When Elizabeth
replaced Mary as queen, she re-established
Protestantism as England's official religion. Some
Protestants thought that the Anglican Church
was still too much like the Roman Catholic
Church . These people became known as Puritans. Some of the things
Puritans complained about included: ministers wearing surplices (loose,
white garments); people kneeling while taking Communion; ornaments,
paintings and stained glass windows in churches; the playing of organ
music during services and the celebrations of saints' days.
Puritans, deeply influenced
by the writings of John Calvin, also
disliked the power that the bishops had in the church. For example,
many Puritans disapproved of bishops appointing church
ministers. Instead, they suggested that ministers should be elected
by the people who attended church services.
Elizabeth resisted these
changes as she saw the Puritans as a threat to monarchical government.
She feared that Puritans who complained about the wealth and power
of bishops would eventually say the same thing about kings and queens.
In time, the type
of Protestant church established by
Elizabeth in England became known as the Anglican
church.
The Puritans were happy
when in 1603 James Stuart, the king of
Scotland, also became king of England. James was a Presbyterian and
under his rule many of the reforms that Puritans favoured had been
introduced in Scotland. However, it soon
became clear that James intended to continue
with Elizabeth's religious policies.
When James
died in 1625 he was replaced by his son Charles
I. The Puritans
became very angry when Charles married Henrietta Maria, a Catholic
princess. They also became worried when Catholic lords began to be
given important posts in Charles' court. As a result of these policies
large numbers of Puritans emigrated to North America.
In 1633 Charles appointed
William Laud as Archbishop of Canterbury.
Laud soon began to introduce changes. For example, he ordered that
the wooden communion table should be replaced by a stone altar. This
area was also separated from the congregation by wooden railings.
He also insisted that ministers should display candles and ornaments.
The Puritans claimed that
Laud was trying to make English churches look like those in Catholic
countries. When Puritans complained about these reforms. Laud had
them arrested. In 1637 John Bastwick,
Henry Burton and William
Prynne had their ears cut off for writing pamphlets attacking
Laud's views.
During the Civil
War religion was an important factor in deciding which side people
supported. The king's persecution of Puritans
meant that most members
of this religious group supported Parliament, whereas most Anglicans
and Catholics tended to favour the royalists.
Puritanism was strong among
the troops of the New Model Army and
after defeating the Royalist army they expected to be rewarded. Most
members of Parliament were Presbyterians.
These men were willing to share power with the king. Presbyterians
also had strong feelings
on religion. They disapproved of other Puritan groups such as the
Anabaptists, Quakers
and Congregationalists and
wanted them suppressed.
The other major group
were called the Independents. They
tended to be followers of the religious groups that the Presbyterians
wanted to suppress. The Independents argued for a policy of religious
toleration. Some Independents also wanted to bring an end to the monarchy.
The Independents had a
strong following in the parliamentary army. Afraid of their power,
Presbyterian
members of the House
of Commons tried to disband
the army. The soldiers were furious, especially as Parliament made
no effort to pay them the wages that were due to them. The army decided
to take action. The Presbyterians were expelled from Parliament.
The Independents
now passed a series of new laws. The monarchy, the House
of Lords and the Anglican church
were abolished. Lands owned by the royal family and the church were
sold and the money was used to pay the parliamentary soldiers. The
Independents also kept their promise regarding
religious toleration. People were no longer fined for not attending
their local church. However, everyone was still expected to attend
some form of religious worship on Sundays.
Although the House
of Commons continued to meet, it was the army that controlled
England. In December 1653, the army decided that Oliver
Cromwell should become England's new ruler. Some officers wanted
him to become king but he refused and instead took the title Lord
Protector of the Commonwealth. However,
Cromwell had as much power as kings had in the past. When the House
of Commons opposed his policies in 1655, he closed it down.
Cromwell now imposed military
rule. England was divided into eleven districts. Each district was
run by a Major General. The responsibilities of these Major-Generals
included maintaining order, collecting taxes, granting poor relief
and imposing Puritan morality. In some districts bear-baiting, cock-fighting,
horse-racing and wrestling were banned. Betting and gambling were
also forbidden. Large numbers of ale-houses were closed and fines
were imposed on people caught swearing. In some districts, the Major-Generals
even closed down theatres.
The Puritans lost control
of government after the Restoration
in 1660. However, the vast majority of members of House
of Commons remained loyal Protestants.
When Charles
II suspended
acts of Parliament that punished Roman Catholics,
Parliament passed the Test Acts in 1673. This
act required all government officials to swear an oath that they were
Protestants.
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