Contesting the Church of England 1640-70: the European dimension

The contest over the identity of the Church of England in the mid-seventeenth century is often conceived from a purely English perspective. This article suggests that considering its neglected European dimension offers a new and fruitful angle on events. It goes on to offer some indicative snapshots of moments when foreign Reformed perspectives and contributions were important. The Covenanter rebellion and arguments over English church reform in 1638-42 were moments when invoking the support of existing European religious authorities formed an important part of both sides’ legitimization. In the civil war, competition for continental religious endorsement was avidly pursued by both sides, with mixed results, while royalists also toyed with foreign divines’ redefinitions of episcopacy. Complex ways in which foreign Reformed authorities were manipulated into seeming to support the Restoration settlement are flagged. It is noted that Continental divines’ own perspectives on English events were notably autonomous and conflicted.