1625-40 (charles I)

the CoE - laud's policies, religious uniformity

CoE ‘25

• centralised church - maintained england as confessional state

  • 1 type religious practice = enforced + compulsory

  • anglican - middle ground between caths + prots

• stability threatened by

  • ⭡ arminianism = assoc w high church practices (similar to cath → prots afraid)

    • eg organs/hymns

indicators CoE = evolving effectively

• lack of dissenters/opp - resistance limited/suppressed

• strong confessional state

• stable long term reform - changes x being reversed

William Laud

• CoE bishop

• ‘33 - Archbishop of Canterbury

  • parl unhappy

• unpopular arminian policies

  • ppl feared he = crypto cath plotting to return country to papal obedience

  • believed puritanism (strand of prot, want to simplify worship + purify it from taint of cath ceremony) = main threat to true religion

    • alienates puritans

  • brutally enforced policies

• aims -

  • uniformity of worship

  • discipline

  • restore church wealth to pre-reformation levels

Why did c support ⭡ arminianism?

• liked rituals + ceremonies

• arminians support royal authority more

• disliked puritans

laud/charles policies

• sermons in parishes replaced by catechising

  • c disliked preaching (can’t control whats being said)

  • affects prots

  • c forbade public discussion of sensitive religious doctrine (censorship) - interpreted as further restricting preaching

  • threatened authority of bishops

• Book of Sports reinstated

  • encouraged ppl play sport after sunday morning church services

  • against puritan belief of no activity on sunday

• position of communion table moved

• organs installed in churches

  • upset puritans - music = distraction from prayer/bible study

• laud rejected cardinal hat from pope

  • seen as strategic move to make it seem he x cath

• restored full value of tithes

the prerogative courts of the Star Chamber + High Commission

• used to punish opp

• ‘30 Alexander Leighton - published work calling for abolition of episcopacy (church run by bishops)

  • publicly whipped, branded, imprisoned

• ‘34 Prynne pamphlets against stage plays (‘actresses = prostitutes’) - fined

  • Henrietta acting in masque at time

  • ‘37 pamphlets criticising laud

    • imprisoned for life w Burton + Bastwick

    • tops of ears cut off

• fear of punishment → deterrent against opposing reign

• punishment of gentry ⭢ gentry puritan alliance

  • by ‘40 lots pol elite wanted his regime abolished

growth of nonconformity - puritanism

indicators nonconformity = a serious threat

• direct opp to monarchy

• challenging confessional state

• widespread support

• influencing policies

non-conformity grew/was stable

• sects emerged

• no. prot ministers leaving CoE to form separatist churches ⭡

• ⭡ support for congregational church

  • each congregation independently governs itself

  • refuge for puritans - fear of cath, persecution

• long parl released Bastwick, Prynne + Burton + declared sentences illegal

• relative freedom of press esp during civil war

• puritan mps Pym + Hampden opposed c in parl

  • puritanism = threat to monarchy - ⭡ demo church, against divine right

non-conformity = repressed

• prerogative courts

• ‘30s - c 80,000 puritans emigrated from england

  • to america (new wrld) + ireland

  • commonwealth - many returned

• preaching restricted

  • preaching on predestination banned

  • puritan preachers x funded by town councils

• puritan books/pamphlets censored

  • seized, destroyed if found

catholicism - cath influence within charles’ court

long term english anti-cath sentiment

• cath assoc w -

• persecution

  • bloody mary - burned prots at stake (cruel painful form of execution)

• plots/treason - babington plot, gunpowder plot

• foreign threat

  • James I pro spanish foreign policy (cath, trad england’s enemy)

• absolutism

  • links to France

why did c’s reign ⭡ anti cath sentiment?

• Henrietta Maria

  • c wife = openly cath, french

  • instructed by pope to promote british cath interests + convert c

  • 12 cath priests in court

• Laud

  • arminianism

  • persecution

• excluded puritans

  • believed their religion being suppressed to make way for cath influence

• personal rule

  • ruling w/o parl → fear of absolutism

  • advisors mostly = crypto-caths (secretly practicing)

  • made peace w spain + france

• civil war - small no. caths in royalist army

  • fear of papal plots/them rising up