Was Religion the Main Cause of the English Civil War?
My Essay is about the causes of the English Civil war. The main focuses of my
Essay is: Religion, Power and Money. In Religion I will explain the changes that
Charles made and The troubles he caused. In Power, I will discuss how Charles and
Parliament struggled for Power to rule England. Then finally I will address the
monetary issues of spending with Charles I and Parliament.
RELIGION
Religion was a major problem in 1625-40 because Charles I son of James I, married a
catholic woman, Henrietta Maria. The people were extremely religious in those days
and being a protestant country this was quite suspicious because Charles marriage
allowed the Queen (Henrietta Maria, catholic) free exercise of her religion in count.
This was bound to infuriate an anti-catholic public.
The features of government under the personal rule, which opponents described has
an ‘Eleven Years Tyranny’ (Tyranny –Cruel and arbitrary use of authority, (quote,
The CIVIL WARS 1640-49 by Angela Anderson)) was an attempt to establish order,
hierarchy and uniformity across the British kingdoms. Nowhere was this more clearly
demonstrated than in the church. Charles favoured the minority, Armenian wing of
Anglicans, who wished to restore traditional ceremonies and increase the authority of
bishops and the clergy. In 1628 he had appointed one of these groups William Laud,
as bishop of London and in 1633 he promoted him to the Archbishop of Canterbury,
the highest position in the Church of England. Under Laud’s leadership new
ceremonies were introduced, alters were removed to the east end of churches and
railed off from laity, preaching was discouraged in favour of set prayers, rules old and
new were enforced also music and candles which puritans hated. Puritans who, up to
then, had got by with a token of acceptance were now forced to obey or leave.
Essentially the practical compromised with
Essay is: Religion, Power and Money. In Religion I will explain the changes that
Charles made and The troubles he caused. In Power, I will discuss how Charles and
Parliament struggled for Power to rule England. Then finally I will address the
monetary issues of spending with Charles I and Parliament.
RELIGION
Religion was a major problem in 1625-40 because Charles I son of James I, married a
catholic woman, Henrietta Maria. The people were extremely religious in those days
and being a protestant country this was quite suspicious because Charles marriage
allowed the Queen (Henrietta Maria, catholic) free exercise of her religion in count.
This was bound to infuriate an anti-catholic public.
The features of government under the personal rule, which opponents described has
an ‘Eleven Years Tyranny’ (Tyranny –Cruel and arbitrary use of authority, (quote,
The CIVIL WARS 1640-49 by Angela Anderson)) was an attempt to establish order,
hierarchy and uniformity across the British kingdoms. Nowhere was this more clearly
demonstrated than in the church. Charles favoured the minority, Armenian wing of
Anglicans, who wished to restore traditional ceremonies and increase the authority of
bishops and the clergy. In 1628 he had appointed one of these groups William Laud,
as bishop of London and in 1633 he promoted him to the Archbishop of Canterbury,
the highest position in the Church of England. Under Laud’s leadership new
ceremonies were introduced, alters were removed to the east end of churches and
railed off from laity, preaching was discouraged in favour of set prayers, rules old and
new were enforced also music and candles which puritans hated. Puritans who, up to
then, had got by with a token of acceptance were now forced to obey or leave.
Essentially the practical compromised with