Topic summary

Act of Supremacy 1558

Related topics

The Act of Supremacy 1558 (1 Eliz. 1. c. 1), also known as the Act of Supremacy 1559, is an act of the Parliament of England, which replaced the original Act of Supremacy 1534 (26 Hen. 8. c. 1), and becoming law during the reign of Elizabeth I. The 1534 act was issued by Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, arrogating authority to the monarch, but this law had been repealed by Mary I. Along with the Act of Uniformity 1558, the Supremacy Act made up what is generally referred to as the Elizabethan Religious Settlement.

The act remained in place until the 19th century, when some sections began to be repealed. By 1969, all provisions, except section 8 (which still remains in force), had been repealed by various acts, with the whole act repealed in Northern Ireland between 1950 and 1953.