The persecution of dissenters under Charles II and James II Flashcards
Charles II took strong action against dissent with the…
Conventicle Act and the Five Mile Act.
What was the Second Conventicle Act, imposed in 1670?
A more draconian one than the first Conventicle Act as it further limited meetings of religious gatherings not related to the Church of England.
Charles II removed some JPs who were…
judged too lenient in acting against conventicles.
Why did Charles II always intended to create a more comprehensive church?
He did not seek to have the Conventicle Act renewed and it expired in 1668, allowing non-conformists to meet freely.
Where was dissent strongest?
Urban areas, where there was more likely to be a ruling elite with shared ideas or some sympathy for non-conformists.
Why, for some, was non-conformity a link to the recent Interregnum?
The New Model Army protected non-conformists from persecution - the majority of country gentry were against the greater freedom for dissenters.
True or False: persecution became harsher the longer Charles II ruled?
True.
The Quaker Act of 1662 required Quakers to…
take an oath of allegiance to the king - Quaker religious conditions prevented them from doing so, and they were thus subjected to increasingly intense persecution.
Many Quakers were imprisoned. How many died in confinement?
Over 400.
Was James II a strong supporter of religious toleration?
Yes - he had promoted religious freedom in the American colonies and he helped his friend, the prominent Quaker William Penn, to establish the Quaker colony of Pennsylvania.
How did James II promote toleration?
With the Declaration of Indulgence of 1687 - freed Catholics and Protestant non-conformists from their religious restrictions.
How did many Anglicans see the Declaration of Indulgence?
As a threat to the position of the Church of England, and it didn’t carry out its terms.
What did James II order to be read in all churches?
A second Declaration issued in 1688.
Why did many dissenters not trust James II?
They believed that his real intention was to favour Catholics.
The Declaration fo Indulgence was to be one of the causes of the…
Glorious Revolution.
