The impact of religious change in the 17th century
By the 17th century, religious divisions had become more extreme. As a result, the crimes associated with religion also became more extreme. These included a conspiracy to blow up Parliament.
Religious changes under Stuart rule
James I was reported to detest the Catholic religion. He ordered that Catholics who did not attend Church of England (Protestant) services should be fined. This led to Catholics opposing him more strongly. For example, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was an attempt to kill the king and blow up Parliament. The plotters were caught and executed for high treason, which was the crime of plotting to kill or betray the monarch.
In the Stuart period, Puritans were strict Protestants who followed the Bible closely and tried to live simple, plain lives. They believed that hard work and worship combined was the way to heaven. They therefore did not approve of anything that prevented worship and work. increased in popularity. After the execution of Charles I in 1649, the Puritan Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector and Parliament was dominated by Puritans.
This led to a series of laws that tried to enforce Puritan ideas. It became To disagree with, or refuse to follow the religious views of the monarch or the state. not to follow laws such as these:
- playing football on a Sunday was banned
- getting a haircut or beard trim on a Sunday was banned
- swearing was banned
- Christmas Day was abolished in 1652, and it became illegal to celebrate Easter or Whitsun
After the restoration of the monarchy with Charles II in May 1660, the strict Puritan laws were abolished.
Witchcraft
Witchcraft was a criminal offence until 1735. It was punishable by death during the Tudor and Stuart periods. Witches were seen, wrongly, as the Devil鈥檚 helpers on Earth. Often, people鈥檚 lack of understanding led them to believe that bad things were the work of the Devil or witches. James I wrote a book on witchcraft that suggested ways of identifying and catching them.
Each monarch tried to ensure everyone followed their religious laws. Witchcraft was therefore a concern to both Catholics and Protestants. It is estimated that over 200 years, up to 1,000 people were executed for witchcraft, most of them women.
The 1640s saw a significant witch hunt in Essex led by the witchfinder Matthew Hopkins. Some historians now think that the increase in the persecution of women as witches was encouraged by men who had become professional medical practitioners. It is thought that these men wanted to remove the 鈥榳ise women鈥 who gave more traditional medical advice.