Church of England: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 22:36, 13 April 2011

The official church of England and a Protestant denomination. The Head of Church (official title: Supreme Governor of the Church of England) always is the currently reigning king or queen of England. While the monarch is just representing the CoE, the Archbishop of Canterbury is its religious leader.

Establishment

The Church of England was established in 1534 by the Act of Supremacy. With this Henry VIII separated the English church from Roman Catholicism. The reason for this was a dispute between Henry VIII and Pope Julius II who refused to annull the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The Church of England aligned itself with Protestantism after that, but not radically and completely. In the 17th century, there was a constant conflict between Anglicanism, Catholicism and Puritanism.

Civil War and Commonwealth

One of the main reasons for the Puritans to raise their voices again during the reign of Charles I was his marriage in 1625 with Henrietta-Marie de Bourbon, a French, Roman Catholic princess. The Puritans feared a major impact of Catholic influence on the English court and especially on possible future heirs of the crown. Another danger in the Puritans' eyes was the king's aim to embellish and ceremonialise church rituals with the support of Archbishop William Laud. The Puritan discontent with this was one of the many reasons for the civil war.

During the Commonwealth the Church of England was puritanised, the churches were stripped of all ornaments and images; mass was freed from all - supposedly - unnecessary pomp. The Church of England became separated from the state and the Book of Common Prayer was replaced by the Westminster Confession of Faith, a Calvinist doctrine.

The CoE in the Restoration

During the Restoration Anglicanism was restored as the religious norm in England. The Act of Uniformity 1662 secured that all rites and services from the Book of Common Prayer were used in the Church of England. The Test Acts of 1673 and 1678 were used to exclude Catholics and Nonconformists from public offices. Only the Toleration Act (1689) changed the situation. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the subsequent reign of William of Orange and Mary II all dissenters, that is Protestants not involved in the Church of England, were allowed to worship on their own terms.

The CoE in the 19th Century

References and Further Reading

Watson, Edward. The Church of England. London: OUP, 1950.
Moorman, John. A History of the Church in England. New York: Morehouse-Barlow, 1967.
Michael Maurer. Kleine Geschichte Englands. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2007.
Hutton, Ronald. The Restoration. A Political and Religious History of England and Wales, 1658-1667. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985.
Coward, Barry, ed. A Companion to Stuart Britain. Malden: Blackwell, 2003.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-The '''Church of England ''' is the official church of England. It is a Protestant denomination. The Head of Church (official title: Supreme Governor of the Church of England) always is the currently reigning king or queen of England. While the monarch is just representing the CoE, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the religious leader of the CoE.
+The official church of England and a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] denomination. The Head of Church (official title: Supreme Governor of the Church of England) always is the currently reigning king or queen of England. While the monarch is just representing the CoE, the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] is its religious leader.
 ==Establishment==
-The Church of England was established in 1534 by the Acts of Supremacy. With these acts Henry VIII separated the English church from Roman Catholicism. The reason for this was a dispute between Henry VIII and Pope Julius II who did not allow Henry VIII to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon.
+The Church of England was established in 1534 by the [[Act of Supremacy]]. With this [[Henry VIII]] separated the English church from [[Catholicism|Roman Catholicism]]. The reason for this was a dispute between Henry VIII and Pope Julius II who refused to annull the marriage of [[Henry VIII]] and [[Catherine of Aragon]].
-The Church of England became Protestant after that. In the centuries afterwards several kings tried to reestablish Catholicism in England. This led to a constant conflict between Anglicanism, Catholicism and Puritanism.
+The Church of England aligned itself with Protestantism after that, but not radically and completely. In the 17th century, there was a constant conflict between Anglicanism, Catholicism and [[Puritanism]].
 ==Civil War and Commonwealth==
-One of the main reasons for the Puritans to raise their voices again during the reign of Charles I. was his marriage in 1625 with Henrietta-Marie de Bourbon, a French, Roman Catholic princess. The Puritans feared a major impact of Catholic influence on the English court and especially on possible future heirs of the crown.
+One of the main reasons for the Puritans to raise their voices again during the reign of [[Charles I]] was his marriage in 1625 with [[Henrietta Maria of France|Henrietta-Marie de Bourbon]], a French, Roman Catholic princess. The Puritans feared a major impact of Catholic influence on the English court and especially on possible future heirs of the crown.
-Another danger in the Puritans eyes was the king's aims to embellish and ceremonialise church rituals with the support of Archbishop William Laud. The puritan discontempt with this was one of the many reasons for the civil war.
+Another danger in the Puritans' eyes was the king's aim to embellish and ceremonialise church rituals with the support of Archbishop [[William Laud]]. The Puritan discontent with this was one of the many reasons for the [[Civil War|civil war]].
-During the Commonwealth the Church of England was puritanised, the churches were stripped of all ornaments, pomp and images. The Church England became separated from the state and the Book of Common prayer was replaced by Westminster Confession of Faith, a calvinist doctrine.
+During the [[Commonwealth]] the Church of England was puritanised, the churches were stripped of all ornaments and images; mass was freed from all - supposedly - unnecessary pomp. The Church of England became separated from the state and the [[Book of Common Prayer]] was replaced by the Westminster Confession of Faith, a Calvinist doctrine.
-==The CoE in the Restauration==
-During Restoration Anglicanism was mainly restored in England. The Act of Uniformity 1662 secured that all rites and services from the Book of Common Prayers were used in the Church of England. The Test Acts of 1673 and 1678 were used to exclude Catholics and Nonconformists from public offices. Only the Act of Toleration 1689 changed the situation. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the subsequent reign of William of Orange and Mary all dissenters, that is Christians not involved in the Church of England, were allowed to worship on their own terms.
+==The CoE in the Restoration==
+During the [[Restoration]] Anglicanism was restored as the religious norm in England. The [[Act of Uniformity]] 1662 secured that all rites and services from the ''Book of Common Prayer'' were used in the Church of England. The [[Test Acts]] of 1673 and 1678 were used to exclude Catholics and Nonconformists from public offices. Only the [[Toleration Act]] (1689) changed the situation. After the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688 and the subsequent reign of [[William of Orange]] and [[Mary II]] all dissenters, that is Protestants not involved in the Church of England, were allowed to worship on their own terms.
+==The CoE in the 19th Century==
@@ Line 24: / Line 23: @@
 ==References and Further Reading==
 * Watson, Edward. ''The Church of England.'' London: OUP, 1950.
-* Moorman, John. ''A History of the church in England.'' New York: Morehouse-Barlow, 1967.
+* Moorman, John. ''A History of the Church in England.'' New York: Morehouse-Barlow, 1967.
-* Michael Maurer. ''Eine kleine Geschichte Englands.''Stuttgart: Reclam, 2007.
+* Michael Maurer. ''Kleine Geschichte Englands.'' Stuttgart: Reclam, 2007.
 * Hutton, Ronald. ''The Restoration. A Political and Religious History of England and Wales, 1658-1667.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985.
 * Coward, Barry, ed. ''A Companion to Stuart Britain.'' Malden: Blackwell, 2003.
+[[Category:Stub]]