Religious issues during personal rule Flashcards
How had puritan practices become embedded in parts of England
James I had tolerated diversity in the church and a consequence of this was that puritan practices had become embedded in parts of England
Examples of puritan practices
- Preaching
- Godliness
- Scepticism about Bishops
- Vociferous support of anti-Catholicism
How was puritanism a potential threat to Charles
Charles saw this as a potential threat to the unity and authority of the church
- Preaching allowed religious debate to move beyond the institutions of the church and therefore outside the control of the church. Catholic church is food fir a monarch as it is focused on a hierarchy
- Scepticism about Bishop was linked in people’s mind with the potential of disorder. A presbyterian system weakened royal authority as it removed bishops from the house of lords, reducing the kings power to push through legislation
- Godliness was perceived as an imposition by a minority on the wider community, it was not sanctioned by the monarch of the national church
Charles’ 4 aims for the church
- Uniformity - everyone following the same religion and beliefs
- Order/ hierarchy - catholic leading practices agree with this
- Beauty of holiness (vestments, ceremonies, aesthetics) - worships should be beautiful
- Improvements in the education of the clergy
What religion was Laud
Laud was theologically an Arminian
Impact of enforcing beauty of holiness
Decoration of churches lay the church open to charges of churches being catholic in appearance
How was the status and role of priests affected by Laud
There was an emphasis on the sacred status of clergy, more like Catholic priests (with special powers to mediate between God and man) than Puritan brothers
How did public prayer challenge puritans
Public prayer meant there was a priority on prayer rather than on preaching, especially through liturgy (the standard words and actions used in public worship)
This was a direct challenge to the puritan emphasis on preaching as the main purpose of church services
How did the Alter look before it was reformed by Laud
- Alter was a plain table
- Alter was moved into the central body of the church
- No longer a sacred, quasi-magical shrine
Elements of Laud’s new alter policy
- North-South alignment of the communion table against the easternmost wall of the church - where the catholic alter would have been
- Alter covered with a decorated embroidered cloth
- Enforcement checked by annual ‘visitations’
Consequences of Laud’s alter policy
- The alter was seen as a movement towards Catholicism
- Many felt alarmed with such a dramatic break from tradition.
- It was often necessary to remove family pews to accommodate the new location of the alter implying a dangerous innovation and a lack of respect for tradition
- Strict enforcement narrowed the broad tolerance that was essential for religious stability
How were the status of the clergy emphasised
- All Scottish Bishops were made Justices of the Peace (1634), an innovation swiftly extended into England and Ireland
How did the education of the clergy create opposition
By allowing such an overlap between religious and political spheres, Charles allowed his circle of advisers to narrow further and made his clergy vulnerable to political assault
As clerical confidence grew and churchmen began to feel more powerful, they were perceived as a threat to the power and influence of the gentry
How does Laudianism relate to absolutism
Laudian threatened religious expression in England and Scotland and its drive for conformity suggested that Charles was absolutist.
How did the Laud assert conformity
Laud tightened up the use of liturgy as a way of creating uniformity in church services. Clergy were given renewed instructions about the format and words to use in each service. Church canons were revised to include the new altar policy.
How did the Laud audit conformity
In 1629 Laud ordered all bishops to return to their dioceses and take responsibility to ensure that their parish priests were obeying instructions.
How did Laud establish conformity
Star Chamber and the Court of High Commission were used at greater frequency and punishments increased. In 1634, Laud orchestrated the removal of Robert Heath, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, because he thought that Heath would decide against him in court cases relating to religious uniformity.
How did Charles’ actions in dealing with Scotland affect relations
Charles showed a terrible lack of awareness of the delicate balance that needed to be maintained between the Churches of Scotland and England and the distinctive nature of Scottish Protestantism
Beauty of Holiness in Scotland
- In order to bring wealth back into the catholic church Charles attempted to take back old Church lands that had been given or sold to Scottish gentry since 1540
- ## This alienated the gentry and resulted in widespread disobedience, whilst public fear that bishops would become over-mighty
Conformity in Scotland
- In 1629, all Scottish subjects were told they had to kneel to take communion in their parish church, at least once a year. To a Scottish Protestant, kneeling carried dangerous Catholic connotations - it indicated that Charles was extending his royal authority to the church
New set of Scottish Canons: - Bishops were given their authority by a formal ceremony of consecration - challenged the presbyterian tradition
- No mention of the traditional institutions of Scottish Church government such as the General Assembly, presbyteries or kirk sessions.
2 Reasons for increased opposition to Laudianism from puritans
- Laudianism specifically challenged beliefs and practices central to Puritanism - many puritans became more radical and dogmatic
- Laudianism looked perilously close to Catholicism and raised fears that Charles was steering towards Rome - united protestants
How did the Book of sports attack Puritan beliefs
1633 Book of Sports
Laud re-issued the 1618 Book of Sports, which outlined a range of sports and activities - Like 1618 priests were directed to read from the Book or be expelled from their parishes but in 1633, enforcement was administered more effectively through visitations and Presentment Bills
Directly challenged puritan idea of the purpose of Sundays - should be prayerfulness and reading bible not a long range of sports and activities
How did the Abolition of the Feofees for impropriations attack Puritan beliefs
- Old law stated a member of the laity could buy the right to collect the tithe of parish, provided that they arranged and paid for a suitable minister. - Rich person could gain control of their local church which was open to corruption
- In the 1620s a group of puritan merchants (known as feofees) used the law so they could put well-trained and vigorous Puritan ministers into parishes.
- In 1633, laud used Star Chamber to abolish the Feofees for Impropriations
Different ways Puritan opposition expressed itself
- Emigration
- Pamphlets
- Resistance
