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Bishops and Power in Early Modern England

Publisher:
, 2013
ISBN: 9781472509185
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Armed with pistols and wearing jackboots, Bishop Henry Compton rode out in 1688 against his King but in defence of the Church of England and its bishops. His actions are a dramatic but telling indication of what was at stake for bishops in early modern England and Compton's action at the height of the Restoration was the culmination of more than a century and a half of religious controversy that engulfed bishops. Bishops were among the most important instruments of royal, religious, national and local authority in seventeenth-century England. While their actions and ideas trickled down to the lower strata of the population, poor opinions of bishops filtered back up, finding expression in public forums, printed pamphlets and more subversive forms including scurrilous verse and mocking illustrations. Bishops and Power in Early Modern England explores the role and involvement of bishops at the centre of both government and belief in early modern England. It probes the controversial actions and ideas which sparked parliamentary agitation against them, demands for religious reform, and even war.

Bishops and Power in Early Modern England examines arguments challenging episcopal authority and the counter-arguments which stressed the necessity of bishops in England and their status as useful and godly ministers. The book argues that episcopal writers constructed an identity as reformed agents of church authority. Charting the development of this identity over a hundred and fifty years, from the Reformation to the Restoration, this book traces the history of early modern England from an original and highly significant perspective. This book engages with many aspects of the social, political and religious history of early modern England and will therefore be key reading for undergraduates and postgraduates, and researchers working in the early modern field, and anyone who has an interest in this period of history.

An authoritative history of the role and influence of bishops in circles of power in early modern England.

Includes a multitude of illustrations and utilises exhaustive archival research
Considers the complex relationships between politics, religion and society in a crucial period in history
Detailed historical analysis of Bishops and their influence in early modern England

Introduction
1. Bishops and the Reformation in England
2. A Bishop and Therefore No Puritan: Episcopal Authority and 'Conforming Puritans' in Jacobean England
3. Exorcising Demons and Defending Episcopacy
4. Reformed Episcopacy Under Pressure
5. The Uncertain Path to Restoration
6. The Restoration, Episcopal Self-Representation and the Defence of Vestments
Conclusion: Identifying Reformed Authority
Bibliography
Index

Harmes demonstrates a deep knowledge of the historiography and acknowledges the complexity of the issues of labels and party identification, yet he carves out a unique niche by approaching the questions from different angles and overlooked approaches.

This [the book] is a brave and enterprising consideration of the role, power and reputation of bishops,
and the whole system of episcopacy, in England between the Reformation and the Restoration – a time span of 150 years.

Harmes presents an interesting overview of the controversy over bishops in the Church of England from the reign of Edward VI through to the later Stuart kings ... He has ... looked at a wide range of primary materials and in many cases interprets them in a way that significantly revises current historical thinking.

Bishops and Power in Early Modern England provides intriguing insight into particular episcopal writers' views on Church government and the role of bishops. It is accessible to anyone wishing to learn more about the debates over English episcopacy. Overviews on the major historiographical debates throughout the chapters provide new readers to the subject with an interesting and informative introduction on debates over episcopal authority in early modern England.

Harmes' volume is to be commended as providing a much-needed examination of an all too often neglected viewpoint. His lively and accessible style should do much to bring fresh light to this field.

Harmes provides summaries of compelling debates that might be of use to non-specialists as a means of orientation. The book also successfully reminds us of the many ways in which history and the notion of tradition could serve polemical ends in early modern confessional/political battles.

What [Harmes] has done is provide an interesting set of case studies of arguments for and against episcopacy in the Church of England.

Harmes' book is interesting and certainly well-researched.

Marcus K. Harmes lectures in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. He has published extensively in Roman, British, and Australian history and the cultural history of British science fiction, including Doctor Who.

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    $43.15