17th Century British History Review

Elizabeth Isham

• A pious noblewoman whose diary provides insights into the intellectual and spiritual life of early 17th-century Protestant women.

• Her life demonstrates how the Reformation empowered women to engage with scripture and personal piety.

Chain of Being

• A hierarchical structure of all matter and life, decreed by God.

• Reinforced monarchist and patriarchal structures.

• The chain of being was destabilized during the civil wars as radical groups questioned traditional authority.

Daughters of Eve

• Refers to the misogynistic notion that women were inherently sinful.

• Heavily influenced social, legal, and religious views of women during this period.

• Justified control over women in both church and state.

Emmanuel College

• A Cambridge college known for training Puritan ministers.

• Played a crucial role in spreading reformed theology.

• Created the intellectual base for Parliamentary resistance.

Calvinist Consensus

• A broad Protestant agreement under Elizabeth I and James I was based on Calvinist doctrine.

• Its decline under Charles I fueled religious tensions and division.

Gunpowder Plot (1605)

• A failed Catholic plot to blow up Parliament and kill King James I.

• Cemented anti-Catholic laws and paranoia throughout the century.

Amboyna Massacre (1623)

• English traders were executed by the Dutch in Indonesia.

• Became a propaganda point to stir anti-Dutch and pro-imperial sentiment, tying trade to national honor.

Ulster Plantation

• Colonization of Northern Ireland with English and Scottish Protestants.

• Deepened sectarian divides.

• Set the stage for later Irish rebellions and resistance.

Tobacco

• A crop introduced via colonies like Virginia.

• Became a key economic driver, linking Britain’s transformation to global commerce and colonial exploitation.

New England Way

• A Puritan model of church governance in early American colonies.

• It embodied ideals of congregational independence and moral society.

• Often used to critique England’s religious compromises.

Overbury Scandal (1613)

• The murder of Sir Thomas Overbury revealed a web of court corruption.

• Undermined public trust in the monarchy, especially under James I's rule.

George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham

• A royal favorite under James I and Charles I.

• His monopolization of patronage and military failures helped stoke elite and popular resentment, fueling pre-revolutionary tensions.

Frederick V

• A Protestant Elector Palatine and briefly King of Bohemia.

• His defeat in the Thirty Years’ War pulled England closer into continental Protestant-Catholic conflicts.

• Influenced English foreign and religious policy.

Spanish Match

• Charles I proposed marriage to a Spanish Catholic princess.

• Fierce opposition in Parliament revealed deep anxieties about Catholic influence and foreign entanglements.

Henrietta Maria

• A French Catholic queen consort of Charles I.

• Her religion and influence at court were seen as threats to Protestantism.

• Intensified anti-Catholic sentiment and fear of absolutism.

Forced Loan (1626-27)

• Charles I attempted to raise funds without Parliament.

• It was seen as illegal taxation on citizens.

• Heightened political unrest and constitutional conflict.

John Felton

• Assassination of George Villiers (Duke of Buckingham) in 1628.

• He was seen as a hero by many who blamed Villiers for failed military expeditions and corruption.

• Highlighted political tensions during Charles I’s personal rule.

Jenny Geddes

• Allegedly threw a stool at a minister in protest of the Anglican style BOCP being imposed in Scotland (1637).

• Symbol of grassroots Presbyterian resistance that sparked the Bishops’ Wars.

Beauty of Holiness

• Aesthetic and ritual emphasis in worship was promoted by Archbishop Laud.

• Seen as “popish” by Puritans.

• Contributed to religious conflict leading up to the Civil War.

Thomas Wentworth (Earl of Strafford)

• Charles I’s key advisor and enforcer of authoritarian policies in Ireland and England.

• He was executed by Parliament in 1641.

• His fall marked a key moment in the breakdown of royal authority.

Covenanters

• Scottish Presbyterians who opposed Charles I's religious reforms.

• Their resistance led to the Bishops’ Wars.

• Undermined royal authority and triggering the English Civil War.

Irish Rebellion (1641)

• Catholic uprising against Protestant settlers.

• It was used by Parliamentarians to justify the war against Charles I, who was accused of secretly supporting the rebels.

Independents

• Radical Puritans advocated for congregational autonomy.

• They clashed with Presbyterians.

• Influenced the political/religious ideology of the New Model Army.

New Model Army

• Parliament’s professional military force in the Civil War.

• Radically democratic in structure and politics.

• Central in the execution of Charles I and the rise of the Commonwealth.

Levellers

• Radical political group advocating for suffrage, equality, and religious freedom.

• Influenced by the Army.

• Their ideas prefigured modern democratic theory.

Putney Debates (1647)

• A series of discussions within the New Model Army about governance and rights.

• A critical moment for democratic thought and political radicalism.

Drogheda (1649)

• A site of a brutal massacre by Cromwell’s forces in Ireland.

• Became symbolic of English cruelty.

• Deepened Irish hostility toward English rule.

Royal Oak

• Symbol of Charles II’s escape after the Battle of Worcester.

• Became a royalist myth after the Restoration, emphasizing loyalty and divine favor.

Quakers

• A radical religious group emphasizing inner light and equality.

• Challenged both church and state authority.

Clarendon Code

• A series of laws aimed at enforcing conformity to the Church of England and suppressing dissenters.

• Reasserted Anglican dominance post-Civil War.

RAC (Royal African Company)

• Chartered in 1672, it monopolized English involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

• It embodied the brutal expansion of empire and commerce.

Great Fire (1666)

• Devastating fire in London that was blamed on Catholics, further inflaming anti-Catholic sentiment.

• Led to modernization of the city but also reinforced religious paranoia.

Louis XIV

• King of France, model of absolutist Catholic monarchy.

• English fears of “popery and tyranny” often drew from anxieties about his influence over English affairs.

Test Act (1673)

• Required public officials to swear against transubstantiation.

• It effectively barred Catholics from office, signaling deep entrenchment of Protestantism.

Tory vs. Whig

• Emergent political factors.

• Whigs were generally anti-absolutist and pro-Parliament; Tories were royalist and pro-church.

• Their conflict shaped the future of British political parties.

Aphra Behn

• One of the first professional female writers.

• A staunch royalist, her work reflects post-Restoration royalist and colonial ideologies, especially in relation to gender and empire.

Mary of Modena

• Catholic wife of James II.

• Her birth of a Catholic heir in 1688 triggered the Glorious Revolution as it raised the prospect of a lasting Catholic monarchy.

• It was speculated that James was smuggled into her chambers in a warming pan and that he was her illegitimate son.

Battle of Boyne (1690)

• Decisive Protestant victory over James II in Ireland by William III.

• Marked the final failure of a Catholic restoration and cemented Protestant ascendancy.