The Puritan Revolution; England

The Puritan Revolution; England

 

 

■ James I(as King of Scots James VI)

- King of England and Scots,

- the son of Mary Stuart,

- Elizabeth's successor

- The English always considered him a foreigner.

- His plans for the union of the two kingdoms.

- James's greatest conflicts were with those Protestants.

- His ideal was an absolute monarchy such as existed in France. He stressed the episcopacy for to increase his own power. - "without bishops, there is no king."

- the new translation of the Bible that appeared in 1611, King James Version.

 

■ Puritans

- They insisted on the need to "purify" the Church by a return to biblical religion, so they were given the name of "Puritans"

- They opposed many of the traditional elements of worship. Ex) priestly garments, celebration of communion, led to long and bitter controversy.

- They insisted on the need for a sober life, guided by the commandments of Scripture, lacking the luxury and ostentation.

- keep the Lord's Day, devoting it exclusively to religious exercises and to the practice of charity.

- most of them drank moderately, but they were very critical of drunkenness.

- they were opposed to bishop.

- There were groups; "presbyters", "Independents", "Baptists"

- they drew their inspiration from Calvin, Zwingli and the other Swiss reformers. Some of the more radical drew on the Anabaptist tradition.

- They did not trust the new king, James I.

 

■ Gunpowder Plot 1605

- some Catholics plot, try to assassinate the King

- Since a repressive law against Catholics had been issued.

- Failed.

 

■ Charles I

- as his father had been of the need for a centralized and powerful monarchy, so he too clashed with Parliament.

- He married a sister of King Louis XIII of France, this marriage had included concessions to English Catholics.

- He gave Laud(archbishop of Canterbury) full powers in Scotland, where the archbishop tried to impose the Anglican liturgy. This resulted in a riot that soon became a rebellion.

- 1640, he called a meeting of Parliament hoping to obtain funds for his war against the Scottish rebels. But it soon dissolved by him. It called the "Short Parliament."

 

■ The Long Parliament

- The Scots invaded English territory. Charles was forced to convene Parliament, it called the "Long Parliament."

- Those of Archbishop Laud's victims who still lived were set free, and an indemnization was paid for their suffering.

- Lord Strafford, one of the king's most loyal ministers condemned to death.

- a law establishing that the assembly could not be dissolved by the king without its own agreement.

- The conflicts between the throne and Parliament had finally led to civil war.

 

■ Civil War

- At first there were only minor skirmishes, while each party sought outside support: Parliament from the Scots, and Charles from the Catholics in Ireland.

- Threatened by civil war, the various Puritan factions drew closer together.

- The episcopacy was abolished, because the bishops supported the king and theological reason, and because the confiscation of the bishops' property.

- Westminster Assembly

- The Scots in a "Solemn League and Covenant" that committed them to Presbyterianism.

- Oliver Cromwell came to the foreground

- Crushed at the battle of Naseby, king captured by his opponents.

- Charles was beheaded 1649

 

■ The Protectorate

- The Scots, fearing the loss of their independence from England, rapidly acknowledged the dead king's son, Charles II, as their ruler.

- Cromwell took the reins of power.

- He stamped out first the Irish rebellion and then the royalist outbreak in Scotland.

-He had become master of the nation. He took the title of "Lord Protector."

- He set on a program of reformation of both church and state.

- He tried to develop a religious system where there was room for Presbyterians, Baptists, and even some moderate advocates of episcopacy.

- He was able to retain control of the country as long as he lived.

- But his dreams of creating a stable republic failed.

 

■ The Restoration

- The failure of the Protectorate left no alternative but the restoration of the monarchy.

- Parliament recalled Charles II to his father's throne.

- The new government restored both the episcopacy and the Book of Common Prayer.

- Scotland had become staunchly Presbyterian, and now by a royal decree the episcopacy was reinstated, this resulted in riots and revolts.

- After Charlse II died, James II became a king. But he resolved to restore Roman Catholicism. After three years under James II, the English rebelled and invited William, Prince of Orange, and his wife Mary, James's daughter, to occupy the throne, in 1688, James fled to France.

- their religious policy was fairly tolerant.

- in England, tolerance was granted to any who would subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles of 1562, and swear loyalty to the sovereigns.