Chapter 19: Religious divisions and conflicts

• Example of Charles II and Clarendon seeking a broader church of England

  allowed the Savoy House Conference of 1661 to convene; was an attempt to reach a compromise at the Restoration between Presbyterians and Anglicans. 
• How did the Cavalier Parliament reimpose a rigid church modelled on their own conservatism?

  • Bishops were reinstated in the House of Lords
  • 1000 Presbyterians ministers resigned or were removed
  • Ordered MPs to take communion by Anglican rite
• The Church of England was reimposed as part of the conservative reaction. 
• Why was large-scale dissent still a reality?

  • The Church of England could not even at this point claim to represent the nation
  • The Church had less power to enforce its will because of the removal of the Court of High Commission and the decline of diocesan (an area administered by a bishop) courts.
• Generally, dissent was stronger in urban settings, whereas the rural gentry remained more conservative, more typically Anglican. 
• How did Charles II try to secure toleration for Catholics?


  Charles supported the Lords’ bill in 1662 to repeal some of the laws against Catholics (however bill did fail). 
• What was the Northern Rising 1663?


  a mixture of religious radicals and republicans attempted to overthrow the government.
• Significance of the Northern Rising?

  despite being more limited than it first appeared, Charles used it to rally support for his unpopular rule
• What repressive measures did Charles introduce for Protestant dissenters?

  • 1664 Conventicle Act: religious meetings of five or more were forbidden (caused by Northern Rising 1663)
  • 1665 Five Mile Act: any preacher or teacher who refused to take the oath for anything under the 1662 Act of Uniformity could not go within five miles of any corporate town or parish where they had taught.
• Why was the Clarendon Code (1661) paradoxical?

  included restrictive acts when Charles and Clarendon sought a broader church settlement.
• What was included in the Clarendon Code?

  • Corporation Act 1661: prevented any person holding office in a corporation (form of local gov) unless they accepted the restored Church
  • Act of Uniformity 1662
  • Conventicle Act 1664
  • Five Mile Act 1665
• Charles II’s restored Church of England was broader than Charles I’s Laudian-dominated Church
• What was the most notable feature about the restored Church?

  under the control of Parliament rather than the king. 
• Charles II did not have the 1664 Conventicle Act renewed —> expired in 1668, dissenters could then meet freely
• Consequence of Charles II not renewing the Conventicle Act


  the Commons refused to grant him a subsidy of £300,000 so Charles agreed to a more rigid Conventicle Act in 1670 in return for funds. 
• When did Charles issue a Declaration of Indulgence?

  15th March 1672
• What did the Declaration of Indulgence include?

  Charles stated his suspending power in relation to all penal laws against Catholics and dissenters. 
• Why did Charles have to withdraw the Declaration of Indulgence?

  Parliament declared it unconstitutional and he issued a Test Act in 1673.
• In general, Charles II was more inclined to persecute Protestant dissenters. 
• Why was Charles II particularly vindictive against the Quakers?


  the threat they appeared to represent and the memory of their radicalism during the Civil War
• What measures did Charles II introduce against Quakers?

  • 1662 Quaker Act: outlined a series of punishments for Quakers, ranging from fines to transportation
  • At least 450 Quakers died under Charles II’s rule; at least 15,000 suffered some form of punishment, whether fines, imprisonment or transportation.
• Why did the Quakers issue their first declaration of 'absolute pacifism' in 1661?

  • act of self-preservation
  • a result of their disillusionment after their political action failed
• Why did dissent have limited appeal after the Restoration?

  • It needed a level of spiritual commitment only few could manage
  • Emphasis on the Bible excluded the illiterate from engaging with the dissenters’ faith.
  • Sermons could be too long for ordinary people, as they lasted for several hours.
• Latitudinarianism


  the belief that reason and personal judgement are more useful than church doctrine
• Effect of latitudinarianism on the Anglicans

  caused a retreat from religious fervour; often people who believed in it were in favour of a tolerant church
• Who was the first regicide brought to trial?

  Fifth Monarchist Thomas Harrison in Oct 1660. 
• What was the verdict of Thomas Harrison’s trial?

  he was found guilty and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered. 
• Why were there high-profile show trials and executions between 1660-62?

  to prevent the re-emergence of millenarianism as a political force.
• What was Charles II’s Restoration court like?

  debauched, and with his political pragmatism, mirrored James I’s court. 
• The behaviour of the king undermined the image of divine right monarchy.
• What did the number of high-profile Catholics in Charles II’s court reinforce?


  the idea of a popish conspiracy and doubt about the king’s own religious beliefs. 
• Who were the leading Catholics in Charles II’s court?

  • His mother, Henrietta Maria
  • His wife, Catherine of Braganza
  • His brother, James, Duke of York
• How did Catholicism influence Charles II?

  • His mother tried to unsuccessfully shape his policies but he always retained control
  • Issue: he was drawn to his Catholic cousin Louis XIV, King of France
• How did the aesthetic style of the court under Charles II reinforce the impression of Catholic influences being adopted?

  he mimicked the French style of Louis XIV at Versailles with baroque architecture, painting, and music. 
• Historian Alan Marshall on the grandiose court style of Charles II


  “the culture of the royal court represented a world of extravagance and baroque splendour, suggesting absolutism.”