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==Religion== Elizabeth's conscience was in no doubt that a break with Rome was justified. This coincided with her most powerful lords' wish for her to repudiate the Pope and Spanish influence. The policies of Sir William Cecil, her Secretary of State, and her chief advisors were aligned. She also knew that the papacy might never recognise her as the legitimate child of Henry VIII and the rightful ruler of England.[50] She therefore determined to establish an English church suited to the needs of the English people. As a result, the parliament of 1559 started to legislate for a church based on the Protestant settlement of Edward VI, with the monarch as its head.[51] The House of Commons backed the proposals strongly, but the bill of supremacy met opposition in the House of Lords, particularly from the bishops. Elizabeth was fortunate, however, that many bishoprics were vacant at the time, including the Archbishopric of Canterbury.[52][53] This enabled supporters amongst peers to outvote the bishops and conservative peers. After various negotiations and changes to the wording, which made the act more Catholic in nature, the new Act of Supremacy became law on 8 May 1559. Elizabeth's title was agreed to be Supreme Governor of the Church of England rather than the more contentious Supreme Head. All public officials were to swear an oath of loyalty to the monarch as the supreme governor or risk disqualification from office; however, the heresy laws were repealed, to avoid a repeat of the persecution of dissenters practised by Mary. At the same time, a new Act of Uniformity was passed, which made attendance at church and the use of an adapted version of the 1552 Book of Common Prayer compulsory, though the penalties for disobedience were not extreme.[54]
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