Ch 7 Divisions over Religion: Arminianism Laudianism; Puritanism & Millenarianism to 1640 Flashcards
-What religion were the majority of the Political Nation?
- majority were conservative Calvinists Anglican in religion @ the centre of the Jacobethan balance
- as such they were able to tolerate both moderate Puritanism & Arminianism
-What was the problem with Puritanism?
-they believed they were selected to be saved by God, & were unpopular in many communities for appearing to see themselves better than their neighbours
-What triggered Britain’s wars of religion?
-it was Charles’ favouring of Arminianism & specifically Laudianism in the 1630s that triggered Britain’s wars of religion by forcing a reaction from the Puritans and over time alienating the moderate Calvinist majority
-What was the more accurate term for the anti-Calvinist Arminians?
- more accurate to use the term ‘Laudians’ for the anti-Calvinist Arminians because William Laud’s promotions in the Church of England
- Laud was promoted to Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633 at the death of the Calvinist George Abbot
-Key characteristics at the heart of Laudianism
- a rejection of predestination
- less emphasis on the Bible and preaching; with more emphasis on ritual and ceremony
-What broke the Jacobethan balance?
- generally the English population was moderately Calvinist, and so Charles I’s decision to side w/ Laudianism trying to impose a new more restrictive religious uniformity broke the Jacobethan balance
- thus by 1640 most Protestants (Calvinists and Puritans alike) were united against Charles
-What term describes the most notable aspect of Laudian influence on the decoration and appearance of churches?
-the term ‘beauty of holiness’
-6 Laudian measures
- communion table to be aligned north-south against the far east wall of the church (where the Catholic altar had been)
- the space around the altar would be raised by steps
- the chancel area to be separated from the rest of the Church by a rail
- the altar to be covered with a decorated embroidered cloth
- increased emphasis on ceremony
- decoration such as stained glass window
- increased use of music in services
- ministers wearing vestments instead of plain robes
- removal of the gentry’s ornamental pews
-Where did Laudian measure greatest effect churches?
- Laudian changes had the greatest effect in churches controlled by Puritans, who favoured plainly decorated churches
- for them the physical changes to the church were elements of idolatry derived from all that was wrong about Catholicism
-Laudianism emphasis on ceremony
- Laudianism mirrors Catholicism w/ its emphasis on ceremony: church services were centred on the catechism (list of set statements that were laid out in a prayer book and recited at specific points in the service)
- for Laud & Charles, the catechism gave church services conformity and order
- for Puritans, all of this moved away from Bible as the sole word of God (what they saw was most important)
-Laudianism campaigned against unlicensed preaching
- Laud limited preaching to Sunday mornings & evenings as a means of controlling Puritans; Puritan preaching was further limited by a direct legal attack on the Feoffees for Impropriations in 1633 (an organisation, mainly for Puritans, which from 1626 raised money to control the appointment of clergy to parishes in order to establish Puritan preachers; Laud had the Feoffees banned in 1633 & the parishes they owned were taken over by the Laudians)
- the attack should be seen in the context of Laud’s overall aim to restore the power and authority of the Church (which after 1625 was controlled by Arminians & Laudians) including the bishops, clergy and courts, over Puritan influence
- restoration of Church lands and re-establishment of Church control over clergy appointments both helped this
- the removal of pews that had been put into some churches by gentry to emphasise their social standing in the community further emphasised the power of the Church over laity
-How were Laudian measures enforced?
- visitations (official visits made by bishops to the parishes in their areas to report on whether everyone was conforming to the Laudian reforms)
- visitations focused on the physical aspects of the churches and the performance of the ministers
- how far Laudian measures were implemented and enforced in a local area still depended on the local bishop, vicars & gentry (in some areas like Nottinghamshire they were hostile to those who tried to impose changes on their parishes)
-What became more focused during Charles I’s Personal Rule?
- during his personal rule, Puritan ‘evidence’ for a Catholic conspiracy became more focused on Charles’ religious policies and also on the prominence of anti-Calvinist Arminians and Catholics at court
- the presence of many Catholics at court as well as the access they had to Charles made it easy for Puritans to believe that the king was being influenced by them (Catholics including Charles’ wife Henrietta Maria)
-What was part of Charles’ support of Arminianism?
-Charles’ support for Arminianism was due to his fear of Puritanism, its seeming threat to order & unity in Church as well as in his monarchy
-What was passed in 1640 to codify Laud’s measures?
- Church laws called canon laws were passed to codify Laud’s measures
- by 1640 however, the authority of both Charles and Laud was collapsing under a Puritan backlash in both England and Scotland
-How do you define Puritans?
- the hotter sort of Protestants
- place religion at the centre of their lives & sought to further reform the Church of England so that all aspects of Catholic practice & symbols were removed
- focus on the importance of the Bible (believed the Bible gave them direct access to God and thereby direction for their lives)
- extremely anti-Catholic
-What was the view of most people during the 1630s?
- during the 1630s many Protestants became increasingly concerned at the direction of Charles’ imposition of Laudianism and felt an increasing connection w/ the Puritan position
- Arminian measures were soon too close to Catholicism, which pushed more Protestants towards Puritanism
- Puritan ‘hotter’ Protestantism gave them the courage to make a stand against what they regarded as the imposition of Catholicism
