The Bishop's War

The Bishop's was a series of politial and religious conflicts centered around the restructuring of the Church of Scotland during the reign of Charles 1. The conflict was sparked by the publishment and enforcement of the Scottish Prayer Book in 1637, the response by the Scottish church called the National Covenant and culminated with Scottish Rebellion.

The Scottish Prayer Book

In 1637 Charles I's attempt to impose a new Prayer Book on his Scottish subjects provoked a major rebellion and the signing of the National Covenant with the Scots pledging themselves to uphold 'true religion and liberty'. Charles, and his father King James 1 before him, had throughout their reigns wished to prescribe fixed forms of liturgy and prayer (as had long been in place in England) to their native Scotland. Charles was firmly of the opinion of forcing Anglican forms to Scotland and the great majority of the Scottish people were equally determined to resist. Charles felt that he had compromised enough with the slight revisions he made compared with the English version and was not minded to accept any further compromise. He had Scottish Bishops (x and xx) and Archbishop Laud draw up a Book of Common Prayer for Scotland. The Book was immediately denounced by the Scottish people and was never even put into use.