Puritans Under James I and Charles I

Years of Persecution Led to Migration and Civil War

Michael Streich, Suite101

June 15, 2009

The conflict between James I and his son Charles I of England and the Puritans led to the American migration to Massachusetts and contributed to the English civil war of the mid 17^th-Century. Although many issues separated the king from the Puritans, the chief conflict arose over the governance of the English church; Puritans favored Presbyterianism to the Episcopal structure of the Anglican Church.

 

The Rise of Puritanism in England

 

Puritanism began in the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I, who ascended the throne in 1558. The former English queen, Mary, had attempted to restore Catholicism, dismantling the Church of England or Anglicanism, and persecuting Protestant leaders. Many of these Protestants fled to the continent, seeking refuge among Calvinist communities such as in Geneva.

 

Imbued with a strong sense of Calvinist theology, these exiles returned to England upon the death of Mary, beginning a long effort to “purify” the Anglican Church of Catholic influence. Puritans rejected the traditional clerical dress, church liturgy, and the Episcopal hierarchy. They believed in the “priesthood of all believers” and wanted to replace bishops, archdeacons, and priests with elders and pastors elected by the congregation.

 

Some English Calvinists went further, refusing to be a part of the established state church. These “separatists” preached an even more austere worship. Groups of these dissenters eventually left England for Calvinist Holland, deciding ultimately to journey to the New World where they established the Plymouth Bay Colony. These were the “Pilgrims” of American colonial history.

 

James I Comes to the English Throne

 

Elizabeth I died in 1603, having had no children. King James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Queen of Scots, became the next English king. Although Elizabeth had managed to maintain religious equilibrium during her reign, James, whose battles in Scotland with the emerging Scots Presbyterians had been on-going, was not so fortunate.

 

Even before reaching London, Puritans delivered a petition of their grievances to the new king. James I convened a meeting of bishops and Puritans at Hampton Court in 1604. The Hampton Court Conference resulted in the dismissal of all Puritan proposals. The only positive outcome was the decision to produce a new Bible, the King James Version, completed in 1611. James I was particularly opposed to the Puritan view of Presbyterianism, commenting “no bishop, no King.”

 

Both Puritans and Separatists strictly observed Sunday as “the Lord’s day.” Despite these views, James I issued his Book of Sports in 1618 which permitted Sunday recreation. By 1620, several English Separatists had had enough and migrated to the New World after spending some time in the Netherlands which was strongly Calvinist. These “Pilgrims” established Plymouth Bay. Separatists that stayed in England formed the first English Baptist Church.

 

Puritans Depart England

 

In 1625 James I died and was succeeded by his son, Charles I. Like his father, Charles supported the Anglican Church and suppressed Puritan worship. By this time, Parliament, at odds with the king over taxation issues, contained members of the rural gentry who happened to be Puritans.

 

Ruling under the belief of the “divine right of kings,” Charles disdained Parliament, imposed new taxes illegally, and supported the efforts of William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, whose Anglo-Catholicism was viewed as making the Church of England more Catholic. In 1628, the mass migration of Puritans to the New World began. Eventually, 20,000 left England to establish “godly” communities in New England.

 

Puritans remaining in England formed the backbone of resistance to the king once civil war broke out in 1642. The formation of the “Puritan Commonwealth” under Oliver Cromwell followed the 1649 execution of Charles I. The Stuart dynasty was restored, however, in 1660 with the accession of Charles II. Puritanism would never achieve the goals of purifying the Anglican Church.

 

Sources:

 

Antonia Fraser, Cromwell the Lord Protector (Alfred A. Knopf, 1974)

Steven Ozment, The Age of Reform 1250-1550 (Yale University Press, 1980)

Copyright of this article is owned by Michael Streich; Any reprints require written approval.