Oppression and Toleration: Charles II and William of Orange

By 1660, the British people were crying out for a king. Most had never fully taken to the Cromwellian vision of a republic. A return to a monarchy was inevitable, but not without opposition.

In the fifth and final talk of The Christian Institute’s Autumn Lectures, Revd Dr Richard Turnbull, former head of Wycliffe Hall in Oxford, explained the tensions that arose among those who wanted to serve both God and the King.

The ‘Merry Monarch’

Three groups emerged at this time. A small number of republicans, a larger number of Presbyterians and Puritans wanting a king with limited powers, and the ultra-Royalists, who wanted a king with unrestrained power.

Charles II was crowned King of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1661. He quickly sought to stamp his authority on the country, even going so far as to have Cromwell’s body dug up and his head impaled on a spike on Tower Bridge.

However, the ‘Merry Monarch’ (a euphemism for his debauched lifestyle) had a great desire to be popular, and initially sought a path of appeasement.

He had no real desire to be Protestant, but recognised that being so, in a time when the biggest area of contention was religion and religious liberty, was the most sensible move to consolidate power.

Historian Tim Harris commented that “Although Charles II may have been less fit than Charles I morally speaking, he was arguably more fit to be a king.”

The Clarendon Code

During his reign, the many religious groups competed for his attention, each demanding varying degrees of toleration – much for themselves but less for others.

Charles II was minded to permit limited freedoms, but did not take kindly to those who wished to go further.

He introduced the Clarendon Code, a series of laws explicitly designed to form an Anglican monopoly on worship, restricting non-conforming Christianity.

“We will do anything for his majesty but sin. We will hazard anything for him but our souls. We hope we could die for him, only we dare not be damned for him.”

Significant among Charles’s concerns was that every church leader and public official should give their assent to the Book of Common Prayer.

Many were conflicted. While most recognised that much of the book was good, it was not perfect. Some felt that since it was not Scripture, they could not give their assent to every aspect of it.

Some did not have an issue with the King’s command, but hundreds were forced out of the chuch in what became known as The Great Ejection.

Farewell sermons

John Bunyan was among them, famously imprisoned for refusing to conform.

Yet in God’s providence, Bunyan’s time behind bars enabled him to pen the classic Christian allegory ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’.

The Great Ejection was a reluctant non-conformity. Departing clergymen gave powerful farewell sermons before leaving the pulpit, expressing the conflict in their hearts.

Robert Atkins, one such preacher, said: “We will do anything for his majesty but sin. We will hazard anything for him but our souls. We hope we could die for him, only we dare not be damned for him.”

William Bates, another, said: “It is neither fancy, faction, or humour, that makes me not to comply, but merely for fear of offending God.”

Eventually, the extremity of the Clarendon Code led many to see that the oppression of non-conformists was neither workable nor desirable.

James II and William III

James II ascended to the throne in 1685 following the death of his brother, and his reign was chaotic.

He prorogued Parliament for three years and brought sweeping changes in an attempt to put Roman Catholicism in the ascendency.

But there was insufficient popular support, and those who feared a revival of the papacy under James offered the Crown to the King’s Protestant son-in-law, William of Orange.

He assumed power during the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688, forcing the king to flee. He was crowned William III the following year.

William quickly introduced the Toleration Act of 1689. This allowed much more freedom for dissenting Protestant non-conformists to worship in peace.

The Declaration of Rights was also introduced, limiting the powers of the king and ensuring the freedom of his subjects.

This marked a return to a Protestant monarchy and came with the caveat that Britain and the monarchy remain Protestant and not return to Roman Catholicism.