The Catholics Were Never a Serious Threat to Elizabethan Church and State

Haigh argues that the 'strategic and logical errors' of the Seminary Priests not only prevented Catholicism from posing a serious threat during the reign of Elizabeth but were responsible for its decline. However, other historians - and historical evidence - suggest that when Elizabeth came to the throne, the Catholics were a serious threat. The involvement of the Catholics at the beginning of Elizabeth's reign - in formulating the Religious Settlement and in passing the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity - shows that Elizabeth considered them a power to be reckoned with.…