Anglican When Elizabeth I becomes queen in 1558, she wants to avoid the bloodshed caused by religious arguments, and to end the constant tension between extreme Protestants and militant Catholics. So she creates an English – Anglican – Church, which combines Protestant and Catholic beliefs. The Elizabethan Settlement of 1559 compromises over the theological question of whether Christ is a 'real presence' during communion but promotes the English translation of the Bible and The Book of Common Prayer.

Iconoclasm During the reign of Edward VI, Henry VIII's son, there is an upsurge of radical Protestantism among the population. One of the ways it manifests itself is by iconoclasm – the smashing of paintings and images in churches. Militant Protestants see these as 'craven images' and unholy. In 1549, for example, the entire cloister of St Paul's cathedral is demolished and the materials are used by Lord Protector Somerset to build Somerset House in the Strand. In London's Grey Friars church, more than 100 monuments and tombs are ripped out.

Privateer A 'licensed' pirate – one who has either a commission from the monarch to carry out his piratical activities (with a share of the booty going to the crown) or, at the least, the ruler's tacit agreement. 'Sea dogs' such as Sir Francis Drake form themselves into private enterprise companies, with shareholders, and attack and loot Spanish ships and garrisons in the Americas. A typically Tudor mix of patriotism and greed.

Puritan Radical Protestant. Influenced by European Protestants, and especially by John Calvin in Switzerland, Puritans emerge during the mid-1550s. They usually believe in a much stricter version of religion than ordinary folk, and like their worship to be pure, with no frills. They read the Bible a lot and give their children names such as Fear-God, Zealous and Perseverance. Often derided as killjoys because of their opposition to swearing, drunkenness and sexual licence, they are also iconoclasts, responsible for smashing much of England's heritage of medieval art. For more information, see Godly nation in the Stuart England travel guide.

Reformation The complex process by which England stops being a Roman Catholic country and becomes Protestant. When Henry VIII becomes king in 1509, the head of the English Church is the Catholic pope, who controls religious affairs from Rome. In order to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Henry breaks with Rome in the 1530s and makes himself supreme head of the Church in England. Under his son, Edward VI, radical reformers gain power and turn the country decisively Protestant, so that, when she comes to the throne, the Catholic Mary I is unable to reverse the process. Finally, Elizabeth I creates an Anglican Church that steers a middle way between the extreme evangelical Protestants – or Puritans – and some of the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church.

Renaissance Meaning 'rebirth', this is the name given to the European trend, which lasts roughly from 1400 to 1600, in which intellectuals and artists develop a passion for the ancient civilisations of Greece and Rome. Originating in Italy, this movement of revived classical learning spreads all over Europe. Everywhere, the new ideas of humanism (which put the human being, rather than God or nature, at the centre of the universe) struggle with traditional superstition and plain ignorance.

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