious change, but the new worship wasintroduced in a wholly violent and tactless way. Underspecious pretense of suppressing Popish superstition theendowments of churches were confiscated for governmentfavorites, the sacred vessels were melted down, veneratedsaints images were destroyed. Most of the country peoplelooked on these desecrations of time-honored objects and insti-tutions with a wrath which blazed up (1549) into popularinsurrection that the regents had much trouble to general economic causes — bad harvests, the suppres-. 250 HISTORY OF EUROPE sion of the monastery doles to the poor, and the conversion offarmlands into sheep pastures — caused starvation and miseryfor the peasantry, and increased the detestation of the newsystem. The Protestants did not, indeed, lack certain men ofcapacity and zeal, and it was in this reign that ArchbishopCranmer introduced into the churches the famous Book ofCommon Prayer, which, along with the translated Bible,became one of the literary landmarks of the Reformation inEngland; yet the haste and general unwisdom of the Reformerswas clearly paving the way for a reaction. They completedtheir blunders when they induced the poor lad Edward VI toexecute an illegal will depriving his half-sister Mary of thesuccession and giving the crown to his cousin, the Lady JaneGrey. Hardly was the will signed ere Edward died, and hisrealm returned to Catholicism. 141. Mary Tudor (1553-58) and the Catholic reaction. JaneG
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