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WHY WAS THE TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE INTO WELSH IN 1588 SO IMPORTANT?

In 1588, the people of Wales were presented with a Bible in the Welsh language for the first time. Here, you can decide:1)WHY the 1588 Bible was so important? And2) TO WHOM was it important? To enable you to obtain the required information, you will need to use Sources A-D Click on each of these links below and answer the questions posed.

Elizabeth I as Head of the Church  Welsh Catholics   The Welsh Nobility   Elizabeth I as Queen of England  The grass roots population of Wales   Historians   The Welsh Public today

Source A  Source B  Source C  Source D

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Elizabeth I was troubled by France and Spain – two Catholic countries.  She worried that Catholics from Spain would attack her via Wales. The problem intensified in 1585 following the war between her and the king of Spain, Phillip II.

Elizabeth agreed to a Welsh Language Bible in 1563. Religion was the primary reason for translating the Bible into Welsh. Elizabeth was head of the Churchand she demanded that everyone of her subjects should belong to her Church.

Translating the Bible in 1588 was very important to the Church of Elizabeth. William Morgan was responsible for its translation. Elizabeth I and William Morgan wanted everyone in Wales to be of the Protestant religion. Translating the Bible into the Welsh language was paramount in securing that everyone who spoke Welsh could become a Protestant.     Adapted from the book: ‘Cymru a’r Tuduriaid’ (Wales and the Tudors) by the academic historian J. Gwynfor Jones [1993]

Source A

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Some Welsh people were attempting to keep the Catholic faith alive throughout the reign of Elizabeth I. Two of these people were executed for attempting to murder Elizabeth. Many Welshmen came to the country to be Catholic priests. They worked undercover trying to maintain the Catholic faith and keep it alive.

When Elizabeth I was ordained Queen, the majority of the Welsh population disliked the Protestant faith – they believed it to be a foreign religion in a foreign tongue. Elizabeth realised that she needed to have a Welsh Language Bible in order to turn the people of Wales into Protestants. Therefore, the translation of the Bible into Welsh in 1588 was extremely important. Now, the Welsh people could hear God’s word in Welsh in their churches each Sunday. Publishing the Welsh Language Bible was the most important event in the history of the Protestant faith in Wales throughout the Tudor dynasty.

Adapted from the book: ‘Hanes Cymru yn y Cyfnod Modern Cynnar’ (The History of Wales in the Early Modern Era) by the academic historian Geraint H. Jenkins [1983]

Source B

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Translating the Bible into Welsh was very important. However, it wasn’t until 1603 that the first free Bible was available for all to read. Without doubt it was the Bible that saved the Welsh language from extinction. The Bible was also an important weapon against the Catholic faith. One must remember that many Welsh people were students in Catholic colleges in Valladolid and Seville in Spain – and they endangered the future of Elizabeth’s Protestant Church.  

Adaption/translation from the book:

‘Tudor Wales’ by the academic historian W.S.K. Thomas [1983]

Source C

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There were numerous Welsh Catholics living in Europe. For example, three of these were students in the College at Douai in the Netherlands. The Netherlands were ruled by Phillip II of Spain. In 1561, Morris Clynnog called on Phillip II to get rid of Elizabeth as Queen of England. This demonstrated that some Welsh Catholics would be happy to see Elizabeth killed.  Therefore, translating the Bible into the Welsh Language was extremely important. Firstly, it confirmed that very nearly all of the Welsh population were Protestants. Secondly, if the Welsh people were now Protestants, they would not support a foreign invasion by Catholics such as the Spanish or Irish.

As stated by R.T. Jenkins in his book, the new Bible was very much welcomed within Wales.  The Protestants and supporters of the Queen were satisfied. Everyone would be able to hear the Bible in church on Sundays. Certainly, the Bible was one reason why Elizabeth’s church were victorious over her enemies.  Adapted from the book: ‘Cyfnod y Tuduriaid’ (The Tudor Period) by the academic historian W. Ambrose Bebb [1939]

Source D

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Elizabeth I as head of the Church

1. The evidence that shows that the 1588 Bible was important to Elizabeth I as head of the Church is :

2. One historian who states this is:

3. He (or she) wrote their interpretation in the year:

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Elizabeth I as head of the Church

4. The type of original evidence studied by him/her was [provide three suitable examples]. Click here to find a list of original sources.

 5. This historian studied the opinion of other historians such as :

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Welsh Catholics

1. The evidence that shows that the 1588 Bible was important to Welsh Catholics is:

2. One historian who states this is:

3. He (or she) wrote their interpretation in the year:

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Welsh Catholics

4. The type of original evidence studied by him/her was [provide three suitable examples]. Click here to find a list of original sources

 5. This historian studied the opinion of other historians such as:

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The Welsh Nobility

1. The evidence that shows that the 1588 Bible was important to the Welsh Nobility is:

2. One historian who states this is:

3. He (or she) wrote their interpretation in the year:

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The Welsh Nobility

4. The type of original evidence studied by him/her was [provide three suitable examples]. Click here to find a list of original sources.

 5. This historian studied the opinion of other historians such as:

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Elizabeth I as Queen of England

1. The evidence that shows that the 1588 Bible was important to Elizabeth I as Queen of England is:

2. One historian who states this is:

3. He (or she) wrote their interpretation in the year:

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Elizabeth I as Queen of England

4. The type of original evidence studied by him/her was [provide three suitable examples]. Click here to find a list of original sources.

 5. This historian studied the opinion of other historians such as:

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The grass roots population of Wales

1. The evidence that shows that the 1588 Bible was important to the grass roots population of Wales is:

2. One historian who states this is:

3. He (or she) wrote their interpretation in the year:

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The grass roots population of Wales4. The type of original evidence studied by him/her was [provide three suitable examples]. Click here to find a list of original sources.

 5. This historian studied the opinion of other historians such as:

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Historians

1. The evidence that shows that the 1588 Bible was important to historians is:

2. One historian who states this is:

3. He (or she) wrote their interpretation in the year:

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Historians

4. The type of original evidence studied by him/her was [provide three suitable examples]. Click here to find a list of original sources.

 5. This historian studied the opinion of other historians such as:

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The Welsh Public Today

1. The evidence that shows that the 1588 Bible was important to the Welsh public today:

2. One historian who states this is:

3. He (or she) wrote their interpretation in the year:

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The Welsh Public Today

4. The type of original evidence studied by him/her was [provide three suitable examples]. Click here to find a list of original sources.

 5. This historian studied the opinion of other historians such as:

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Original testimony

·        Parliamentary laws ·        Elizabeth I’s private letters ·        Maps ·        Poems by poets of the period ·        Archaeological evidence ·        Church records ·        The Pope’s letters ·        A picture of Philip II ·        Bishops’ reports into the state of the Church in Wales ·        Letters sent by members of the Welsh Nobility to Elizabeth I ·        A picture of Elizabeth I ·        The Bible of 1588 ·        A picture of William Morgan ·        The wills of the Nobility ·        Gravestones in Welsh churches ·        The letters of William Morgan ·        Pictures of Catholics being executed