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‘How significant were religious divisions to political instability in the years 1653 to 1673?’
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‘How significant were religious divisions to political instability in the years 1653 to 1673?’Between the years of 1653 and 1673, England experienced a period of political instability following
both civil wars and the regicide of Charles I with the instability intensifying the fear of militarism for
many who believed that the destruction of natural and political order would trigger the end of the
world. Many historians have suggested that the political instability evident in the years between 1653
and 1673 were primarily influenced by religious divisions following the growing diversity of religion
which was only being intensified by the growing popularity of pressure groups such as the Quakers
(who by 1670, had 60,000 members.) However, other factors such as finance and war also contributed
to the country’s political instability as they demonstrated political uncertainty.
During this period, religious divisions were the primary reason for political instability in England as
following the Regicide of Charles I, Oliver Cromwell attempted to establish a solely presbyterian
(who represented the majority of the nation) church following the expiration of the Act of Uniformity
in 1658. However, during this period the popularity of radical pressure groups grew in popularity
creating further divisions within the country as religion was seen as becoming more politically
influenced - an idea which is apparent when considering the mass popularity of George Fox and the
Quakers (who by 1658 had an estimated 35,000 members) who argued that the Church had become
too politicised following the Civil Wars with two women even being recorded in 1654 as calling the
church “a synagogue of Satan.” The popularity of such pressure groups created further political
instability as George Fox intentionally advised his followers to not pay tithes to the church therefore
breaking the law, and moreover, the Quakers were regarded as a security threat following their
interference in social events and church services which often led to members being trialled for
blasphemy (such as Fox himself who was charged at least three times.) Furthermore, religious
division is seen as also creating political instability when considering how following the failure of the
First Protectorate Parliament in 1655, Oliver Cromwell used the power of the New Model Army as a
political instrument to enforce Godly Reform by removing what he referred to as being the “evil from
hearts and minds” through the radical purification of the social, judicial and social system which as a
result saw the banning of alcohol. The introduction of Godly Reform and the powers provided to the
New Model Army were perceived as being ‘too radical’ as Cromwell used reform to further ‘purify’
the country whilst the use of the New Model Army suggested that the military was being used not to
create order but instead to intimidate and threaten people. However, although religious divisions did
enable political instability during the Commonwealth period, upon the restoration of the monarchy in
1660, the popularity of pressure groups decreased and the New Model Army was disbanded.
Furthermore, such religious divisions were removed following the Declaration of Breda which
restored the Church of England however did not broaden it - therefore restoring it to its former state
which represented a sense of order following the prominence of Laudism and Puritanism. Although
there were religious divisions under Charles II (which were primarily a result of his own association
with Catholicism) it was not as divided as it had been under Cromwell due to the introduction of
religious settlements such as the Clarendon Code of 1661 which did create limitations to religious
division through the likes of the 5 Miles Act.
However, it can also be suggested that finance also had a significant impact on the political instability
apparent between the years of 1653 and 1673. Although in 1661, Charles had been granted tonnage
and poundage for life with a £1,200,000 annual income, he was nevertheless a poor monarch as a
result of his lavish and domestic lifestyle - as a result of this financial vulnerability, in 1670, Charles II
created political instability through his signiage of the Treaty of Dover which saw England supporting
France’s attack on the Dutch. This created political instability and further promoted the idea of
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