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Seventeenth-Century England Religion

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religion played a key role in the politics of seventeenth-century England. The Stuarts religious belief in the Divine Right of Kings alienated many of their subjects. Religion was the driving force behind Oliver Cromwell’s Puritan parliament hanging King Charles I. Parliament’s distrust in Charles II and his Catholic beliefs are what lead to the Test Act, forbidding anyone except members of the Church of England from holding political positions. The Stuarts, James I and his son Charles I, had very important ties to France and other major Roman Catholic countries in Europe. The Stuarts regarded the democratic traditions of Europe with disdain, preferring to rule as an absolute monarch, much like France. The first Stuart, James I, introduced the idea of the Divine Right of Kings into England. …show more content…
This role fell to Oliver Cromwell, making England a republic for the first time ever. Cromwell was a deeply religious man and this played a large role in how he ran the country. Cromwell was Puritan which meant that followers had pure souls and a good life. Cromwell believed that everyone in England should follow his example. This lead to a dictatorship of sorts. One of the core beliefs of Puritans is that to get into heaven, you had to work hard. Pointless enjoyment was frowned upon by Cromwell and but Blue Laws into place banning many activities he viewed as frivolous. Many inns and theatres were shut down, sports were banned, and any women caught doing unnecessary work on Sunday’s could be sent to the stocks. To watch the population’s religious actions instead of having feasts to celebrate saints once every month everyone was too fast for an entire day. Throughout his lifetime, Cromwell was grown to be hated by his people. When he died in 1658, 5 years after gaining power of Britain his son was leader for a short time, before handing the position over to Charles II, ending Britain’s time as a republic

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