Civil War - Religious Radicalism

During Elizabeth 1’s reign there was an uneasy balance maintained between Anglicans and Puritans. The Anglicans were by no means closet Catholics but they did want to keep some of the catholic symbols and ceremonies while the Puritans had been radicalized, many by the experiences in Europe after they were sent into exile by Queen Mary 1, and wanted to purify the Anglican church.

Elizabeth disliked Puritans because they wanted to weaken the role of the sovereign in religious affairs. When James 1 came to the throne in England in 1603 many Puritans hoped that he would give a lead in reforming the English church along Scottish lines but James had experienced the ways in which the Kirk lectured the king on his duty and was determined that the Anglicans and Puritans should both be kept firmly in their place. Towards the end of his reign James began to favour Arminians in the church and to appoint them to important positions.

During this time and Charles 1 accession to the throne, many Puritans left for America to practice their religion without restrictions. Charles was a committed Arminian and the careful balance that had been maintained was beginning to crumble.

This was not just a break between the Anglicans and the Puritans, Quakers and Baptists also disliked the way established religion ruled the lives of the people through a clerical authority

Anabaptists & Baptists

Anabaptism developed as a radical religious and social movement during the Reformation in 16th century Europe. "Anabaptist" means "re-baptiser" and refers to the movement's central rejection of infant baptism in favour of a conscious act of adult baptism into the Christian faith. The Mennonites, the Amish came out of this movement.

The Baptist faith grew steadily throughout England and Wales. During the 1630s,

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