King Charles I and Protestan England

1250 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The rise of puritans

If one were to examine England during the 1620’s and 1630’s, one would see an England writhe with religious anxieties. These worries permeated every aspect of English society from the wealthiest of gentry to the lay Englishman and woman. Having said that, it is difficult to pinpoint precisely what key event contributed to this level of worry; nevertheless, when English society is examined as a whole, a clear picture emerges of England as a nation plagued by a plethora of concerns, not just one solitary issue. However, all of these concerns have a tenuous connection to the actions of the monarchy. Realistically, the monarchy of England during the 1620’s and 1630’s did little to stifle religious anxieties left over from the reign of King James I. Rather, King James’ son King Charles I only exacerbated already existing conditions. King Charles I inherited a largely Protestant England from his father that was still facing questions over church structure and doctrine. In particular, the question over episcopacy was still unpopular amongst Puritan reformers within the Church of England. This issue was further compounded during King Charles’s reign by the rise of the Arminians and their doctrine, which for Puritan minded reformers bared a strong resemblance to Roman Catholicism. With this in mind, King Charles I angered the Puritan contingent in England by appointing Arminians to positions of power and prestige. In 1628, the king appointed William Laud Bishop of London, and then the king appointed Laud Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633. William Laud’s appointments to positions of power and his strong Arminian tendencies worried both Puritan reformers and more moderate English Calvinists. This anxiety was created because of several key ... ... middle of paper ... ...his fact did not abate concerns over religion. Realistically, the perception created by Charles played the largest role in the fuelling of religious anxieties. With this in mind, many Protestants in England perceived the king as a leader being undermined by a Catholic queen, a king who had abandoned the Protestant cause, and a monarch that supported a controversial theology. All of these perceptions, whether true or not, served to create a period of great religious tension. Bibliography Bucholz, Robert, and Newton Key. Early Modern England 1485-1714 A Narrative History. Chichester: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2009. Reynolds, Mathew. "Predestination and Parochial Dispute in the 1630s: The Case of the Norwich Lectureships." The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 59 (July 2008): 407-25. Worden, Blair. The English Civil Wars 1640-1660. Phoenix: Orion Books Ltd., 2009.

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of The Voices Of Morebath

    1342 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Voices of Morebath: Reformation and Rebellion in an English Village, renowned scholar Eamonn Duffy investigates the English Reformation. Duffy pears through the eyes of the priest of a small, remote village in Southwestern England. Using Sir Christopher Trichay’s records of the parish, Duffy illustrates an image of Reformation opposite of what is predominantly assumed. Duffy argues the transformation that took place between 1530 and 1570, through the transition of four monarchs, was much more gradual that many interpret. Even though state mandate religious change affected the community of Morebath, the change did not ensue the violence that is often construed with the Reformation. Sir Christopher Trichay’s leadership and his portrayal of community life, the development and removal of St. Sidwell, and the participation in the church through stores develop Duffy’s argument of appeasement rather than violence during the English Reformation.

    Read More

  • Protestantism vs. Catholicism in XVII Century England

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the seventeenth century, Protestantism in England was as safe as houses: secure with a firm chronological and doctrinal and popular foundation. Within the larger European context, however, the established National religion was exposed to the rigours of Catholic tempest and seemed far from fixed. It is in this respect that we might tackle the monarchical populous split.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Trial And Execution Of King Charles 1

    1743 Words  | 4 Pages

    Under his rule, a second issue came about with religion because of the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. Laud attempted to make the English church adopt more elaborate

    Read More

  • Religious Intolerance In The 17th Century

    1333 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Church of England had formed in an attempt to improve upon the way of life offered by the Catholic Church. In reality it was no better and “By law everybody was supposed to belong to the Church of England” (Lambert 1). When Charles I took the throne, everything became increasingly worse. Not only were people facing persecution from their peers in matters of religion, but the government was also oppressing these people. A specific example of this were the English Civil Wars. This series of battles “began originally as a dispute over financial matters between the King of England (Charles I) and Parliament, but the underlying issue of this time, concerned the religion of the nation” (Richards 1). The issues over religion led to a split in government creating two groups: the Royalists (those who supported the king and his Anglican ways) and the Roundheads (those who did not). Within the rebellious roundheads, various religious groups surfaced. One of these was the Quakers. Their beliefs raised concern and threatened the King’s Anglican ways. The Quakers were persecuted tremendously. They were tortured and killed, which

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Oliver Cromwell In The Civil War

    1885 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1642, Britain was a divided kingdom, on the brink of Civil war. The arrogance and selfishness of Charles I led to resentment from Parliament. A further important factor in the outbreak of war was religion. When he began to impose catholic customs on the predominantly Protestant country, he ignited the hatred of men such as Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell rose from an unadorned, puritan background through the ranks of the military to become Major-General of the army and eventually Lord Protector. Many believe his exploits during the Civil Wars were a primary factor in Parliamentarian victory although the true extent of his role is the subject of debate amongst historians, as I have explored.

    Read More

  • Absolutism vs. Constitutional Monarchy

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pincus, Steven C. A.. England's glorious Revolution, 1688-1689: a brief history with documents. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. 15.

    Read More

  • The Perfect Ruler in the Epic Poem, Beowulf

    2610 Words  | 6 Pages

    Collins, Roger and McClure, Judith, editors. Bede: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People; The Greater Chronicle; Bede’s Letter to Egbert. New York: Oxford University Press, 1969.

    Read More

  • Henry VIII and his Reformation of the Church in England

    2430 Words  | 5 Pages

    Haigh, Christopher. English Reformations: Religion, Politics, and Society under the Tudors  Oxford University Press, June 24, 1993.

    Read More

  • Protestant and Catholic Conflict in the Elizabethan Era

    2446 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout history, religious conflicts have led to war, turmoil, and devastation. From the very beginning of humanity, religion has played an active role alongside man. As religion began to establish various denominations, people started to question the superiority of one religion over another. The dominate religion in many countries reflected the religious views of the king or queen with little choice for the people to determine their own faith. Individuals wanting religious tolerance that was different from the national religion began to cause tension within the country. One of the major religious conflicts between the Protestant and Catholics divided nations through Europe. As the Protestant Reformation spread to England, the tensions between the Protestants and Catholics quickly escalated all over the country. For England, the constant change of rulers altered the nation’s religion from Protestantism to Catholicism. Many people felt conflicted over which religion to practice with the fear of persecution by the crown. However, within these times of turmoil, the Elizabethan era gave rise to radical ideals, influential people, and great works in the arts, as well as advancements in science. The people of England formed a country filled with the brightest political, cultural, and academic minds in history. The Protestant and Catholic conflict during the Elizabethan era boasted numerous accomplishments in the fields of history, art, philosophy, sconce, and literature with a major contribution to humankind.

    Read More

  • Aston Hall on Site

    1452 Words  | 3 Pages

    Politics, Society and Civil War in Warwickshire, 1620-1660 (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History) - Paperback (16 May 2002) by Ann Hughes and Anthony Fletcher;John Guy;John Morrill

    Read More

  • Comparing Wyatt And Sir Thomas More

    1482 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sixteenth Century; the Early Seventeenth Century. 8th ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. Print.

    Read More

  • The Legacy of Edward VI as Explained in Tudor Church Militant: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    The foundation of this book comes from a series of Birkbeck lectures which the author, Diarmaid MacCulloch, delivered at the University of Cambridge in the Lent term of 1998. MacCulloch’s purpose in writing Tudor Church Militant: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation were to voice his argument that the Edwardian reformation was a critical moment in the progress of the Anglican Church and the establishing of England’s Protestant identity.

    Read More

  • John Wesley and the Methodist Church- Analysis of “Methodism and the Christian Heritage in England”

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    How the step taken by the monarch’s of England influenced the Church in England to be transformed into the Church of England. The struggle in the theology of Lutheran, Calvinist, Catholicism, and Moravianism, to name just a few, would all have an influence in the foundation of the Methodist movement. Of how “John Wesley, paternal grandfather was brought before the Bishop of Bristol, Gilbert Ironside, to answer charges of nonconforming to the Thirty-Nine Articles” (p. 1...

    Read More

  • Perfection in Pope’s An Essay on Man

    1824 Words  | 4 Pages

    Terry, Joseph, ed. The Longman Anthology of British Literature Volume 1C The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century. New York: Longman, 2010.

    Read More

  • Use of Supernatural Elements in Literature

    3356 Words  | 7 Pages

    Pettegree, Andrew. "The English Reformation." BBC History. BBC, 17 Feb 2011. Web. 1 Oct 2013.

    Read More

More about King Charles I and Protestan England

Open Document