The accession of Elizabeth almost inevitably meant the end of the attempt to restore England to the arms of the papacy. The precise intentions of the queen, the degree of her commitment to Protestantism and the nature of the religious settlement she wished to impose have been endlessly debated by historians. On two topics, however, there seems little room for controversy: the queen intended to be head of the church once again, and that church would be dominated by the crown in all important matters of policy and finance. This second point was confirmed as soon as the 1559 Parliament assembled: the first government bill presented to it was for the return of first-fruits and tenths to the crown. The purpose was very practical, to help to solve the pressing financial problems of the new regime, but the move was also symbolic, for nothing better represented the subjugation of the clergy to the crown than the regular taxation first introduced in the 1530s. It was no wonder that the Marian bishops felt obliged to oppose the measure, which marked a reversal of the cautious progress towards financial autonomy that had occurred during the previous reign. The severance of all links with Rome by the Supremacy Act also had some political and economic consequences, for it returned to the crown an uncontested control over patronage within the church. As the settlement matured and lost the temporary character that it possessed in 1559, the principles of royal control over the fortunes of the clergy became an accepted part of the pattern of the church.