Mary Tudor was succeeded to the throne by Elizabeth I (the daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn).  Elizabeth reestablished Protestantism and in 1559 passed the Act of Supremacy which revived the anti-papal statutes of Henry VIII and declared Elizabeth supreme governor of the church.  Plots to murder Elizabeth and replace her on the throne with yet another Mary, the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, resulted in this Mary’s eventual execution.

Dassier’s medal of Elizabeth I (Figure 21) provides an example of a very common form of religious prejudice, that is, by depicting God as having a preference of one religion over another.  Thus, the reverse of this medal shows a monument with a triangular pediment into which the Eye of God (Providence) has been inserted. The bas relief pictures the destruction of the Spanish Armada, with lightning bolts setting fire to the Spanish vessels. This is flanked on the left by Religion holding a bible and a lighted candle, symbolizing the Reformation, and on the right by Minerva holding a rudder and palm branch.  Although this medal does not obviously promote religious bigotry, it clearly shows that God is on the side of the victor, implying that Religion has taken sides in the famous  battle between Protestant England and Catholic Spain.


Figure 21.  Elizabeth I
(Weiss Collection)

by Jean Dassier:  England,  1731,  Bronze,  41 mm   
Obverse:  Bust of Elizabeth    ELISABETH D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REGINA.  (Elizabeth, by the Grace of God, Queen of England, France and Ireland).
Reverse: Monument surmounted with the Eye of God.  The bas relief depicts the destruction of the Spanish Armada.  The monument is  flanked on the left by Religion, symbolizing the Reformation, and on the right by Minerva, symbolizing the learning, wisdom and prudence of Elizabeth. (Eisler)
Exergue: NATA. 7. SEPT. 1533. COR. 15. IAN. 1559. M. 24 MART. 1602.   
Signed:  I.D.           
Reference:  M.I. i,185/193;  Eimer 35/79;  Eisler, 261/25; Thompson 30/23;  BW072

Elizabeth I (1533-1603), Queen of England (1558-1603), was the daughter of the Tudor king Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn.  During the reigns of her half-brother Edward VI and half-sister Mary I, she avoided political disputes, but once crowned she re-established Protestantism and became the supreme governor of the church.  As a result Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth and absolved her subjects from any oath of allegiance that they might have taken to her.  Various plots to murder Elizabeth and place her Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne resulted in Mary’s imprisonment and execution and the initiation of repressive legislation against Catholics. 

For most of her reign, England was at peace, and commerce and industry prospered.  Elizabethan drama reflected this “golden age”.  The expansion of the navy laid the foundations for the development of the first British Empire and the defeat of the Spanish Armada.  Elizabeth was the last of the Tudor line, and the throne passed to James I, a Stuart. The source of the image of Elizabeth on the obverse of this medal has been variously attributed to a miniature by Isaac Oliver (M.I.) or to the engraving by George Vertue (Eisler).

The following few medals shown below do not promote religious bigotry but are included to provide an illustrative continuation of this narrative, leading to a medal of James Francis Edward Stuart, the Elder Pretender, which exemplifies the schism between Catholics and Protestants in England.

As Elizabeth had no offspring,  the next in line was James I (James VI of Scotland and the first of the Stuart line), the son of Mary Queen of Scots, a Catholic.  Although there is some controversy about his beliefs, the consensus is that James was not only Protestant but he actually opposed the Pope and wrote vehemently against Roman Catholicism.  Despite his anti-Catholic views, James intended to create a church that would include all moderate Catholics and Protestants.  However,  a group of provincial English Catholics attempted to assassinate James and  his family, leading to renewed reprisals against Catholics.  (See Figure 22 for Dassier’s medal of James I.)


Figure 22.  James I
(Weiss Collection)

by Jean Dassier:  England,  1731,  Bronze,  41 mm   
Obverse:  Bust of James I    IACOBUS. I. D.G. M. BR. FR. ET. HIB. REX.  (James I, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland).
Reverse:  Tomb with two Genii, one of whom adds the Scottish Lion to the arms, alluding to the union of the two kingdoms, the other points to a book, alluding to the king’s fame as an author.
Exergue: NAT. 19. IUN. 1556. CORON. 25. IUL 1603. MORT. 27 MART. 1625.   
Reference:  M.I. i, 237/104;  Eimer 37/104;  Eisler 262/26; Thompson 31/24;  BW615

James I (1566-1625) was King of England from 1603 to 1625 and, as James VI, was King of Scotland from 1567 to 1625.  He was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry Stewart,  Lord Darnley.  On the death of Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudor monarchs, James inherited the English throne, becoming the first of the Stuart Dynasty.  In 1605, a conspiracy was instigated to blow up King James and the Parliament in response to the anti-Roman-Catholic laws.  This so-called Gunpowder Plot was foiled and James cracked down heavily on Catholics.

James is remembered for the establishment of the first English colony in America (Jamestown) and for sponsoring the Authorized, or King James' Version of the Bible, which was published in 1611.

James I was succeeded by his son Charles I (Figure 23), who married Henrietta Maria, the sister of Louis XIII of France, raising fears of a Catholic succession to the throne among the Puritan leaders in Parliament. 



Figure 23.  Charles I Memorial
(Weiss Collection)

by James ROETTIERS:  England,  1649,  Bronze,  51 mm   
Obverse:  Bust of Charles I (r)    CAROL. D.G. M.B.F. ET. H. REX & GLOR. MEM. (Charles, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland and of Glorious Memory)
Reverse: A landscape and sheep without a shepherd; a hand from heaven holding a celestial crown     VIRTVT EX. ME. FORTVNAM EX. ALIIS (Learn Virtue from Me, but Fortune from Others).
Signed:  R (in monogram)   
Reference:  M.I. i, 346/200; van Loon II, 320; Eimer 43/162;  Farquhar 1908/199;  Fearon 92.5; Med. Hist.50/7; BW412

Charles I (1600-1649), son of James I,  was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 to 1649.  In 1625 he married Henrietta Maria, sister of the Catholic Louis XIII of France, raising fears of a Catholic succession to the throne.  This fear led to the passage of the Act of Settlement during the reign of William III, which  assured, through legislation, the continual Protestant dominance to the throne (see below).

Charles had several serious problems during his reign, some of which had religious bases.  These included disagreements with Parliament, leading to Charles’ insistence on the “divine right of kings”, and attempts to impose Anglican liturgy on Scotland, leading to the Bishops’ Wars.  These and other clashes with Parliament precipitated the English Civil War led by Oliver Cromwell.  After suffering a succession of defeats, Charles surrendered and was taken prisoner.  In 1647 Charles reached a secret agreement with the Scots, promising to accept Presbyterianism in return for military support against Parliament, but this second phase of the Civil War ended with Scottish defeat.  In 1649 Charles was tried for treason and was beheaded as a tyrant and public enemy to his people.  This medal was struck  by order of his son Charles II after his restoration to the throne in 1660.  

As mentioned above, religious, financial and political strife led to the English Civil War (1642-1651), a series of political and armed conflicts between Parliamentarians and Royalists, resulting ultimately in the beheading of Charles I and the establishment of the Commonwealth republic under the Calvinist statesman Oliver Cromwell (Figure 24)  


Figure 24.  OLIVER CROMWELL AND MASANIELLO
(Weiss Collection)

by O. (Wouter) MÜLLER:  England/ Italy,  1658,  Silver,  70 mm   
Obverse: Oliver Cromwell being crowned between two soldiers. A cartouche below, inscribed OLIVER CROMWEL PROTECTOR V. ENGEL: SCHOTL: YRLAN 1658 (Oliver Cromwell, Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland 1658)
Reverse: Tommaso Aniello (Masaniello) being crowned between two sailors.  A cartouche below, inscribed MASANIELLO VISSCHER EN CONINCK V. NAPELS 1647 (Masaniello Fisherman and King of Naples 1647)
Rare
Reference:  M.I. i, 432/78; Eimer 47/198;  Jones, "Art of the Medal", 51/110;  Med. Hist. Engl. 64/10; BW178                   

This medal was inspired by the rise to prominence of these two commoners, considered remarkable in the 17th century: Tommaso Aniello and Oliver Cromwell. Tommaso Aniello, called Masaniello (1620?-1647), was a fisherman, turned Neapolitan revolutionist,  who led a revolt of the lower classes.
The reverse of this medal compares Masaniello’s revolt with that of Cromwell’s in England, which like that of Cromwell’s, was short lived. Of further interest, is the artist’s rendition of the two figures, who are depicted as having a striking physical resemblance.           

Cromwell’s rule ended with the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 (Figure 25) in the person of Charles II, the son of Charles I. 


Figure 25.  EMBARKATION OF CHARLES II ON HIS RESTORATION TO ENGLAND
(Weiss Collection)

by Pieter van    ABEELE:  England,  1660,  Silver,  70 mm   
Obverse:  Bust of Charles II (r) CAROLUS. II. D.G. MAGNAE BRIT. FRA. ET. HIB. REX. (Charles II, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland)
Reverse:  Fleet under sail; above, Fame with a trumpet and scroll inscribed, SOLI DEO GLORIA (To God Alone the Glory).  Below, a shell inscribed, S. M. is uit Hollant van Scheveling agfevaren naer fyn Coninryken A. 1660 Juni 2. (His Majesty Departed from Holland by Scheveningen to His Own Kingdom, 2 June, 1660).  Legend: IN NOMINE MEO EXALTABITUR CONRU EIUS. PSAL. 89 (In My Name Shall His Horn Be Exalted)   
Signed: PVA (in monogram on rim) F.
Two embossed plates, chased, and united by a broad rim.
Reference:  M.I. i, 455/44;  Van Loon II 462; BW410

Charles II (1630-1685) was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1660 to1685).  After the execution of his father, Charles I, he fled to France but in 1650 was invited to Scotland and crowned king in 1651.  Charles’ attempted invasion of England was repulsed by Oliver Cromwell, and he was forced back into exile.  In 1660, in order to regain the throne, Charles issued the Declaration of Breda, in which he promised religious toleration and amnesty for his enemies.  Parliament agreed to the Declaration, and Charles left Holland on June 2,  1660, as is shown on the medal, and was crowned king in May 1660, ushering in the Restoration.  Charles attempted to preserve royal power, accepting secret subsidies from Louis XIV of France in exchange for promoting Roman Catholicism.  But Charles’ support of Louis led to the Dutch Wars (1672-74).  Conflict was further fueled by strong anti-Catholic feeling, manifested in the “Popish Plot” rumor and the Exclusion Crisis when attempts were made to exclude Charles’ Catholic brother, the Duke of York, (the future James II) from the succession.