James and religion

Question 2

what are the main topics on james and religion

8

Answer 2

1. religious situation in 1603
2. the anglian church and puritanism
3. the hampton court conference 1604
4. development of arminism
5. the growth of puritan opposition
6. james attitude to catholics
7. the gunpowder plot
8. impact of catholicism on polices

Question 3

what was the english reformationm

priori to james rule

Answer 3

Henry VIII ‘The King’s Great Matter’ – divorce from Catherine of Aragon – break with Rome 1534 – Henry becomes the Supreme Governor of the Church of England (Act of Supremacy) but doctrine remains Catholic​

Edward VI – makes the Church of England Protestant with the Acts of Uniformity in 1549 and 1552​

Mary I – tries to restore Catholicism by repealing the Act of Supremacy and the Acts of Uniformity​

Elizabeth I – completes the Protestant Reformation in England with her own Act of Uniformity in 1559

Question 4

when was the elizabethan settlement

Answer 4

1559

Question 5

why did elizabeth I choose protestantism as the state religion

and expand on the elizabethan settlement

Answer 5

Elizabeth chose Protestantism as the state religion because it made the Church subservient to the secular authorities and therefore increased her power​

Her personal beliefs were not strong, rather Elizabeth took a pragmatic view of religion ​

The Church of England followed Calvinist ideas (doctrine) but combined it with Catholic rituals (practices) to make it easier for Catholics to conform. However, Puritans (extreme Protestants) wanted both doctrine and practice to be Calvinist​

Attendance at church was compulsory. Non-attendance was punished with recusancy fines which tended to affect Catholics. It was used to encourage Catholics to convert

Question 6

religion background before J1

Answer 6

• Before 1517 all Christians in Western Europe (and Britain!) were Catholics
• Martin Luther questioned the doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church such as:

1. The need for good works – justification by faith alone
2. Indulgences
3. Meaning of communion (transubstantiation versus consubstantiation)
4. Need for priests – all with faith are equal
5. Bible in the vernacular (local language) rather than in latin

**This started Protestantism. **

Calvin extended Luther’s ideas further arguing some were ‘predestined’ to be saved and others to be condemned to hell (double predestination).

By C17 Europe was divided between militant Catholics (Counter Reformation) and militant Protestants

Question 7

the religious situation in 1603

(catholics and protestantism)

Answer 7

• James inherited a Church of England which was a fragile compromise between Catholicism and Protestantism
• Puritans and Catholics had reason to believe that James would favour them
• puritans thought J would imitate the strict Calvinist Scottish Kirk with its ministers chosen by the congregation
• catholics thought J would relax the laws against Catholics because he was famed for his religious tolerance and because his wife, Anne of Denmark, had converted to Catholicism.

Question 8

what was majority religion in england

Answer 8

• most people were Anglicans
• accepted the Church of England with its Calvinist theology and its episcopal hierarchy
• By 1603 mainstream Anglicanism was firmly entrenched in society at large. Failure to attend church services resulted in ‘recusancy fines’, but this rarely needed to be collected.

Question 9

which religious groups hoped to change church practice

1603

Answer 9

1. puritans
2. catholics

Question 10

what did puritans want to change CofE

Answer 10

• believed that the Church of England needed to remove all of the remaining Catholic traits
• Puritans believed that** Sundays should be a day dedicated solely to religious faith**, reflection, education and worship. This was at odds with the typical popular practice amongst Anglicans who tended to go to church in the morning and then play sports or entertain thems
• sought to use sermons and preaching to spread the message of the importance of living a life without sin

** However, it was not until the 1630s that Puritans argued for the removal of bishops. Until then, they accepted the Church of England but wanted to reform it. **

Question 11

catholic aims

james

Answer 11

• 1% of the population. They tended to be most influential in remote parts of the country
• Most Catholics were law-abiding and loyal to the state
• an extreme minority sought to ‘return England to Rome’ and place a Catholic monarch on the throne.

Question 12

James relationship with puritans

Answer 12

• James had been brought up and educated in the Calvinist Scottish Kirk, but no wish to impose its doctrines or practices on the Church of England
• when J travelled south from Scotland to be installed as King, 1000 Puritan clergy petitioned James for the Millenary Petition

Question 13

what was the millenary petition

Answer 13

• petition from 1000 puritan clergy
  wanted:
  1. end to popish ceremonies
  2. the removal of bishops, vestments, and pluralism (clergy holding more than one parish because of low pay)
  3. the endowment of a preaching ministry (to dispel ignorance and to improve people’s understanding of the Bible)
  4. also **criticised the High Court of Commission **(that enforced Church doctrine)
  5. asked for a new translation of the Bible.

Question 14

what were James’ successes in dealing with puritans

Answer 14

1. the hampton court conference
2. J included diverse religious groups in the clergy
3. J allowed a diversity of practice in the church
4. decline in demand for church reform

Question 15

when was the hampton court conference

Answer 15

1604

Question 16

what was the hampton court conference

Answer 16

James called a formal debate to discuss the demands of the Millenary Petition

The conference was a remarkable debate, chaired by James I between Anglicans and Puritans in the Church of England.

The debaters were hand-picked so that only 9 loyal Anglican bishops and 4 moderate Puritans attended

James debated with the two sides and enjoyed the theological discussions that took place

The debate lasted 3 days

The debate was cordial, as some of the opposing debaters were friends

Question 17

outcome of hampton court conference

Answer 17

James refused to remove bishops. He rejected Presbyterianism on the grounds ‘no bishop, no king’, arguing that the loss of bishops in the Church of England would promote dangerously democratic ideas which would bring down the monarchy as a system of government. If bishops came into question, the authority of the king would be challenged next. This disappointed Puritans. However, James was willing to give them minor concessions.
**Clergy had to swear an allegiance to: **
* The King’s supremacy over the Church
* The 39 Articles (the doctrines established by Elizabeth) – but these would be more fully explained
* The Book of Common Prayer (only to follow the services set out in the book, as in not just giving sermons)
**James agreed to some moderate Puritan concessions. For instance: **
* Provision of a preaching minister for every parish as far as possible
* Limitation of pluralism
* Reform of the Court of High Commission (which had punished extreme Puritans in Elizabeth’s reign) – clarified its jurisdiction so that it only dealt with heresy and offences committed by the clergy
* Promotion of preaching missions to Ireland
* Allowing prophesising (Elizabeth had refused this concession). Prophesising was the Puritan notion that clerics and laymen should meet after church services to discuss sermons
* James decided to create a new Bible – The King James’ Bible published in 1611. This would replace the two that had existed – the Bishops Bible and the Geneva Bible. James disliked the Geneva Bible for its more extreme Puritan stance.

Question 18

impact of hampton court

Answer 18

• James made no concessions to the demand to remove vestments as it was deemed too trivial or to the demand to remove bishops, as this was deemed dangerously populist.
• However, there was a promise to reduce pluralism but not end it altogether as that would attacked vested interests.
• Many MPs would have to give up Church land they had bought during the Reformation or giving up tithes which came with the ownership of former Church land.
• The* lack of serious concessions* from James at the Hampton Court Conference caused 90 ministers to leave the Church but this was only 1% of the clergy. Many others conformed or were allowed to deviate from prescribed practice by their bishop. The conference shows James setting firm limits and giving moderate concessions. He managed divisions within the church very effectively by controlling the debate and maintaining a middle way between the Puritans and Anglican (as he advised his son Charles to do in the Basilikon Doron)

Question 19

diverse religious groups in the clergy

success with puritans

Answer 19

Both Puritans and loyal Anglicans were included in the church hierarchy but James tended to appoint bishops he knew personally - enabled him to maintain a balance between the different religious groups.
Anglicans- Bancroft, a strong opponent of Puritanism, was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1604.
puritans- 1610 James appointed George Abbot as Archbishop of Canterbury. George Abbot sympathised with Puritans who rejected Catholic practices. Abbot even criticised royal policy, such as the Book of Sports and the Spanish Match.

The appointments of both Anglicans and Puritans to the Church of England hierarchy illustrates how James ‘steered a middle course on religion’.

Question 20

diversity of practice within the church

success with puritans

Answer 20

• tolerated some preaching, but not if it departed from the set texts for that Sunday and if it criticised royal policy
• Puritans subscribed to the view that no other activity should take place on a Sunday, aside from religious ones, whilst Anglicans believed that after the morning service people should be able to play sports
• In 1618 James issue a Book of Sports, a royal proclamation of a list of acceptable leisure activities to do after Church services on Sunday, which included dancing, archery, leaping

Question 21

Decline in demand for Church reform

success with puritans

Answer 21

There were fewer Parliamentary bills calling for Church reform – criticism of pluralism, non-residence and immorality of the clergy – at the end of James’ reign than at the beginning.

Support for Puritanism declined.

Question 22

when was the book of sports issued

Answer 22

1618

Question 23

impact after the book of sports

Answer 23

offended Puritans, James did not demand conformity and therefore a diversity of practice developed.

Question 24

failures with puritans

listed {3}

Answer 24

1. James failed to enforce conformity (1604-1605)
2. The growth of Arminianism in the Church of England
3. Puritan reactions to foreign policy
   4.

Question 25

James failed to enforce conformity (1604-1605)

failures with puritans

Answer 25

• As a result of the Hampton Court Conference James issued new ‘canons’ (laws) to the Church
• These stated that the ‘via media’ of the Elizabethan settlement had to be obeyed. Causing particular** concern amongst Puritans** were the canons relating to the maintenance of vestments and **Catholic practices **such as signing the cross and bowing at the name of Jesus.
• James attempted to ensure conformity to this by demanding that all members of the clergy had to agree to these proposals. This requirement in particular provoked the resignation of the 90 clergy mentioned above
• Puritans, angered by these policies, sent petitions of complaint to the king. Some Parliamentarians questioned the legality of the canons as Parliament had not consented to them.
• In 1604-5 there were 70 bills in Parliament which tried to abolish pluralism (priests having more than one parish).
• After 1605 James was forced to weaken this drive for conformity due to the reaction it had sparked

Question 26

growth of arminianism in the C of E

J’s failures with puritans

Answer 26

• a Dutch Protestant who criticised Calvinist doctrine, in particular predestination, the nature of the limitation of the atonement, and irresistible grace (free will). It was his views on grace, that were adopted by the English Arminians, and hence the use of his name to describe this ‘high Church’ party in the Church of England.

Question 27

the high churches views

Answer 27

• played down the importance of predestination and emphasised the significance of the sacrament of holy communion
• claimed that the altar, rather than the pulpit, was the focus of Church services.
• believed in strengthening the role of the clergy and the ecclesiastical hierarchy.
• wanted to restore the Church to a central role in the state
• wished to bring back the ‘beauty of holiness’ which they felt had been lost since the Reformation

Question 28

arminian view on church gov and clergy

Answer 28

Episcopal – a system of church government with bishops and priests (hierarchy)

Bishops benefited from apostolic succession – they were directly connected to Christ’s disciples so they enjoyed a form of divine right.

Bishops have a duty to support the monarch since he is the Supreme Governor and holds the Divine Right, e.g. Robert Sibthorpe’s sermon in support of the Forced Loan, 1627.

Question 29

arminian view on church building

Answer 29

‘Church-wreckers’ and Puritans go too far in ‘purifying’ the churches of Catholicism and beauty.

‘Beauty of Holiness’: the belief that the decoration of churches was important in reinforcing religious belief.

Communion table railed off in the east end of the church

Question 30

arminian view on catholics beliefs

Answer 30

Double predestination is too harsh. God allowed each person to make a free choice so that all could be saved if they wanted to. Not all might choose to be saved.

Question 31

arminian view on religious practice

Answer 31

• Firmly demanded the uniformity of worship. (Enforce the Act of Uniformity)
• Should be greater emphasis on Communion at the expense of sermons

*Ceremonies and rituals are important to show: *
1. Individuals commitment to God
2. Reinforce the importance of social order based on rank and privilege since it was decided by God. (Promote Divine Right and the Great Chain of Being)

Priority on prayer over sermons

Order, obedience, duty (mirrored Charles’ personality)

Question 32

why did arminianism spark fear in puritans

Answer 32

• Arminianism was very similar to Catholicism and adopted many of the same doctrines. This sparked fear amongst Puritans.
• Puritans disliked Arminianism because it seemed to them a form of ‘crypto-Catholicism’ being re-introduced in the Church.

Question 33

why did arminianism appereal to J1

Answer 33

1.Arminians promoted the notion of the Divine Right of Kings

2. They emphasised the duty of subjects to obey their monarch and respect hierarchy

Question 34

examples of J promoting arminianism (towards the end of his reign)

Answer 34

**William Laud became Dean of Gloucester in 1616 (he would later become Archbishop of Canterbury **and impose Arminian reforms on the Church of England)

Lancelot Andrewes became Bishop of Winchester in 1617

Richard Neile became Bishop of Durham in 1617

Both Andrewes and Neile became Privy Councillors (going against the Puritan view that Church and State should be separate)

James allowed Richard Montagu to publish a tract, entitled, A New Gag for an Old Goose which criticised Puritanism as subversive

Question 35

puritan reactions to foreign policy

J1’s failures with puritans

Answer 35

• Towards the end of James’ reign Puritans reacted negatively to James’ foreign policy. On the whole, Puritans wanted a proactive foreign policy which sought to** promote and defend Puritans while pushing against Catholicism**. James’ policies of the Spanish Match and the failure to support the Palatinate seemed to be the exact opposite.
• Increasingly** Puritans grew concerned about James’ willingness to work with Catholics** in foreign affairs, particularly the Spanish. They were particularly concerned about the introduction of the ‘Inquisition’ to Spain in the 1560s, which was well-known for its violent repression of Protestants and use of torture. Other events in Europe, listed below, led to paranoia a possible Catholic takeover.

Question 36

eval. of ‘was J1 successful in dealing with puritans

Answer 36

Partly. James avoided making large concessions to the Puritans but his promotion of Arminianism in the Church of England and his foreign policy led to criticism. Nonetheless, Puritanism declined in popularity during James’ reign.

Question 37

background of James and catholics

Answer 37

• Catholics made up about 1% of the population
• Most Catholics were loyal to the Crown
• Some of the nobility were Catholics
• A minority held extreme views and sought to ‘return England to Rome’

Question 38

why were catholics a cause of concern in england

Answer 38

• Members of the Church of England submitted their authority to the King as Head of the Church.
• Anglicans were concerned about where Catholic allegiance lay. The governor of their church was the Pope, so many believed they were disloyal subjects.

Question 39

events in europe and england

J1

Answer 39

**Catholics had persecuted Protestants throughout Europe in the recent history of James’ time. For instance: **
* Queen Mary burned nearly 300 Protestants in the 1550s in her attempt to restore Catholicism to England
* The Spanish inquisition had tortured and burned suspected Protestants for heresy since 1558
* Massacre of Protestants in the Netherlands in the 1560s by the Spanish Duke of Alva’s army
* The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572 in France saw the murder of 5,000 Huguenot (French Protestants) supporters of the Bourbon noble family at the hands of supporter of the Guise (a rival noble family)
* Several Catholic Plots against Elizabeth which led to the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1587
* In 1588 the Spanish king, Phillip II, sent an Armada to England to attempt to install a Catholic monarch

Question 40

what was J1’s attitude towards catholics

Answer 40

• James had a dilemma at the start of his reign regarding Catholics. On the one hand he recognised most were loyal and he had been tolerant of them in Scotland
• James disliked religious persecution and feared an international backlash, although he had a dim view of Jesuits (missionary Catholic priests)
• J1 called Jesuits ‘venomous wasps and firebrands of sedition’
• On the other hand, he recognised that an overly tolerant policy would cause an anti-Catholic backlash against him. James generally** adopted a ‘soft’ policy** – somewhere between these two extremes
• he relaxed the recusancy laws in the first year of his reign and the value of recusancy fines fell to less than a quarter of the value they had been before 1603
• this** provoked an adverse reaction from Parliament** and so the relaxation was reversed with 5,560 Catholics being convicted of recusancy in February 1605
• Catholic priests and Jesuits were expelled from the kingdom
• James gave in to Parliament over Catholics in the hope of gaining support for union between England and Scotland
• Unfortunately, the compromise with Parliament over Catholics did not get James his union.
• ** The tightening up of recusancy fines policy took place before the Gunpowder Plot and were a key factor in motivating the plot.**

Question 41

catholic plots under J1

Answer 41

1. bye plot, 1603
2. main plot, 1603
3. gunpowder plot, Nov 1605

Question 42

when was the bye plot

Answer 42

1603

Question 43

when was the main plot

Answer 43

1603

Question 44

when was the gunpowder plot

Answer 44

Nov, 1605

Question 45

what was the Bye plot +success of it

Answer 45

Plan to kidnap James and hold him in the Tower of London until he gave greater toleration to Catholics. Failed.

Question 46

what was the main plot

Answer 46

Discovered by investigating the Bye Plot. The plan was to kill James and his heir Henry and replace them with Arbella Stuart, James’ cousin through Margaret Tudor’s (Henry VIII’s sister) second marriage. Walter Raleigh was involved, which led to his imprisonment.

Question 47

causes of the gunpowder plot

Answer 47

• Militant Catholicism. Since the late 1500s, a small group of Catholics in England had become increasingly unwilling to work alongside the English political system
• Peace with Spain. England’s peace with Spain ended hope of foreign interventions to restore a Catholic monarch

Question 48

what happened in gunpowder plot

Answer 48

Catholic Conspirators hoped to blow up the House of Parliament by placing gunpowder in the cellar. They attacked was planned for the opening session of Parliament, when James, the Court and all the Lords and Commons would be present. If the plot had succeeded, the entire political establishment would have been wiped out and a Catholic placed on the throne.

Question 49

timeline of gunpowder plot

Answer 49

oct 1605- william parker, Baron monteagle receive an anonymous letter pleading that he does not attend the opening of Parliament on the 5th November.
**late oct- **Monteagle takes the letter to Robert Cecil who passes the letter to James I. James orders the Lord Chamberlain to search the cellar.
**4th nov- **The cellars are searched for a second time, at which point Guido Fawkes was found alongside gunpowder. Fawkes is arrested and taken into custody.
**Nov- **Fawkes is interrogated at the Tower of London and gives up his fellow conspirators’ names
Jan 1606- Eight conspirators – Thomas Bates, Everard Digby, Guido Fawkes, Ambrose Rockwood, Robert and Henry Winter, Robert Keyes, and John Grant – are found guilty and hanged, drawn and quartered.

Question 50

impact of gunpowder plot

Answer 50

• a new wave of anti-Catholicism gripped the nation
• james introduced an Oath of Allegiance in 1606, requiring Catholics to accept the authority of the king and deny that the Pope had the power to depose a monarch of power. James hoped this would identify potentially disloyal subjects.
• increased paranoia about catholics
  * YET j1 was relatively catholics

Question 51

what laws did parli pass as a result of the gunpowder plot

Answer 51

1. Preventing Catholics from being doctors and lawyers
2. Banning Catholics from public office
3. Allowing Catholic homes to be searched for weapons
4. Forbidding Catholics from living in or near London
5. Requiring permission for Catholics to travel
6. Increasing recusancy fines further

Question 52

examples of james’ leniancy following the gunpowder plot

Answer 52

James executed just 25 Catholics in his reign – fewer than Elizabeth I

By 1625 there were around 10,000 more Catholics in England than in 1603.

Question 53

successes of J’s policies towards catholics

Answer 53

1. James I’s Oath of Allegiance reduced tensions in the country Those who took the oath settled the fears of some Protestants.
2. There were no further Catholic plots throughout his reign.
3. Catholic nobles felt confident enough to participate in politics. For example, the Howard family were particularly prominent at Court. Even Buckingham came close to converting.
4. This oath was a sensible attempt to distinguish between loyal and disloyal subjects. Only 25 Catholics were executed during the reign and in all cases the sentence was for treason, not religious belief.
5. Catholics were tolerated to such a degree that** by 1625 there were around 10,000 more Catholics than in 1603 **

Question 54

failures of J’s policies towards catholics

Answer 54

1. James’ relatively** tolerant approach contributed to long-term mistrust towards Catholics **in England and the crown’s relationship with them as a group
2. James’** Spanish Match policy caused outrage**. Fear of Catholicism intensified
3. James failed to solve the problems caused by Roman Catholics in England because he promoted Arminians. This caused concern that** James was turning the Church of England towards Catholicism **
4. Puritans feared the continuation of Catholic practices in the Church

Question 55

how successful was J’s policys towards catholicism

Answer 55

Partly. There were no serious Catholic uprisings except the Gunpowder Plot but his foreign policy and light suppression of Catholics did *lead Puritans to believe that he secretly favoured Catholics. *