Religion under James

Religion under James I 1603-1625

James and the Puritans

The beliefs of the Puritans

-          Extreme Protestants wanted the end of any traces of Catholicism left in the church. Some only wanted minor changes, such as how the minister dressed but some wanted more drastic changes

-           The aim of all Puritans was to see an end of anything that could be viewed as being catholic; ceremonies, bishops, or authority at all.

Who were the Puritans?

-          Puritans were common in Elizabeth’s court; some of her leasing courtiers were strong puritans. The head of Elizabeth’s secret service were Puritans (Walsingham and The Earl of Leicester) Puritans had high moral standards so Elizabeth liked them and they liked her for her morals. James ad less Puritans in his court, with his sexual scandal and extravagance it was not moral for the Puritans to oversee as Elizabeth.

-          Puritans could be found in all social classes, but the strongest was in the middle class. For Puritanism was very popular with those hard working individuals who were making their own way in the world. 

-          Puritans stressed hard work, being careful with money and being responsible for your life in the eyes of God.

Where was Puritanism strongest?

-          Strongest in London and East Anglia. Popular among trading classes such as weavers or merchants.

-          Weaker in the north where Roman Catholicism was still strong. In the countryside such as Devon, Cornwall and Somerset puritanism was less strong as they had traditional festivals like mayday which were disapproved of by the Puritans who thought celebrations were sinful as they took people away from God.  

The Millenary Petition

-          The millenary petition asked for moderate puritan reforms, outlining Puritan grievances…