Editing Thomas Cranmer (section)

==''Book of Common Prayer'' (1548–1549)==
[[File:Book of Common Prayer, 1549 (2).jpg|thumb|right|The title page of the 1549 ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'']]
As the use of English in worship services spread, the need for a complete uniform liturgy for the Church became evident. Initial meetings to start what would eventually become the [[Book of Common Prayer (1549)|1549 ''Book of Common Prayer'']] were held in the former [[Chertsey Abbey]] and in [[Windsor Castle]] in September 1548. The list of participants can be only partially reconstructed, but it is known that the members were balanced between conservatives and reformers. These meetings were followed by a debate on the Eucharist in the House of Lords which took place between 14 and 19 December. Cranmer publicly revealed in this debate that he had abandoned the doctrine of the corporeal real presence and believed that the Eucharistic presence was only spiritual.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ridley|1962|p=284}}; {{Harvnb|MacCulloch|1996|pp=405–406}}</ref> Parliament backed the publication of the prayer book after Christmas by passing the [[Act of Uniformity 1549]]; it then legalised clerical marriage.<ref>{{Harvnb|MacCulloch|1996|pp=395–398, 405–408}}; {{Harvnb|Ridley|1962|pp=285–289}}</ref>

It is difficult to ascertain how much of the prayer book is Cranmer's personal composition. Generations of liturgical scholars have been able to track down the sources that he used, including the [[Sarum Rite]], writings from [[Hermann of Wied]], and several Lutheran sources including Osiander and [[Justus Jonas]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Spinks|1993|p=177}}</ref> It is more problematic to determine how Cranmer worked on the book and with whom he worked. Where information about his possible helpers is lacking, he is given the credit for the editorship and the overall structure of the book.<ref>{{Harvnb|Robinson|1998|p=82}}; {{Harvnb|MacCulloch|1996|pp=414–417}}</ref>

The use of the new prayer book was made compulsory on 9 June 1549. This triggered a series of protests in [[Devon]] and [[Cornwall]] where the English language was not yet in common usage,{{sfn|Mills|2010|p=189|loc=Genocide and Ethnocide}} now known as the [[Prayer Book Rebellion]]. By early July, the uprising had spread to other parts in the east of England. The rebels made a number of demands including the restoration of the Six Articles, the use of Latin for the mass with only the consecrated bread given to the laity, the restoration of prayers for souls in purgatory, and the rebuilding of abbeys. Cranmer wrote a strong response to these demands to the King in which he denounced the wickedness of the rebellion.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ridley|1962|pp=293–297}}</ref> On 21 July, Cranmer commandeered [[Old St Paul's Cathedral|St Paul's Cathedral]] where he vigorously defended the official Church line. A draft of his sermon, the only extant written sample of his preaching from his entire career, shows that he collaborated with Peter Martyr on dealing with the rebellion.<ref>{{Harvnb|MacCulloch|1996|pp=410, 429–437}}</ref>