Reformation Background English History Reformation Background

He left the Catholic Church after the Pope refused to grant him an annulment from Catherine of Aragon. He established the Church of England with himself as head of the church. King Henry VIII - 1534

“Bloody Mary” Mary was the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. As a Catholic, she attempted to return England to Catholicism. She reigned for five years from 1553 to her death in 1558. Her persecution of Protestants earned her the title of “Bloody Mary.”

Elizabeth was Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s Protestant daughter who established the Church of England, a Protestant church with many Catholic traditions. Elizabeth I

James I was king of England after Elizabeth’s death James I was king of England after Elizabeth’s death. He believed in the divine right of kings and oversaw a new authorized English translation of the Bible, published in 1611, which became known as the King James Version. James I

King Charles I of England came into conflict with Parliament when he assessed taxes without the consent of Parliament (outlawed in the Magna Carta of 1215) and married a Catholic He was executed after the English Civil War. Charles I

Oliver Cromwell – ran England for 11 years as “Lord Protector.” King Charles II – king during the Restoration

James II King at the time of The Witch of Blackbird Pond After ascending to the throne, James adopted many autocratic methods and often interfered with the courts and local government. He appointed Roman Catholics to powerful positions and became ever more unpopular. In 1686 he moved to reduce colonial autonomy and his own dependence on Parliament by combining the colonies of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Plymouth, Rhode Island, New York, New Hampshire, East Jersey and West Jersey into a single colony, The Dominion of New England.

He appointed Sir Edmund Andros to be the governor of New England. Andros quickly became despised by the colonists for his overbearing methods. The prominent Puritan ministers, father and son Increase and Cotton Mather, resisted Andros's rule as well as James's call for a declaration of absolute loyalty from the colonists.

Puritans -wanted to “purify” the Church of England of Catholic practices and traditions.

Roundheads and Cavaliers

Roundheads was a nickname for supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War (around 1641); the name was meant to be a put down and referred to the short hairstyles worn by the Parliamentarians many of whom were Puritans and preferred to dress and groom simply and modestly. Cavaliers was the name given to the supporters of King Charles I and described a longer more stylish hairstyle common to the time. It was meant to suggest that supporters of the king were vain, reckless and arrogant. Although the difference in hairstyles seems trivial it illustrates the religious and social differences of the two sides. Keep in mind that the Puritan ethics were important to the members of Parliament.