Persecution and Toleration in Protestant England 1558-1689

by John Coffey

Overview

This fascinating work is the first overview of its subject to be published in over half a century. The issues it deals with are key to early modern political, religious and cultural history.

The seventeenth century is traditionally regarded as a period of expanding and extended liberalism, when superstition and received truth were overthrown. The book questions how far England moved towards becoming a liberal society at that time and whether or not the end of the century crowned a period of progress, or if one set of intolerant orthodoxies had simply been replaced by another.

The book examines what toleration means now and meant then, explaining why some early modern thinkers supported persecution and how a growing number came to advocate toleration. Introduced with a survey of concepts and theory, the book then studies the practice of toleration at the time of Elizabeth I and the Stuarts, the Puritan Revolution and the Restoration. The seventeenth century emerges as a turning point after which, for the first time, a good Christian society also had to be a tolerant one.

Persecution and Toleration is a critical addition to the study of early modern Britain and to religious and political history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781317884415
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/11/2014
Series:	Studies In Modern History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

John Coffey is Lecturer in History at the University of Leicester.

Table of Contents

List of tables
Preface
1. Introduction

2. The Protestant Theory o f Persecution

3. The Protestant Theory of Toleration

4. Elizabeth I and Protestant Unform ity, 1 5 5 8 —1 6 0 3

5. The Early Stuarts, 1 6 0 3 - 4 0

6. The Puritan Revolution, 1 6 4 0 - 6 0

7. The Restoration, 1 6 6 0 —8 8

8. 1 6 8 9 and the R ise o f Toleration

Glossary
Select Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

This small volume gives an overview of the subject, its major issues and events, and provides a thought-provoking, broad conclusion that considers the developments after 1689 that eventually led to full religious liberty and civil equality. Coffey (history, U. of Leicester, UK) begins the book with a detailed consideration of the arguments both for and against toleration, gleaned in large part from his study of the wealth of pamphlets published at the time before turning to the complex history of religious groups in conflict and the informing political context. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"a fine book with a fresh and bracing momentum...enhances our understanding of early modern persecution and tolerance" – William Gibson, H-Net Reviews

"This very well-written book also includes some nice topical allusions" – English Historical Review

"admirably lucid and compact...a text with much on offer to students of denominational history" – Albion

From the Publisher