View source for History of the Church of England

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{{use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
[[File:Canterburycathedralthrone.jpg|thumb|Chair of Saint Augustine, the archiepiscopal throne in [[Canterbury Cathedral]], [[Kent]]{{NoteTag|The Chair of St Augustine is the seat of the archbishop of Canterbury and in his role as head of the Anglican Communion. Archbishops of Canterbury are enthroned twice: firstly as diocesan ordinary (and metropolitan and primate of the Church of England) in the archbishop's throne, by the [[archdeacon of Canterbury]]; and secondly as leader of the worldwide church in the Chair of St Augustine by the senior (by length of service) archbishop of the Anglican Communion. The stone chair is therefore of symbolic significance throughout Anglicanism.}}]]
{{History of the Church of England}}
The [[Church of England]] traces its history back to 597. That year, a group of missionaries sent by the [[pope]] and led by [[Augustine of Canterbury]] began the [[Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England|Christianisation of the Anglo-Saxons]]. Augustine became the first [[archbishop of Canterbury]]. Throughout the [[Middle Ages]], the English Church was a part of the [[Catholic Church]] led by the pope in Rome. Over the years, the church won many legal privileges and amassed vast wealth and property. This was often a point of contention between [[Kings of England]] and the church.

During the 16th-century [[English Reformation]], which began under [[Henry VIII]] ({{reign|1509|1547}}), papal authority was abolished in England and the king became [[Supreme Head of the Church of England]]. Henry [[Dissolution of the monasteries|dissolved the monasteries]] and confiscated their assets. The church was briefly reunited with Rome during the reign of [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] (1553–1558) but separated once again under [[Elizabeth I]] ({{reign|1558|1603}}). The [[Elizabethan Religious Settlement]] established the Church of England as a conservative [[Protestant]] church. During this time, the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'' was authorised as the church's official [[liturgy]] and the [[Thirty-nine Articles]] as a doctrinal statement. These continue to be important expressions of [[Anglicanism]].

The Settlement failed to end religious disputes. While most of the population gradually conformed to the [[Established Church|established church]], a minority of [[recusant]]s remained loyal Roman Catholics. Within the Church of England, [[Puritans]] pressed to remove what they considered [[papist]] abuses from the church's liturgy and to replace [[bishop]]s with a [[Presbyterian polity|presbyterian system]] in which all ministers were equal. After Elizabeth's death, the Puritans were challenged by a [[high church]], [[Arminianism in the Church of England|Arminian]] party that gained power during the reign of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] (1625–1649). The [[English Civil War]] and overthrow of the monarchy allowed the Puritans to pursue their reform agenda and the dismantling of the Elizabethan Settlement. After the [[Restoration (England)|Restoration]] in 1660, Puritans were forced out of the Church of England. Anglicans started defining their church as a ''[[via media]]'' or middle way between the religious extremes of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism; Arminianism and [[Calvinism]]; and high church and [[low church]].

In the 1700s and 1800s, revival movements contributed to the rise of [[Evangelical Anglicanism]]. In the 19th century, the [[Oxford Movement]] gave rise to [[Anglo-Catholicism]], a movement that emphasises the Church of England's Catholic heritage. As the [[British Empire]] grew, Anglican churches were established in other parts of the world. These churches consider the Church of England to be a [[mother church]], and it maintains a leading role in the [[Anglican Communion]].

For a general history of Christianity in England, see [[History of Christianity in Britain]].

==Middle Ages==
{{Main|Religion in Medieval England}}

=== Anglo-Saxon period (597–1065) ===
{{Main|Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England}}
[[File:Canterbury_St_Martin_close.jpg|thumb|[[St Martin's Church, Canterbury]], is the oldest English church building still in use and was the private chapel of [[Bertha of Kent]], an important figure in the Christianization of Kent.{{Sfn|Starkey|2010|p=29}}]]

There is evidence for [[Christianity in Roman Britain]] as early as the 3rd century. After 380, [[Christianity as the Roman state religion|Christianity was the official religion]] of the [[Roman Empire]], and there was some sort of formal church organisation in Britain led by [[bishop]]s. In the 5th century, the end of Roman rule and invasions by [[Germanic paganism|Germanic pagans]] led to the destruction of any formal church organisation in England. The new inhabitants, the [[Anglo-Saxons]], introduced [[Anglo-Saxon paganism]], and the Christian church was confined to Wales and Cornwall. In Ireland, [[Celtic Christianity]] continued to thrive.{{Sfn|Moorman|1973|pp=3–4 & 8–9}}

The [[Christianisation of the Anglo-Saxons]] began in 597 when [[Pope Gregory I]] dispatched the [[Gregorian mission|Gregorian Mission]] to convert the [[Kingdom of Kent]]. The mission's leader, [[Augustine of Canterbury|Augustine]], became the first [[archbishop of Canterbury]]. The conversion of northern England was aided by the [[Hiberno-Scottish mission]], which promoted [[Celtic Christianity]] in contrast to the [[Latin Christianity]] of the Gregorian Mission.{{Sfn|Moorman|1973|pp=12–14 & 17–18}}

The Celtic and Roman churches disagreed on several issues. The most important was the [[Easter controversy|date of Easter]]. There were other differences over baptismal customs and the style of [[tonsure]] worn by monks.{{Sfn|Moorman|1973|p=19}} To settle the matter of which tradition [[Northumbria]] would follow, King [[Oswiu of Northumbria|Oswiu]] summoned the [[Synod of Whitby]] in 664. After hearing arguments from both sides, the king decided in favor of the Roman tradition, as this was followed by the successors of [[Saint Peter]].{{Sfn|Starkey|2010|p=34}}

In the late 8th century, [[Viking activity in the British Isles|Viking raids]] had a devastating impact on the church in northern and eastern England. Monasteries and churches were raided for wealth in the form of golden crosses, altar plate, and jewels decorating relics and illuminated Bibles. Eventually, the raids turned into wars of conquest and the kingdoms of Northumbria, [[Kingdom of East Anglia|East Anglia]], and parts of [[Mercia]] became the [[Danelaw]], whose rulers were [[Old Norse religion|Scandinavian pagans]].{{Sfn|Starkey|2010|pp=43–44}} [[Alfred the Great]] of Wessex ({{reign|871|899}}) and his successors led the Anglo-Saxon resistance and reconquest, culminating in the formation of a single [[Kingdom of England]].

==== Early organization ====
[[File:England_diocese_map_post_950.svg|thumb|English dioceses between 950 and 1035]]

Under papal authority, the English church was divided into two [[ecclesiastical province]]s, each led by a [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan]] or [[archbishop]]. In the south, the [[Province of Canterbury]] was led by the archbishop of Canterbury. It was originally to be based at London, but Augustine and his successors remained at Canterbury instead. In the north, the [[Province of York]] was led by the [[archbishop of York]].{{Sfn|Starkey|2010|pp=32–33}} Theoretically, neither archbishop had precedence over the other. In reality, the south was wealthier than the north, and the result was that Canterbury dominated.{{Sfn|Huscroft|2016|p=41}}

In 668, [[Theodore of Tarsus]] became archbishop of Canterbury. He reformed many aspects of the church's administration. At the [[Synod of Hertford]] in 672, [[Canon (canon law)|canons]] were adopted to promote greater uniformity, among these that the English bishops should hold an [[Councils of Clovesho|annual council at Clovesho]].{{Sfn|Moorman|1973|p=23}}

A major reorganisation of the English church occurred the late 700s. King [[Offa of Mercia]] wanted his own kingdom to have an archbishop since the archbishop of Canterbury was also a great Kentish [[magnate]]. In 787, a council of the English church attended by two [[papal legate]]s elevated the [[Diocese of Lichfield]] into an archbishopric. There were now three provinces in England: York, Lichfield and Canterbury.{{Sfn|Starkey|2010|p=38}} However, this arrangement was abandoned in 803, and Lichfield was reabsorbed into the Province of Canterbury.{{Sfn|Moorman|1973|p=39}}

Initially, the diocese was the only administrative unit in the Anglo-Saxon church. The bishop served the diocese from a [[cathedral]] town with the help of a group of priests known as the bishop's ''familia''. These priests would baptise, teach and visit the remoter parts of the diocese. ''Familiae'' were placed in other important settlements, and these were called [[Minster (church)|minsters]].{{Sfn|Moorman|1973|p=27}} Most villages would have had a church by 1042,{{Sfn|Huscroft|2016|p=42}} as the [[parish]] system developed as an outgrowth of [[manorialism]]. The [[parish church]] was a [[Proprietary church|private church]] built and endowed by the [[lord of the manor]], who retained the [[Advowson|right to nominate the parish priest]]. The priest supported himself by farming his [[glebe]] and was also entitled to other support from parishioners. The most important was the [[tithe]], the right to collect one-tenth of all produce from land or animals. Originally, the tithe was a voluntary gift, but the church successfully made it a compulsory tax by the 10th century.{{Sfn|Moorman|1973|p=28}}

[[File:St._Peter's_Church,_Barton_Upon_Humber_-_geograph.org.uk_-_968290.jpg|right|thumb|The square tower of [[St Peter's Church, Barton-upon-Humber]] ({{circa|990}}) is an example of late Anglo-Saxon church architecture{{Sfn|Huscroft|2016|p=44}}]]

In the late 10th century, the [[English Benedictine Reform|Benedictine Reform]] movement helped to restore [[Christian monasticism|monasticism]] in England after the Viking attacks of the 9th century. The most prominent reformers were Archbishop [[Dunstan]] of Canterbury (959–988), Bishop [[Æthelwold of Winchester]] (963–984), and Archbishop [[Oswald of Worcester|Oswald]] of York (971–992). The reform movement was supported by King [[Edgar the Peaceable|Edgar]] ({{reign|959|975}}). One result of the reforms was the creation of monastic cathedrals at [[Canterbury Cathedral|Canterbury]], [[Worcester Cathedral|Worcester]], [[Winchester Cathedral Priory|Winchester]], and [[Sherborne Abbey|Sherborne]]. These were staffed by [[Cloistered clergy|cloistered monks]], while other cathedrals were staffed by [[secular clergy]] called [[Canon (clergy)|canons]]. By 1066, there were over 45 [[List of monastic houses in England|monasteries in England]], and monks were chosen as bishops more often than in other parts of western Europe.{{Sfn|Huscroft|2016|p=42}}

By 1000, there were eighteen dioceses in England: [[Diocese of Canterbury|Canterbury]], [[Diocese of Rochester|Rochester]], [[Diocese of London|London]], [[Diocese of Winchester|Winchester]], [[Diocese of Lincoln|Dorchester]], [[Diocese of Ramsbury|Ramsbury]], [[Diocese of Sherborne|Sherborne]], [[Diocese of Selsey|Selsey]], [[Diocese of Lichfield|Lichfield]], [[Diocese of Hereford|Hereford]], [[Anglican Diocese of Worcester|Worcester]], [[Diocese of Exeter|Crediton]], [[Diocese of Cornwall|Cornwall]], [[Diocese of Elmham|Elmham]], [[Diocese of Lindsey|Lindsey]], [[Diocese of Wells|Wells]], [[Diocese of York|York]] and [[Diocese of Durham|Durham]]. To assist bishops in supervising the parishes and monasteries within their dioceses, the office of [[archdeacon]] was created. Once a year, the bishop would summon parish priests to the cathedral for a synod.{{Sfn|Moorman|1973|p=48}}

Royal authority and ecclesiastical authority were mutually reinforcing. Through the [[Coronation of the British monarch|coronation ritual]], the church invested the monarch with sacred authority.{{Sfn|Brown|2003|p=24}} In return, the church expected royal protection. In addition, the church was a wealthy institution—owning 25–33% of all land according to the [[Domesday Book]]. This meant that bishops and abbots had the same status as secular [[magnate]]s, and it was vital that king's appointed loyal men to these influential offices.{{Sfn|Huscroft|2016|p=47}}

During the Anglo-Saxon period, kings were able to "govern the church largely unimpeded" by appointing bishops and abbots.{{Sfn|Huscroft|2016|p=47}} Bishops were chosen by the king and tended to be recruited from among [[royal chaplain]]s or monasteries. The bishop-elect was then presented at a synod where clerical approval was obtained and consecration followed. The appointment of an archbishop was more complicated and required approval from the pope. The archbishop of Canterbury had to travel to Rome to receive the [[pallium]], his symbol of office. These visits to Rome and the payments that accompanied them (such as [[Peter's Pence]]) was a point of contention.{{Sfn|Loyn|2000|p=4}}

=== Post-Conquest (1066–1500) ===
[[File:Altar, Canterbury Cathedral.jpg|thumb|Founded in 597, Canterbury Cathedral was completely rebuilt between 1070 and 1077]]
{{Main|Religion in Medieval England}}

In 1066, [[William, Duke of Normandy]], invaded England claiming he was the rightful heir to Edward the Confessor. He appealed to [[Pope Alexander II]] who gave his blessing and ordered English clergy to submit to William's authority.{{Sfn|Borman|2021|p=10}} At the time of the [[Norman Conquest]], there were only 15 diocesan bishops in England, increased to 17 in the 12th century with the creation of the sees of Ely and Carlisle. This is far fewer than the numbers in France and Italy.{{sfn|Clifton-Taylor|1967|p=}} A further four medieval dioceses in [[Wales]] came within the Province of Canterbury.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022|reason='A further four medieval dioceses in Wales came within the Province of Canterbury.'}}

The Norman Conquest led to the replacement of the old Anglo-Saxon elite by a new ruling class of [[Anglo-Normans]] in both the secular nobility as well as the episcopate. In 1070, three [[papal legate]]s arrived to oversee the reform of the English church. At a council held at Winchester, [[Archbishop Stigand of Canterbury]], his brother Bishop [[Æthelmær of Elmham]], and the married Bishop [[Leofwin]] of Lichfield were deprived of office. At a later council at Windsor, Bishop [[Æthelric II|Æthelric]] of Selsey was also deprived of his office. Another bishop, [[Æthelwine (bishop of Durham)|Æthelwine]] of Durham, lost his see when he was declared an [[outlaw]] and imprisoned by the king. By the end of the year, there were only two Anglo-Saxon bishops left: [[Siward (bishop of Rochester)|Siward of Rochester]] and [[Saint Wulfstan]] of Worcester. Thereafter, William was able to fill the English sees with reformists such as [[Lanfranc]] of Bec for Canterbury and [[Thomas of Bayeux]] for York. He continued the English custom of recruiting bishops from the [[royal household]] and [[Royal chapel|chapel]].{{Sfn|Powell|Wallis|1968|pp=33–36}}

[[File:Wincath1-11S7-9724wiki.jpg|The shrine of St Swithun in Winchester Cathedral (in the background is Fedorev's iconostasis in the retroquire)|thumb]]

In 1072, William and his archbishop, Lanfranc, sought to complete the programme of reform begun by Archbishop Dunstan. Durham and Rochester cathedrals were refounded as Benedictine monasteries, the secular cathedral of Wells was moved to monastic Bath, while the secular cathedral of Lichfield was moved to Chester, and then to monastic Coventry. Norman bishops were seeking to establish an endowment income entirely separate from that of their cathedral body, and this was inherently more difficult in a monastic cathedral, where the bishop was also titular abbot. Hence, following Lanfranc's death in 1090, a number of bishops took advantage of the vacancy to obtain secular constitutions for their cathedrals – Lincoln, Sarum, Chichester, Exeter and Hereford; while the major urban cathedrals of London and York always remained secular. Furthermore, when the bishops' seats were transferred back from Coventry to Lichfield, and from Bath to Wells, these sees reverted to being secular. Bishops of monastic cathedrals, tended to find themselves embroiled in long-running legal disputes with their respective monastic bodies; and increasingly tended to reside elsewhere. The bishops of Ely and Winchester lived in London as did the archbishop of Canterbury. The bishops of Worcester generally lived in York, while the bishops of Carlisle lived at Melbourne in [[Derbyshire]]. Monastic governance of cathedrals continued in England, Scotland and Wales throughout the medieval period; whereas elsewhere in western Europe it was found only at [[Monreale]] in Sicily and [[Downpatrick]] in Ireland.{{Sfn|Swanson|1989}}{{page needed|date=July 2022}}

[[File:Wycliffe John Gospel.jpg|thumb|right|The beginning of the Gospel of John in a manuscript of Wycliffe's English translation (MS. Hunter 191) (first line: 'In þe bigynnyng was / þe word & þe word / was at god / & god was / þe word.')]]

As in other parts of medieval Europe, tension existed between the local monarch and the Pope about civil judicial authority over clerics, taxes and the wealth of the Church, and appointments of bishops, notably during the reigns of [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] and [[John of England|John]] (see [[Investiture Controversy]]).

An important aspect in the practice of medieval Christianity was the [[veneration of saints]], and the associated [[pilgrimage]]s to places where the [[relic]]s of a particular saint were interred and the saint's tradition honoured. The possession of the relics of a popular saint was a source of funds to the individual church as the faithful made donations and benefactions in the hope that they might receive spiritual aid, a blessing or a healing from the presence of the physical remains of the holy person. Among those churches to benefit in particular were: St. Alban's Abbey, which contained the relics of England's [[St Alban|first Christian martyr]]; Ripon, with the shrine of its founder [[St. Wilfrid]]; Durham, which was built to house the body of Saints [[St. Cuthbert|Cuthbert]] of Lindisfarne and [[St. Aidan|Aidan]]; Ely, with the shrine of [[St. Etheldreda]]; Westminster Abbey, with the shrine of its founder St. [[Edward the Confessor]]; and Chichester, which held the honoured remains of [[Richard of Chichester|St. Richard]]. All these saints brought pilgrims to their churches, but among them the most renowned was [[Thomas Becket]], the late archbishop of Canterbury, who was assassinated by henchmen of [[Henry II of England|King Henry II]] in 1170. As a place of pilgrimage Canterbury was, in the 13th century, second only to [[Santiago de Compostela]].<ref>John Munns, ''Cross and Culture in Anglo-Norman England: Theology, Imagery, Devotion'' (Boydell & Brewer, 2016).</ref>

[[John Wycliffe]] (about 1320 – 31 December 1384) was an English theologian and an early dissident against the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. He founded the [[Lollardy|Lollard]] movement, which opposed a number of practices of the church. He was also against papal encroachments on secular power. Wycliffe was associated with statements indicating that the Church of Rome is not the head of all churches, nor did St Peter have any more powers given to him than other disciples. These statements were related to his call for a reformation of its wealth, corruption and abuses. Wycliffe, an Oxford scholar, went so far as to state that "The Gospel by itself is a rule sufficient to rule the life of every Christian person on the earth, without any other rule."{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}} The Lollard movement continued with his pronouncements from pulpits even under the persecution that followed with Henry IV up to and including the early years of the reign of Henry VIII.

== Reformation (1509–1603) ==
{{Main|English Reformation}}

===Henry VIII (1509–1547)===
[[File:Enrique VIII de Inglaterra, por Hans Holbein el Joven.jpg|thumb|King Henry VIII was responsible for the Church of England's independence from the Roman Catholic Church ([[Portrait of Henry VIII at Age 49|portrait of King Henry]] by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1540)]]
[[Catholicism]] taught that the [[contrite]] person could cooperate with [[God in Christianity|God]] towards their [[Salvation in Christianity|salvation]] by performing [[Merit (Christianity)|good works]] (see [[synergism]]).{{Sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=210}} God's [[Grace in Christianity|grace]] was given through the [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|seven sacraments]]—[[baptism]], [[confirmation]], [[Marriage in the Catholic Church|marriage]], [[Holy orders in the Catholic Church|ordination]], [[Anointing of the Sick in the Catholic Church|anointing of the sick]], [[Sacrament of Penance|penance]] and the [[Eucharist in the Catholic Church|Eucharist]].{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|p=7}} The Eucharist was celebrated during the [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Mass]], the central act of Catholic worship. In this service, a [[Priesthood in the Catholic Church|priest]] consecrated bread and wine to become the [[Body of Christ|body]] and [[blood of Christ]] through [[transubstantiation]]. The Church taught that, in the name of the congregation, the priest offered to God the same [[Crucifixion of Jesus|sacrifice of Christ on the cross]] that provided [[Atonement in Christianity|atonement]] for the [[Christian views on sin|sins]] of humanity.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|pp=8–9}}{{Sfn|Hefling|2021|p=97–98}} The Mass was also an offering of prayer by which the living could help [[soul]]s in [[purgatory]].{{Sfn|MacCulloch|2001|pp=1–2}} While penance removed the guilt attached to sin, Catholicism taught that a penalty still remained. It was believed that most people would end their lives with these penalties unsatisfied and would have to spend time in purgatory. Time in purgatory could be lessened through [[indulgence]]s and [[prayers for the dead]], which were made possible by the [[communion of saints]].{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|pp=16–17}}

In the [[late Middle Ages]], Catholicism was an essential part of English life and culture. The 9,000 parishes covering all of England were overseen by a hierarchy of [[Deanery|deaneries]], archdeaconries, dioceses led by bishops, and ultimately the pope who presided over the Catholic Church from Rome.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|p=11}}

This connection to Rome was severed during the reign of [[Henry VIII]]. Desperate for a male heir, the king sought papal consent to annul his marriage to [[Catharine of Aragon]], freeing him to marry [[Anne Boleyn]]. When the pope refused his request, Henry launched a campaign to strip the papacy of any authority in England. Under intense pressure, the [[Convocation of Canterbury]] renounced its authority to make [[canon law]] without royal approval in the 1532 [[Submission of the Clergy]]. In 1533, Parliament passed the [[Statute in Restraint of Appeals|Act in Restraint of Appeals]], barring legal cases from being appealed outside England. This allowed the archbishop of Canterbury to annul the marriage without reference to Rome. In November 1534, the [[Act of Supremacy 1534|Act of Supremacy]] formally abolished papal authority in England and declared Henry [[Supreme Head of the Church of England]]. The majority of English clergy were intimidated or bribed into acquiescing with the separation.{{Sfn|Shagan|2017|pp=29–31}}

People supported the separation for different reasons. Important clergy, such as Bishop [[Stephen Gardiner]], believed their loyalty belonged to the English king rather than a foreign pope. [[Christian humanism|Christian humanists]] argued that [[papal supremacy]] was a recent historical development and was therefore not essential to the church's identity. The [[Landed gentry|gentry]] and [[English nobility|nobility]] wanted to diminish the power of the clergy. The king ordered the [[dissolution of the monasteries]], confiscating the enormous wealth of these church institutions. Henry then granted or sold much of the land to laymen, ensuring these men would support the break with Rome out of financial interest.{{Sfn|Shagan|2017|pp=33–35}}

[[File:Thomas Cranmer by Gerlach Flicke.jpg|right|thumb|Thomas Cranmer (1489–1556), archbishop of Canterbury and principal compiler of the first two versions of the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'']]

But the most important constituency backing royal supremacy were followers of a new movement—[[Protestantism]]. The [[Protestant Reformation]] was initiated by a German monk named [[Martin Luther]]. The main plank of [[Theology of Martin Luther|Luther's theology]] was [[sola fide|justification by faith alone]] rather than by good works. In this view, God's unmerited favour is the only way for humans to be justified—it cannot be achieved or earned by righteous living. In other words, justification is a gift from God received through [[Faith in Christianity|faith]].{{Sfn|Hefling|2021|p=96}} If Luther was correct, then the Mass, the sacraments, charitable acts, [[Prayer to saints|prayers to saints]], prayers for the dead, pilgrimage, and the [[Veneration of Relics|veneration of relics]] do not mediate divine favor. To believe they can would be [[superstition]] at best and [[idolatry]] at worst.{{Sfn|Hefling|2021|p=97}}{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017a | p = 126}}  Not only did purgatory lack any biblical basis according to Protestants, but the clergy were accused of using fear of purgatory to make money from prayers and masses. Catholics countered that justification by faith alone was a "licence to sin".{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|p=146}}

Protestantism had made inroads in England from 1520 onwards, but Protestants had been a persecuted minority considered [[Heresy|heretics]] by both church and state. By 1534, they were Henry's greatest allies. He even chose the Protestant [[Thomas Cranmer]] to be archbishop of Canterbury in 1533.{{Sfn|Shagan|2017|p=32}}

In 1536, the king first exercised his power to pronounce doctrine. That year, the [[Ten Articles]] became the first doctrinal statement of the Church of England. It kept most of the traditional Catholic doctrines and practices (purgatory, veneration of saints, and the [[Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist|real presence]]), but it also contained [[Lutheran]] teachings (justification by faith and three instead of seven sacraments). Under [[Thomas Cromwell]], the King's [[vicegerent]] in spirituals, relics and images of saints were declared to be superstition. Between 1536 and 1538, [[iconoclasm]] was condoned by the government.{{Sfn|Shagan|2017|pp=35–36}} By 1539, a traditionalist counterreaction began. Parliament passed the [[Six Articles (1539)|Six Articles]], which reinforced the medieval heresy laws and silenced opposition to traditional doctrines such as transubstantiation.{{Sfn|Shagan|2017|pp=36–37}}

===Edward VI and Mary I (1547–1558)===
[[File:'Ecclesiastical England at the time of Henry VIII'.png|thumbnail|Map of English dioceses during the reign of Henry VIII. The cutout displays the boundaries of dioceses during the Anglo-Saxon period.]]

Henry's son, [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]] ({{reign|1547|1553}}), became king at the age of nine. Under the guidance of Protestant councilors, including Cranmer, the Church of England was transformed into a fully Protestant Church. A ''[[Book of Homilies]]'' was published, from which all clergy were to preach on Sundays.{{Sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=372}} The homilies condemned relics, images, [[rosary beads]], [[holy water]], [[Palm branch#Christianity|palms]], and other "papistical superstitions". It also taught justification by faith alone.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|p=308}} Government sanctioned iconoclasm led to the destruction of images and relics.{{Sfn|Duffy|2005|p=458}} [[Stained glass]], shrines, statues, and [[rood]]s were defaced or destroyed. Church walls were [[whitewash]]ed and covered with biblical texts condemning idolatry.{{Sfn|Duffy|2005|pp=450–454}} The [[Chantry#Abolition of Chantries Acts, 1545 and 1547|Chantries Act 1547]] abolished the [[Chantry|chantries]] and confiscated their assets. A chantry was an endowment that paid priests to say [[mass for the dead]] for the purpose of aiding souls in purgatory.{{Sfn|Haigh|1993|p=171}}

The most significant reform in Edward's reign was the adoption of an English liturgy to replace the old Latin rites.{{Sfn|Shagan|2017|pp=41}} The doctrine of justification by faith is implicit throughout the [[1549 Book of Common Prayer|1549 ''Book of Common Prayer'']],{{Sfn|Jeanes|2006|p=30}} but the Catholic doctrines of transubstantiation and the sacrifice of the Mass are rejected.{{Sfn|MacCulloch |1996 | pp = 412, 414}} Nevertheless, many reformers complained that the prayer book was too traditional. The [[1552 Book of Common Prayer|1552 ''Book of Common Prayer'']] was explicitly Protestant, going so far as to deny the real presence.{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 179}}{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|p=51}} [[John Hooper (bishop)|John Hooper]] refused to be consecrated a bishop while wearing the required vestments (a black [[chimere]] over a white [[rochet]]) igniting the first [[vestments controversy]], which was essentially a conflict over whether the Church could require people to observe ceremonies that were [[Adiaphora|neither necessary for salvation nor prohibited by scripture]].{{Sfn|Marshall|2017a|pp=340–341}}

In June 1553, the Church promulgated a Protestant doctrinal statement, the [[Forty-two Articles|Forty-Two Articles]]. It affirmed [[predestination]] and denied the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. However, three weeks later Edward was dead.{{Sfn|Shagan|2017|pp=40–41}}

Following the death of Edward, his half-sister the Roman Catholic [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] ({{reign|1553|1558}}) came to the throne. She reversed the religious policies of her father and brother and re-established unity with Rome. The [[Marian Persecutions]] of Protestants and [[dissenter]]s took place at this time. The queen's image after the persecutions turned into that of an almost legendary tyrant called Bloody Mary. This perception was mainly due to the widespread publication of ''[[Foxe's Book of Martyrs]]'' after her death. Nigel Heard summarises the persecution thus: "It is now estimated that the 274 religious executions carried out during the last three years of Mary's reign exceeded the number recorded in any Catholic country on the continent in the same period."{{sfn|Heard|2000|p=96}}

=== Elizabeth I (1558–1603) ===
[[File:Archbishop Matthew Parker.jpg|thumb|[[Matthew Parker]], archbishop of Canterbury, 1559–1575]]

When Queen Mary died childless in November 1558, her half-sister became Queen [[Elizabeth I]]. The first task was to settle England's religious conflicts. The [[Elizabethan Religious Settlement]] established how the Church of England would worship and how it was to be governed. In essence, the Church was returned to where it stood in 1553 before Edward's death. The [[Act of Supremacy 1558|Act of Supremacy]] made the monarch the Church's [[Supreme Governor of the Church of England|supreme governor]]. The [[Act of Uniformity 1558|Act of Uniformity]] restored a slightly altered 1552 ''Book of Common Prayer''.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|p=49}}

Clergy faced fines and imprisonment for refusing to use the liturgy. As Roman Catholics, all the bishops except one refused to swear the [[Oath of Supremacy]] and were deprived of office.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|p=49}} [[Recusants]] were Roman Catholics who refused to attend Church of England services as required by law.{{Sfn|Haigh|1993|p=256}} Recusancy was punishable by fines of £20 a month (fifty times an [[artisan]]'s wage). "Church [[papist]]s" were Roman Catholics who outwardly conformed to the established church while maintaining their Catholic faith in secret.{{Sfn|Haigh|1993|p=263}} Gradually, England was transformed into a Protestant country as the prayer book shaped Elizabethan religious life. By the end of Elizabeth's reign, most people were Protestants, and Roman Catholicism was "the faith of a small sect", largely confined to gentry households.{{Sfn|Haigh|1993|p=266}}

The [[Thirty-nine Articles]] were produced by the [[Convocation of 1563]] as a revision of the Forty-two Articles issued before Edward's death. The Queen vetoed Article 29, which stated that even though wicked and unworthy communicants consumed the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper, they were not "partakers of Christ". This was a point of disagreement between [[Calvinism|Calvinists]] and Lutherans, and Article 29 affirmed the Calvinist view. In 1563, however, Elizabeth was concerned that such a theological slight would hurt diplomatic ties with Lutheran nations. She may also have been personally sympathetic to the Lutheran view. Nevertheless, this article was later restored, and the Thirty-Nine Articles were given parliamentary approval in 1571.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|p=51}}

The settlement ensured the Church of England was definitively Protestant, but it was unclear what kind of Protestantism was being adopted. It did not help matters that royal injunctions issued in 1559 sometimes contradicted the prayer book. The injunctions specified traditional [[communion wafer]]s should be used for Holy Communion even though the prayer book said to use regular bread. There was also confusion over the location and positioning of the communion tables. According to the injunctions when not being used for communion, the tables were to be moved where the stone altars once stood.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|pp=50–51}}

The prayer book's [[eucharistic theology]] was vague. The words of administration neither affirmed nor denied the real presence. Perhaps, a [[Lord's Supper in Reformed theology|spiritual presence]] was implied, since Article 28 of the Thirty-nine Articles taught that the body of Christ was eaten "only after an heavenly and spiritual manner".{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|pp=50–51}} Nevertheless, there was enough ambiguity to allow later theologians to articulate various versions of [[Anglican eucharistic theology]].{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|p=51}}

A [[Calvinism in the Church of England|Calvinist consensus]] prevailed among leading churchmen during the reigns of Elizabeth and [[James VI and I|James I]].{{Sfn|Lake|1995|p=181}} Most Calvinists were willing to conform to the terms of the religious settlement. Others wanted further reforms to make the Church of England more like the [[Continental Reformed church]]es. These nonconformist Calvinists became known as [[Puritans]]. Some Puritans refused to [[Bowing|bow]] at the name of [[Jesus]], to make the [[sign of the cross]] in [[baptism]], use [[wedding ring]]s or [[Organ (music)|organ]] music in church. They especially resented the requirement that clergy wear the white [[surplice]] and [[Canterbury cap|clerical cap]].{{Sfn|Craig|2008|p=37}} Puritan clergymen preferred to wear [[Geneva gown|black academic attire]] (see [[Vestments controversy]]).{{Sfn|Craig|2008|pp=43–44}} Many Puritans believed the Church of England should follow the example of Reformed churches in other parts of Europe and adopt [[presbyterian polity]], under which government by bishops would be replaced with government by [[Presbyterian polity#Elder|elders]].{{Sfn|Craig|2008|pp=39–40}} But all attempts to enact further reforms through Parliament were blocked by the Queen.{{Sfn|Craig|2008|p=42}}

Conformists, such as [[John Bridges (bishop)|John Bridges]] and [[John Whitgift]], agreed with Puritans, like [[Thomas Cartwright (theologian)|Thomas Cartwright]], on the doctrines of [[Predestination in Calvinism|predestination]] and [[Unconditional election|election]], but they resented Puritans for obsessing over minor ceremonies.{{Sfn|Lake|1995|p=183}} There were anti-Calvinists, such as [[Benjamin Carier]] and [[Humphrey Leech]]. However, criticism of Calvinism was suppressed.{{Sfn|Lake|1995|p=181}}

== Stuart period (1603 to 1714) ==

===James I (1603–1625)===
{{Further|James VI and I and religious issues}}
In 1603, the King of Scotland inherited the English crown as [[James VI and I|James I]]. The [[Church of Scotland]] was even more strongly Reformed, having a presbyterian polity and [[John Knox|John Knox's]] liturgy, the ''[[Book of Common Order]]''. James was himself a moderate Calvinist, and the Puritans hoped the King would move the English Church in the Scottish direction.{{Sfn|Spinks|2006|p=48}}{{Sfn|Newton|2005|p=6}} James, however, did the opposite, forcing the Scottish Church to accept bishops and the [[Five Articles of Perth]], all attempts to make it as similar as possible to the English Church.{{Sfn|Spinks|2006|p=49}}

At the start of his reign, Puritans presented the [[Millenary Petition]] to the King. This petition for church reform was referred to the [[Hampton Court Conference]] of 1604, which agreed to produce a [[Book of Common Prayer#Changes in 1604|new version of the ''Book of Common Prayer'']] that incorporated a few changes requested by the Puritans. The most important outcome of the Conference, however, was the decision to produce a new translation of the Bible, the 1611 [[King James Version]]. While a disappointment for Puritans, the provisions were aimed at satisfying moderate Puritans and isolating them from their more radical counterparts.{{Sfn|Spinks|2006|pp=49–50}}

The Church of England's dominant theology was still Calvinism, but a group of theologians associated with Bishop [[Lancelot Andrewes]] disagreed with many aspects of the Reformed tradition, especially its teaching on [[Predestination in Calvinism|predestination]]. Like the Puritans, Andrewes engaged in his own brand of nonconformity. In his private chapel, he added ceremonies and formulas not authorised in the prayer book, such as [[Religious use of incense|burning incense]]. James I tried to balance the Puritan forces within his church with followers of Andrewes, promoting many of them at the end of his reign. This group was led by [[Richard Neile]] of [[Diocese of Durham|Durham]] and became known as the Durham House group. They looked to the [[Church Fathers]] rather than the Reformers and preferred using the more traditional 1549 prayer book.{{Sfn|Spinks|2006|p=50}} Due to their belief in [[Free will in theology|free will]], this new faction is known as the [[Arminianism in the Church of England|Arminian party]], but their [[high church]] orientation was more controversial.{{Sfn|Maltby|2006|p=88}}

=== English Civil War ===
{{Main|English Civil War}}

[[File:DelarocheCromwell.jpg|right|thumb|Cromwell and the corpse of Charles I]]

For the next century, through the reigns of [[James I of England|James I]] and [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], and culminating in the [[English Civil War]] and the protectorate of [[Oliver Cromwell]], there were significant swings back and forth between two factions: the Puritans (and other radicals) who sought more far-reaching reform, and the more conservative churchmen who aimed to keep closer to traditional beliefs and practices. The failure of political and ecclesiastical authorities to submit to Puritan demands for more extensive reform was one of the causes of open warfare. By continental standards the level of violence over religion was not high, but the casualties included a king, [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and an archbishop of Canterbury, [[William Laud]]. For about a decade (1647–1660), [[Christmas]] was another casualty as Parliament abolished all [[feasts]] and [[festival]]s of the Church to rid England of outward signs of ''[[Roman Catholic Church|Popishness]]''. Under [[the Protectorate]] of the [[Commonwealth of England]] from 1649 to 1660, Anglicanism was [[disestablishmentarianism|disestablished]], [[presbyterian]] [[ecclesiology]] was introduced as an adjunct to the Episcopal system, the Articles were replaced with a non-Presbyterian version of the [[Westminster Confession]] (1647), and the Book of Common Prayer was replaced by the [[Directory of Public Worship]].

[[File:Christchurch Gate, Canterbury Cathedral.tif|thumb|The Christchurch Gate at Canterbury Cathedral; the original statue of Christ was destroyed by Puritans in 1643 and replaced with an entirely new statue in 1990]]

Despite this, about one quarter of English clergy refused to conform. In the midst of the apparent triumph of Calvinism, the 17th century brought forth a Golden Age of Anglicanism.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=65}} The [[Caroline Divines]], such as Andrewes, Laud, [[Herbert Thorndike]], [[Jeremy Taylor]], [[John Cosin]], [[Thomas Ken]] and others rejected Roman claims and refused to adopt the ways and beliefs of the Continental Protestants.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=65}} The historic episcopate was preserved. Truth was to be found in Scripture and the bishops and archbishops, which were to be bound to the traditions of the first four centuries of the Church's history. The role of reason in theology was affirmed.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=65}}

=== Restoration ===
{{Main|Stuart Restoration}}

With the [[English Restoration|Restoration]] of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]], Anglicanism too was restored in a form not far removed from the Elizabethan version. One difference was that the ideal of encompassing all the people of England in one religious organisation, taken for granted by the Tudors, had to be abandoned.  The 1662 revision of the [[Book of Common Prayer]] became the unifying text of the ruptured and repaired Church after the disaster that was the civil war.

When the new king Charles II reached the throne in 1660, he restored priests who had been expelled from their benefices and actively appointed his supporters who had resisted Cromwell to vacancies.  He translated the leading supporters to the most prestigious and rewarding sees. He also considered the need to reestablish episcopal authority and to reincorporate "moderate dissenters" in order to effect Protestant reconciliation. In some cases turnover was heavy—he made four appointments to the diocese of Worcester in four years 1660–63, moving the first three up to better positions.{{Sfn|Beddard|2004}}

[[James II of England]] was overthrown by [[William III of England|William of Orange]] in 1688, and the new king moved quickly to ease religious tensions.  Many of his supporters had been [[English Dissenters]] or [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|Nonconformist]] non-Anglicans. With the [[Act of Toleration 1689|Act of Toleration]] enacted on 24 May 1689, Nonconformists had freedom of worship. That is, those Protestants who dissented from the Church of England such as [[Baptists]], [[Congregationalist]]s and [[Quaker]]s were allowed their own places of worship and their own teachers and preachers, subject to acceptance of certain oaths of allegiance. These privileges expressly did not apply to Catholics and Unitarians, and it continued the existing social and political disabilities for dissenters, including exclusion from political office.  The religious settlement of 1689 shaped policy down to the 1830s.{{Sfn|Hoppit|2002|pp=30–39}}<ref>Sheridan Gilley and William J. Sheils, eds. '' A history of religion in Britain: practice and belief from pre-Roman times to the present.'' (1994), 168–274.</ref> The Church of England was not only dominant in religious affairs, but it blocked outsiders from responsible positions in national and local government, business, professions and academe. In practice, the doctrine of the divine right of kings persisted<ref>J.C.D. Clark, ''English Society 1688–1832: ideology, social structure and political practice in the ancien regime'' (1985), pp 119–198</ref> Old animosities had diminished, and a new spirit of toleration was abroad. Restrictions on Nonconformists were mostly either ignored or slowly lifted. The Protestants, including the Quakers, who worked to overthrow King James II were rewarded. [[Toleration Act 1688]] allowed nonconformists who have their own chapels, teachers, and preachers, censorship was relaxed.  The religious landscape of England assumed its present form, with an Anglican established church occupying the middle ground, and Roman Catholics and those Puritans who dissented from the establishment, too strong to be suppressed altogether, having to continue their existence outside the national church rather than controlling it.<ref>George Clark, ''Later Stuarts: 1616–1714'' (2nd ed. 1956) pp 153–60.</ref>

== 18th century ==

=== Spread of Anglicanism outside England ===
{{See also|History of the Anglican Communion}}

[[Image:Shrewsbury Chapel.JPG|thumb|left|An Anglican chapel at Sheffield Cathedral]]

The history of Anglicanism since the 17th century has been one of greater geographical and cultural expansion and diversity, accompanied by a concomitant diversity of liturgical and theological profession and practice.

At the same time as the English reformation, the [[Church of Ireland]] was separated from Rome and adopted articles of faith similar to England's Thirty-Nine Articles. However, unlike England, the Anglican church there was never able to capture the loyalty of the majority of the population (who still adhered to Roman Catholicism). As early as 1582, the [[Scottish Episcopal Church]] was inaugurated when [[James VI of Scotland]] sought to reintroduce bishops when the [[Church of Scotland]] became fully [[presbyterian]] (see [[Scottish reformation]]). The Scottish Episcopal Church enabled the creation of the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America]] after the [[American Revolution]], by consecrating in [[Aberdeen]] the first American bishop, [[Samuel Seabury (bishop)|Samuel Seabury]], who had been refused consecration by bishops in England, due to his inability to take the oath of allegiance to the [[English crown]] prescribed in the [[Book of Common Prayer|Order for the Consecration of Bishops]]. The polity and [[ecclesiology]] of the Scottish and American churches, as well as their daughter churches, thus tends to be distinct from those spawned by the English church—reflected, for example, in their looser conception of [[ecclesiastical province|provincial]] government, and their leadership by a [[presiding bishop]] or [[Primate (bishop)#Anglican Communion|primus]] rather than by a [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan]] or [[archbishop]]. The names of the Scottish and American churches inspire the customary term ''Episcopalian'' for an Anglican; the term being used in these and other parts of the world.
<ref>See also: [[:Category:American Episcopalians]], [[:Category:Scottish Episcopalians]]</ref>

At the time of the English Reformation the four (now six) Welsh dioceses were all part of the Province of Canterbury and remained so until 1920 when the [[Church in Wales]] was created as a province of the Anglican Communion. The intense interest in the Christian faith which characterised the Welsh in the 18th and 19th centuries was not present in the sixteenth and most Welsh people went along with the church's reformation more because the English government was strong enough to impose its wishes in Wales rather than out of any real conviction.

[[Image:Bermuda-Saint Peter's Church.jpg|thumb|Consecrated in 1612, [[St. Peter's Church, St. George's|Saint Peter's Church]], in [[St. George's, Bermuda|St George's]], [[Bermuda]], is the oldest Church of England (now Anglican) church outside the British Isles, and the oldest Protestant church in the [[New World]].]]

Anglicanism spread outside of the British Isles by means of emigration as well as missionary effort. The 1609 wreck of the flagship of the [[London Company|Virginia Company]], the [[Sea Venture]], resulted in the settlement of [[Bermuda]] by that Company. This was made official in 1612, when the town of [[St. George's, Bermuda|St George's]], now the oldest surviving English settlement in the New World, was established. It is the location of [[St. Peter's Church, St. George's|St Peter's Church]], the oldest-surviving Anglican church outside the [[British Isles]] (Britain and Ireland), and the oldest surviving non-Roman Catholic church in the [[New World]], also established in 1612. It remained part of the Church of England until 1978, when the Anglican Church of Bermuda separated. The Church of England was the state religion in Bermuda and a system of [[parish]]es was set up for the religious and political subdivision of the colony (they survive, today, as both [[Civil parish|civil]] and [[Parish#England|religious]] parishes). Bermuda, like Virginia, tended to the Royalist side during the Civil War. The conflict in Bermuda resulted in the expulsion of Independent Puritans from the island (the [[Eleutheran Adventurers]], who settled [[Eleuthera]], in the [[Bahamas]]). The church in Bermuda, before the Civil War, had a somewhat Presbyterian flavour, but mainstream Anglicanism was asserted afterwards (although Bermuda is also home to the oldest Presbyterian church outside the British Isles). Bermudians were required by law in the 17th century to attend Church of England services, and proscriptions similar to those in England existed on other denominations.

English missionary organisations such as [[USPG]]—then known as the [[Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts]], the [[Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge]] (SPCK) and the [[Church Missionary Society]] (CMS) were established in the 17th and 18th centuries to bring Anglican Christianity to the British colonies. By the 19th century, such missions were extended to other areas of the world. The liturgical and theological orientations of these missionary organisations were diverse. The SPG, for example, was in the 19th century influenced by the [[Catholic Revival]] in the Church of England, while the CMS was influenced by the [[Evangelicalism]] of the earlier [[Evangelical Revival]]. As a result, the piety, liturgy, and polity of the indigenous churches they established came to reflect these diverse orientations.

== 19th century ==
The [[Church of Ireland]], an Anglican establishment, was disestablished in Ireland in 1869.<ref>Christopher F. McCormack, "The Irish Church Disestablishment Act (1869) and the general synod of the Church of Ireland (1871): the art and structure of educational reform." ''History of Education'' 47.3 (2018): 303–320.</ref> The [[Church in Wales]] would later be [[Welsh Church (Temporalities) Act 1919|disestablished in 1919]], but in England the Church never lost its established role. However [[Methodist Church of Great Britain|Methodists]], Catholics and other denominations were relieved of many of their disabilities through the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, Catholic emancipation, and parliamentary reform. The Church responded by greatly enlarging its role of activities, and turning to voluntary contributions for funding.<ref>Owen Chadwick, ''The Victorian Church, Part One: 1829–1859'' (1966) and ''The Victorian Church, Part Two: 1860–1901'' (1970).</ref>

=== Revivals ===

[[File:Chapel of St Giles, Blaston - geograph.org.uk - 222584.jpg|thumb|Church at Blaston, Leicestershire, rebuilt in a simple Gothic style in 1878]]

[[File:Crucifix, Church of St. Protus and St. Hyacinth at Blisland (June 2004).jpg|thumb|Crucifix on the rood screen at [[Blisland]], Cornwall]]

The [[Plymouth Brethren]] seceded from the established church in the 1820s. The church in this period was affected by the Evangelical revival and the growth of industrial towns in the Industrial Revolution. There was an expansion of the various Nonconformist churches, notably Methodism. From the 1830s the [[Oxford Movement]] became influential and occasioned the revival of [[Anglo-Catholicism]]. From 1801 the Church of England and the Church of Ireland were unified and this situation lasted until the disestablishment of the Irish church in 1871 (by the Irish Church Act, 1869).

The growth of the twin "[[Christian revival|revivals]]" in 19th century Anglicanism—Evangelical and Catholic—was hugely influential. The Evangelical Revival informed important social movements such as [[abolitionism|the abolition of slavery]], child welfare legislation, prohibition of alcohol, the development of [[public health]] and [[public education]]. It led to the creation of the [[Church Army]], an evangelical and social welfare association and informed piety and liturgy, most notably in the development of [[Methodism]].

The Catholic Revival had a more penetrating impact by transforming the liturgy of the Anglican Church, repositioning the [[Eucharist]] as the central act of worship in place of the [[daily office]]s, and reintroducing the use of vestments, ceremonial, and acts of piety (such as [[Eucharistic adoration]]) that had long been prohibited in the English church and (to a certain extent) in its daughter churches. It influenced Anglican theology, through such [[Oxford Movement]] figures as [[John Henry Newman]], [[Edward Pusey]], as well as the [[Christian socialism]] of [[Charles Gore]] and Frederick Maurice. Much work was done to introduce a more medieval style of church furnishing in many churches. Neo-Gothic in many different forms became the norm rather than the earlier Neo-Classical forms. Both revivals led to considerable missionary efforts in parts of the British Empire.

===Expanded roles at home and worldwide===
During the 19th century, the Church expanded greatly at home and abroad.  The funding came largely from voluntary contributions. In England and Wales it doubled the number of active clergyman, and built or enlarged several thousand churches. Around mid-century it was consecrating seven new or rebuilt churches every month. It proudly took primary responsibility for a rapid expansion of elementary education, with parish-based schools, and diocesan-based colleges to train the necessary teachers. In the 1870s, the national government assume part of the funding; in 1880 the Church was educating 73% of all students. In addition there was a vigorous home mission, with many clergy, scripture readers, visitors, deaconesses and Anglican sisters in the rapidly growing cities.<ref>Sarah Flew, ''Philanthropy and the Funding of the Church of England: 1856–1914'' (2015) [https://www.amazon.com/Philanthropy-Funding-1856-1914-Perspectives-Economic/dp/1848935005/ excerpt]</ref>  Overseas the Church kept up with the expanding Empire. It sponsored extensive missionary work, supporting 90 new bishoprics and thousands of missionaries across the globe.<ref>Michael Gladwin, ''Anglican Clergy in Australia, 1788–1850: Building a British World'' (2015).</ref>

In addition to local endowments and pew rentals,<ref>J.C. Bennett, "The Demise and—Eventual—Death of Formal Anglican Pew-Renting in England." ''Church History and Religious Culture'' 98.3–4 (2018): 407–424.</ref>  Church financing came from a few government grants,<ref>Sarah Flew, "The state as landowner: neglected evidence of state funding of Anglican Church extension in London in the latter nineteenth century." ''Journal of Church and State'' 60.2 (2018): 299–317 [https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/90538/1/Flew_State%20as%20landowner_2018.pdf online].</ref> and especially from voluntary contributions. The result was that some old rural parishes were well funded, and most of the rapidly growing urban parishes were underfunded.<ref>G. Kitson Clark, ''The making of Victorian England'' (1962) pp. 167–173.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Church of England voluntary contributions, 1860–1885
! per cent
|-
|Building restoring and endowing churches
| 42%
|-
| Home missions

| 9%
|-
| Foreign missions
| 12% 
|-
| Elementary schools and training colleges
| 26%
|-
| Church institution—literary
| 1% 
|-
| Church institution—charitable
| 5% 
|-
| Clergy charities
| 2%
|-
| Theological schools
| 1%
|-
| Total
| 100%
|-
| 
| £80,500,000
|-
| Source: Clark 1962.<ref>G. Kitson Clark, ''The making of Victorian England'' (1962) page 170.</ref>
|
|}

===Prime ministers and the Queen===
Throughout the 19th century patronage continued to play a central role in Church affairs.  Tory Prime Ministers appointed most of the bishops before 1830, selecting men who had served the party, or had been college tutors of sponsoring politicians, or were near relations of noblemen. In 1815, 11 bishops came from noble families; 10 had been the tutors of a senior official. Theological achievement or personal piety were not critical factors in their selection. Indeed, the Church was often called the "praying section of the Tory party."<ref>D. C Somervell, ''English thought in the nineteenth century'' (1929) p. 16</ref> Not since Newcastle,<ref>Donald G. Barnes, "The Duke of Newcastle, Ecclesiastical Minister, 1724–54," ''Pacific Historical Review'' 3#2 pp. 164–191</ref> over a century before, did a prime minister pay as much attention to church vacancies as [[William Ewart Gladstone]]. He annoyed Queen Victoria by making appointments she did not like.  He worked to match the skills of candidates to the needs of specific church offices. He supported his party by favouring Liberals who would support his political positions.<ref>William Gibson, "'A Great Excitement' Gladstone and Church Patronage 1860–1894." ''Anglican and Episcopal History'' 68#3 (1999): 372–396. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/42612038 in JSTOR]</ref> His counterpart, Disraeli, favoured Conservative bishops to a small extent, but took care to distribute bishoprics so as to balance various church factions. He occasionally sacrificed party advantage to choose a more qualified candidate.  On most issues Disraeli and Queen Victoria were close, but they frequently clashed over church nominations because of her aversion to high churchmen.<ref>William T. Gibson, "Disraeli's Church Patronage: 1868–1880." ''Anglican and Episcopal History'' 61#2 (1992): 197–210.  [https://www.jstor.org/stable/42610585 in JSTOR]</ref>

== 20th century ==

=== 1914–1970 ===
[[File:Coventry cathedral.jpg|thumb|right|The old and new [[Coventry Cathedral]]s in the [[Diocese of Coventry]] (the new cathedral was built next to the ruins of the old, which had been bombed in the Second World War)]]
[[File:altar.stmaryredcliffe.arp.jpg|thumb|The altar in St Mary's Anglican Church, Redcliffe, [[Bristol]]: showing the effects of 20th century liturgical reform the altar stands at the east end of the nave]]
[[File:Nave of St Mary's Church, in Ilkeston, Derbyshire.jpg|thumb|Ilkeston Parish Church, Derbyshire: the interior after the family communion service on Christmas Day, 2007]]

The current form of [[military chaplain]] dates from the era of the [[World War I|First World War]]. A chaplain provides spiritual and pastoral support for service personnel, including the conduct of religious services at sea or in the field. The Army Chaplains Department was granted the prefix "Royal" in recognition of the chaplains' wartime service. The Chaplain General of the British Army was Bishop [[John Taylor Smith]] who held the post from 1901 to 1925.{{sfn|Snape|2008|p=vi}}

While the Church of England was historically identified with the upper classes, and with the rural gentry, [[William Temple (bishop)|William Temple]], archbishop of Canterbury (1942–1944), was both a prolific theologian and a social activist, preaching [[Christian socialism]] and taking an active role in the Labour Party until 1921.<ref>Adrian Hastings, "Temple, William (1881–1944)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (2004) https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/36454</ref> He advocated a broad and inclusive membership in the Church of England as a means of continuing and expanding the church's position as the established church. He became archbishop of Canterbury in 1942, and the same year he published ''Christianity and Social Order.'' The best-seller attempted to marry faith and socialism—by "socialism" he meant a deep concern for the poor.  The book helped solidify Anglican support for the emerging welfare state. Temple was troubled by the high degree of animosity inside, and between the leading religious groups in Britain. He promoted ecumenicism, working to establish better relationships with the Nonconformists, Jews and Catholics, managing in the process to overcome his anti-Catholic bias.<ref>Dianne Kirby, "Christian co-operation and the ecumenical ideal in the 1930s and 1940s." ''European Review of History'' 8.1 (2001): 37–60.</ref><ref>F. A. Iremonger, ''William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury: His Life and Letters'' (1948) pp 387–425.
 [https://www.questia.com/library/65973200/william-temple-archbishop-of-canterbury-his-life online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918134500/https://www.questia.com/library/65973200/william-temple-archbishop-of-canterbury-his-life |date=18 September 2020 }}</ref>

===Prayer Book Crisis===
{{main|Book of Common Prayer (1928, England)}}
Parliament passed [[Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919|the Enabling Act in 1919]] to enable the new Church Assembly, with three houses for bishops, clergy, and laity, to propose legislation for the Church, subject to formal approval of Parliament.<ref>{{cite book|author=Colin Buchanan|title=Historical Dictionary of Anglicanism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mFCbCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA229|year=2015|page=229|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9781442250161}}</ref><ref>Roger Lloyd, ''The Church of England in the 20th Century '' (1950)) 2:5-18.</ref> A crisis suddenly emerged in 1927 over the Church's [[Book of Common Prayer (1928, England)|proposal to revise]] the classic ''Book of Common Prayer,'' which had been in daily use since 1662. The goal was to better incorporate moderate Anglo-Catholicism into the life of the Church. The bishops sought a more tolerant, comprehensive established Church.  After internal debate the Church's new Assembly gave its approval.  Evangelicals inside the Church, and Nonconformists outside, were outraged because they understood England's religious national identity to be emphatically Protestant and anti-Catholic. They denounced the revisions as a concession to ritualism and tolerance of Roman Catholicism. They mobilized support in parliament, which twice rejected the revisions after intensely heated debates. The Anglican hierarchy compromised in 1929, while strictly prohibiting extreme and Anglo-Catholic practices.<ref>G. I. T. Machin, "Parliament, the Church of England, and the Prayer Book Crisis, 1927–8." ''Parliamentary History'' 19.1 (2000): 131–147.</ref><ref>John Maiden, ''National Religion and the Prayer Book Controversy, 1927–1928'' (2009).</ref><ref>John G. Maiden, "English Evangelicals, Protestant National Identity, and Anglican Prayer Book Revision, 1927–1928." ''Journal of Religious History'' 34#4 (2010): 430–445.</ref>

===World War II and postwar===
During the Second World War the head of chaplaincy in the British Army was an Anglican [[chaplain-general]], [[Charles Symons]] (with the military rank of major-general), who was formally under the control of the permanent under-secretary of state.  An assistant chaplain-general was a chaplain 1st class (full colonel), and a senior chaplain was a chaplain 2nd class (lieutenant colonel).<ref>Brumwell, P. Middleton (1943) ''The Army Chaplain: the Royal Army Chaplains' Department; the duties of chaplains and morale''. London: Adam & Charles Black</ref> At home the Church saw its role as the moral conscience of the state. It gave enthusiastic support for the war against Nazi Germany. [[George Bell (bishop)|George Bell]], bishop of Chichester and a few clergymen spoke out that the aerial bombing of German cities was immoral.  They were grudgingly tolerated. Bishop Bell was chastised by fellow clergy members and passed over for promotion. The Archbishop of York replied, "it is a lesser evil to bomb the war-loving Germans than to sacrifice the lives of our fellow countrymen..., or to delay the delivery of many now held in slavery".<ref>{{cite book|author=Chris Brown|title=International Society, Global Polity: An Introduction to International Political Theory|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wh-JCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA47|year=2014|page=47|isbn=9781473911284}}</ref><ref>Andrew Chandler, "The Church of England and the obliteration bombing of Germany in the Second World War." ''English Historical Review'' 108#429 (1993): 920-946.</ref>

A movement towards unification with the [[Methodist Church]] in the 1960s failed to pass through all the required stages on the Anglican side, being rejected by the General Synod in 1972. This was initiated by the Methodists and welcomed on the part of the Anglicans but full agreement on all points could not be reached.

====Divorce====
[[File:CANTERBURY ALTAR 7431.jpg|thumb|Canterbury Cathedral altar]]

Standards of morality in Britain changed dramatically after the world wars, in the direction of more personal freedom, especially in [[sexual matters]].  The Church tried to hold the line, and was especially concerned to stop the rapid trend toward divorce.<ref>G. I. T. Machin, "Marriage and the Churches in the 1930s: Royal abdication and divorce reform, 1936–7." ''Journal of Ecclesiastical History'' 42#1 (1991): 68–81.</ref> It reaffirmed in 1935 that, "in no circumstances can Christian men or women re-marry during the lifetime of a wife or a husband."<ref>{{cite book|author=Ann Sumner Holmes|title=The Church of England and Divorce in the Twentieth Century: Legalism and Grace|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8CglDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA44|year=2016|publisher=Taylor & Francis|page=44|isbn=9781315408491}}</ref> When king [[Edward VIII]] wanted to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson, a newly divorced woman, in 1936, the archbishop of Canterbury, [[Cosmo Gordon Lang]] led the opposition, insisting that Edward must go. Lang was later lampooned in [[Punch (magazine)|Punch]] for a lack of "Christian charity".<ref>{{cite book|author=Tony Ditcham|title=A Home on the Rolling Main: A Naval Memoir 1940–1946|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-mFEBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT250|isbn=9780415669832 |date=15 August 2013|publisher=Naval Institute Press |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref>

Prime Minister [[Stanley Baldwin]] also objected vigorously to the marriage, noting that "although it is true that standards are lower since the war it only leads people to expect a higher standard from their King." Baldwin refused to consider Churchill's concept of a [[morganatic marriage]] where Wallis would not become [[Queen consort]] and any children they might have would not inherit the throne. After the governments of the Dominions also refused to support the plan, Edward abdicated in order to marry the woman.<ref>{{cite book|author=Pearce and Goodland|title=British Prime Ministers From Balfour to Brown|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e5yLAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA80|page=80|isbn=9780415669832 |publisher=Routledge|date=2 September 2013}}</ref>

When [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon|Princess Margaret]] wanted in 1952 to marry [[Peter Townsend (RAF officer)|Peter Townsend]], a commoner who had been divorced, the Church did not directly intervene but the government warned she had to renounce her claim to the throne and could not be married in church. [[Randolph Churchill]] later expressed concern about rumours about a specific conversation between the archbishop of Canterbury, [[Geoffrey Fisher]], and the Princess while she was still planning to marry Townsend. In Churchill's view, "the rumour that Fisher had intervened to prevent the Princess from marrying Townsend has done incalculable harm to the Church of England", according to research completed by historian Ann Sumner Holmes. Margaret's official statement, however, specified that the decision had been made "entirely alone", although she was mindful of the Church's teaching on the indissolubility of marriage.  Holmes summarizes the situation as, "The image that endured was that of a beautiful young princess kept from the man she loved by an inflexible Church.  It was an image and a story that evoked much criticism both of Archbishop Fisher and of the Church' policies regarding remarriage after divorce."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8CglDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA75|title=The Church of England and Divorce in the Twentieth Century: Legalism and Grace|author=Ann Sumner Holmes |pages=43–48, 74–80, quotes pp 44, 45, 79|date=13 October 2016 |publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781848936171}}</ref>

However, when Margaret actually did divorce ([[Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon]]), in 1978, the then archbishop of Canterbury, [[Donald Coggan]], did not attack her, and instead offered support.<ref>Ben Pimlott, ''The Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth II.'' (1998), p 443.</ref>

In 2005, [[Prince Charles]] married [[Camilla Parker Bowles]], a divorcée, in a civil ceremony. Afterwards, the then archbishop of Canterbury, [[Rowan Williams]], gave the couple a formal service of blessing.<ref>{{cite news |title=Divorce and the church: how Charles married Camilla|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/divorce-and-the-church-how-charles-married-camilla-cf88k667x|work=[[The Times]]|date=28 November 2017}}</ref> In fact, the arrangements for the wedding and service were strongly supported by the Archbishop "consistent with the Church of England guidelines concerning remarriage"<ref name="rwsupport">{{cite web |url = http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/1552/archbishop-statement-on-the-marriage-of-hrh-prince-of-wales-and-mrs-camilla-parker-bowles |first = Rowan |last = Williams |title = Statement of support |date = 10 February 2005 |access-date = 29 April 2016 |archive-date = 3 June 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160603001436/http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/1552/archbishop-statement-on-the-marriage-of-hrh-prince-of-wales-and-mrs-camilla-parker-bowles |url-status = dead }}</ref> because the bride and groom had recited a "strongly-worded"<ref name="foxwed">{{cite news |url = https://www.foxnews.com/story/charles-and-camilla-to-confess-past-sins |title = Charles and Camilla to confess past sins |publisher = [[Fox News]] |date = 9 April 2005 |access-date = 29 April 2016 }}</ref> act of penitence, a confessional prayer written by [[Thomas Cranmer]], archbishop of Canterbury to [[King Henry VIII]].<ref name="indepwed">{{cite news |first = Jonathan |last = Brown |title = Charles and Camilla to repent their sins |work  = The Independent |date = 7 April 2005 <!-- |access-date = 29 April 2016--> }}</ref> That was interpreted as a confession by the couple of past sins, albeit without specific reference<ref name="foxwed"/> and going "some way towards acknowledging concerns" over their past misdemeanours.<ref name="indepwed"/>

=== 1970–present ===
{{update|date=April 2024}}
[[File:Hereford Cathedral Interior May 2004.jpg|right|thumb|[[Hereford Cathedral|Hereford]] is one of the church's forty-three [[cathedral]]s, many with histories stretching back many centuries]]

The Church Assembly was replaced by the [[General Synod of the Church of England|General Synod]] in 1970.

On 12 March 1994 the Church of England ordained its first female priests. On 11 July 2005 a vote was passed by the Church of England's [[General Synod]] in [[York]] to allow women's ordination as bishops. Both of these events were subject to opposition from some within the church who found difficulties in accepting them. Adjustments had to be made in the diocesan structure to accommodate those parishes unwilling to accept the ministry of women priests. (See [[ordination of women|women's ordination]])

The first black archbishop of the Church of England, [[John Sentamu]], formerly of [[Uganda]], was enthroned on 30 November 2005 as archbishop of York.

In 2006 the Church of England at its [[General Synod]] made a public apology for the institutional role it played as a historic owner of slave plantations in [[Barbados]] and [[Barbuda]].  The Reverend Simon Bessant recounted the history of the church on the island of [[Barbados]], [[West Indies]], where through a charitable bequest received in 1710 by the [[Society for the Propagation of the Gospel]], thousands of sugar plantation slaves had been appallingly treated and branded using red-hot irons as the property of the "society".<ref name="BBC">{{cite web| title = Church apologises for slave trade | publisher = BBC | url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4694896.stm | access-date =8 February 2006 | date=8 February 2006}}</ref>

In 2010, for the first time in the history of the Church of England, more women than men were ordained as priests (290 women and 273 men).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9060296/More-new-women-priests-than-men-for-first-time.html |title=More new women priests than men for first time |work=The Daily Telegraph|date=4 February 2012 |access-date=11 July 2012}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Christianity|England}}
* [[Church Army]]
* [[Church of Ireland#History]]
* [[Historical development of Church of England dioceses]]
* [[History of the Scottish Episcopal Church]]
* [[Religion in the United Kingdom]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal | last = Beddard | first = R. A. | title = A Reward for Services Rendered: Charles II and the Restoration Bishopric of Worcester, 1660–1663 | journal = Midland History | volume = 29 | issue = 1 | pages = 61–91 | publisher = Taylor & Francis | date = 2004 | doi = 10.1179/mdh.2004.29.1.61| s2cid = 159847260 }}
* {{cite book | last = Borman | first = Tracy | author-link = Tracy Borman | title = Crown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II | publisher = Grove Atlantic | year = 2021 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xsg0EAAAQBAJ | isbn = 9780802159113}}
* {{cite book | last = Brown | first = Andrew | title = Church and Society in England, 1000-1500 | publisher = Palgrave Macmillan | series = Social History in Perspective | year = 2003 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VpJKEAAAQBAJ | isbn = 0333691458}}
* {{cite book|last=Clifton-Taylor|first=Alec |title=The Cathedrals of England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ylE5cgAACAAJ|year=1967|publisher=Thames & Hudson|isbn=978-0-500-20062-9|author-link=Alec Clifton-Taylor}}
* {{Citation | last = Craig | first = John | contribution = The Growth of English Puritanism | year = 2008 | title = The Cambridge Companion to Puritanism | editor-last1 = Coffey | editor-first1 = John | editor-last2 = Lim | editor-first2 = Paul C. H. | publisher = Cambridge University Press | series = Cambridge Companions to Religion | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jGcgAwAAQBAJ | isbn = 978-0-521-67800-1 | pages = 34–47}}
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Cross|editor1-first=F. L.|editor2-last=Livingstone|editor2-first=E. A|year=1997|title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church|url=https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary00late|url-access=registration|edition=3rd|location= New York|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA}}
* {{cite book | last = Duffy | first = Eamon | title = The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England, {{circa|1400|lk=no}} – {{circa|1580|lk=no}} | publisher = Yale University Press | edition = 2nd | year = 2005 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=K48k6JIcPrUC | isbn = 978-0-300-10828-6}}
* {{cite book | last = Haigh | first = Christopher | author-link = Christopher Haigh | title = English Reformations: Religion, Politics, and Society Under the Tudors | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1993 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zFmS2ng9z7wC | isbn = 978-0-19-822162-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Heard|first=Nigel |title=Edward VI and Mary: A Mid-Tudor Crisis?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vWl5HAAACAAJ|year=2000|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|isbn=978-0-340-74317-1}}
* {{cite book | last = Hefling | first =  Charles | title = The Book of Common Prayer: A Guide | publisher = Oxford University Press | series = Guides to Sacred Texts | year = 2021 | doi = 10.1093/oso/9780190689681.001.0001 | isbn = 9780190689681}}
* {{cite book | last = Hoppit | first = Julian | title = A Land of Liberty? England, 1689–1727 | publisher = Oxford University Press | series = New Oxford History of England | year = 2002 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xAKpDgAAQBAJ | isbn = 0199251002}}
* {{cite book | last = Huscroft | first = Richard | title = Ruling England, 1042-1217 | publisher = Routledge | edition = 2nd | year = 2016 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tKNYCwAAQBAJ | isbn = 978-1138786554}}
* {{cite book | last = Jeanes | first = Gordon | chapter =  Cranmer and Common Prayer | year = 2006 | title = [[The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer: A Worldwide Survey]] | editor-last1 = Hefling | editor-first1 = Charles | editor-last2 = Shattuck | editor-first2 = Cynthia | pages = 21–38 | publisher = Oxford University Press | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ezVH2h6PKUcC | isbn= 978-0-19-529756-0 }}
* {{cite book | last = Lake | first = Peter | chapter = Calvinism and the English Church, 1570–1635  | year = 1995 | title = Reformation to Revolution: Politics and Religion in Early Modern England | series = Rewriting Histories  | editor-last = Todd | editor-first = Margo  | pages = 179–207| publisher = Routledge | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YcGqIm | isbn= 9780415096928}}
* {{cite book | last = Loyn | first = H. R. | author-link = H. R. Loyn | title = The English church, 940–1154 | publisher = Routledge | series = The Medieval World | year = 2000 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iGfJAwAAQBAJ | isbn = 9781317884729}}
* {{cite book | last = MacCulloch | first = Diarmaid | author-link = Diarmaid MacCulloch | title = Thomas Cranmer: A Life | url = https://archive.org/details/thomascranmerlif0000macc | url-access = registration | publisher = Yale University Press | edition = revised | year = 1996 | location = London | isbn = 9780300226577}}
* {{cite book | last = MacCulloch | first = Diarmaid | title = The Later Reformation in England, 1547–1603 | publisher = Palgrave | series = British History in Perspective | edition = 2nd | year = 2001 | isbn = 9780333921395 | url = https://archive.org/details/laterreformation00macc }}
* {{cite book | last = Maltby | first = Judith | author-link = Judith Maltby | chapter = The Prayer Book and the Parish Church: From the Elizabethan Settlement to the Restoration | year = 2006 | title = [[The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer: A Worldwide Survey]] | editor-last1 = Hefling | editor-first1 = Charles | editor-last2 = Shattuck | editor-first2 = Cynthia | pages = 79–92 | publisher = Oxford University Press | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ezVH2h6PKUcC | isbn= 978-0-19-529756-0}}
* {{cite book | last = Marshall | first = Peter | author-link = | title = Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation | publisher = Yale University Press | edition = | date = 2017a | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=M7S_DgAAQBAJ | isbn = 978-0300170627}}
* {{cite book | last = Marshall | first = Peter | chapter =  Settlement Patterns: The Church of England, 1553–1603 | year = 2017b | title = The Oxford History of Anglicanism | volume = 1: Reformation and Identity, c. 1520–1662 | editor-last = Milton | editor-first = Anthony | pages = 45–62 | publisher = Oxford University Press | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1WfODQAAQBAJ | isbn= 9780199639731 }}
* {{cite book | last = Moorman | first = John R. H. | author-link = John Moorman | title = A History of the Church in England | publisher = Morehouse Publishing | edition = 3rd | year = 1973 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TdnFzfzpOxsC | isbn = 978-0819214065}}
* {{cite book | last = Newton | first = Diana | title = The Making of the Jacobean Regime: James VI and I and the Government of England, 1603-1605 | publisher = [[Royal Historical Society]] | series = Studies in History | year = 2005 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Xie8L3Fk0BIC | isbn = 9780861932726 }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Powell | first1 = J. Enoch | author-link1 = Enoch Powell | last2 = Wallis | first2 = Keith | title = The House of Lords in the Middle Ages: A History of the English House of Lords to 1540 | publisher = Weidenfeld & Nicolson | year = 1968 | location = London | url = https://archive.org/details/houseoflordsinmi0000powe | url-access = registration | isbn = 0297761056}}
* {{cite book | last = Shagan | first = Ethan H. | chapter =  The Emergence of the Church of England, c. 1520–1553 | year = 2017 | title = The Oxford History of Anglicanism | volume = 1: Reformation and Identity, c. 1520–1662 | editor-last = Milton | editor-first = Anthony | pages = 28–44 | publisher = Oxford University Press | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1WfODQAAQBAJ | isbn= 9780199639731 }}
* {{cite book | last = Spinks | first = Bryan | chapter = From Elizabeth I to Charles II | year = 2006 | title = [[The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer: A Worldwide Survey]] | editor-last1 = Hefling | editor-first1 = Charles | editor-last2 = Shattuck | editor-first2 = Cynthia | pages = 44–54 | publisher = Oxford University Press | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ezVH2h6PKUcC | isbn= 978-0-19-529756-0 }}
* {{cite book | last = Starkey | first = David | author-link = David Starkey | title = Crown and Country: A History of England through the Monarchy | publisher = HarperCollins Publishers | year = 2010 | isbn = 9780007307715}}
* {{cite book | last = Swanson | first = Robert N. | title = Church and Society in Late Medieval England | publisher = Basil Blackwell | year = 1989 | url = https://archive.org/details/churchsocietyinl0000swan | url-access = registration | isbn = 0631146598}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* Strong, Rowan, general editor. '' The Oxford History of Anglicanism''
** ''The Oxford History of Anglicanism, Volume I: Reformation and Identity, c.1520–1662'' Edited by Anthony Milton (2017) [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ldj_DQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT7&dq=The+Oxford+General+History+of+Anglicanism.&ots=r9riyasmp2&sig=kZbJ6f8H8BguXuYBQg0duR2j6mM  online]
** ''The Oxford History of Anglicanism, Volume II: Establishment and Empire, 1662–1829'' Edited by Jeremy Gregory (2017) [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=L583DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=The+Oxford+General+History+of+Anglicanism.&ots=76Psj1AROj&sig=BO_-z4eRRFJRQZ2biWLWDJs1KW0  online]
** ''The Oxford History of Anglicanism, Volume III: Partisan Anglicanism and its Global Expansion, 1829–c.1914'' Edited by Rowan Strong (2017) [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=5an_DQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=The+Oxford+General+History+of+Anglicanism.&ots=Q6kpvyuFoo&sig=86dyztGcJHeDxK_eNAUPQbM9Eog online]
** ''The Oxford History of Anglicanism, Volume IV: Global Western Anglicanism, c.1910–present'' Edited by Jeremy Morris (2017) [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=a1gjDgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=The+Oxford+General+History+of+Anglicanism.&ots=NV9btS8ibu&sig=t4Uc3XDSyDEDUlvCRfkx57Cko5c online]
** ''The Oxford History of Anglicanism, Volume V: Global Anglicanism, c.1910–2000'' Edited by William L. Sachs (2017) [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=XgJCDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=The+Oxford+General+History+of+Anglicanism.&ots=5u8BP6yNdy&sig=-TAmuV39hwvosMvlaMLwYTa8tic  online]

* Buchanan, Colin. ''Historical Dictionary of Anglicanism'' (2nd ed. 2015) [https://www.amazon.com/Historical-Dictionary-Anglicanism-Dictionaries-Philosophies/dp/1442250151 excerpt]
* Chadwick, Owen. ''The Victorian Church, Part One: 1829–1859'' (1966);  ''The Victorian Church, Part Two: 1860–1901'' (1970)
* {{cite book | editor-last1 = Coffey | editor-first1 = John | editor-last2 = Lim | editor-first2 = Paul C. H. | title = The Cambridge Companion to Puritanism | publisher = Cambridge University Press | series = Cambridge Companions to Religion | year = 2008 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jGcgAwAAQBAJ | isbn = 978-0-521-67800-1}}
* Flew, Sarah.  ''Philanthropy and the Funding of the Church of England: 1856–1914'' (2015) [https://www.amazon.com/Philanthropy-Funding-1856-1914-Perspectives-Economic/dp/1848935005/ excerpt] 
* {{cite book|last=Gonzalez|first=Justo L. |title=The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GlAVwB1zsxoC|year=1984|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-06-063315-8|author-link=Justo L. González}}
* Hardwick, Joseph. ''An Anglican British world: The Church of England and the expansion of the settler empire, c. 1790–1860'' (Manchester UP, 2014).
* Hastings, Adrian. ''A History of English Christianity 1920–2000'' (4th ed. 2001), 704pp, a standard scholarly history.
* {{cite book|last=Hunt|first=William |author-link=William Hunt (clergyman)|title=The English Church from Its Foundation to the Norman Conquest (597–1066).|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JvKZoAEACAAJ|volume=I|year=1899|publisher=Macmillan & Company}}
* Kirby, James. ''Historians and the Church of England: Religion and Historical Scholarship, 1870–1920'' (2016) online at DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198768159.001.0001
* Lawson, Tom. ''God and War: The Church of England and Armed Conflict in the Twentieth Century'' (Routledge, 2016).
* {{cite book | last = MacCulloch | first = Diarmaid | title = The Reformation: A History | publisher = Penguin Books | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-0-14-303538-1 |title-link = The Reformation: A History}}
*{{cite journal|first=Diarmaid|last=MacCulloch|title=Putting the English Reformation on the Map|journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=December 2005|volume=15|pages=75–95|doi=10.1017/S0080440105000319|jstor=3679363|s2cid=162188544}}
* Maughan Steven S. ''Mighty England Do Good: Culture, Faith, Empire, and World in the Foreign Missions of the Church of England, 1850–1915'' (2014).
* Norman, Edward R. ''Church and society in England 1770–1970: a historical study'' (Oxford UP, 1976).
* Picton, Hervé. ''A Short History of the Church of England: From the Reformation to the Present Day''. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015. 180 p.
* Sampson, Anthony.  ''Anatomy of Britain'' (1962) [https://archive.org/details/anatomyofbritain00samp online free] pp 160–73. Sampson had five later updates, but they all left religion out.
* {{cite book|last=Snape|first=Michael Francis |title=The Royal Army Chaplains' Department, 1796–1953: Clergy Under Fire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oEWYDTHXSbYC&pg=PR6|year=2008|publisher=Boydell Press|isbn=978-1-84383-346-8}}
* Soloway, Richard Allen. "Church and Society: Recent Trends in Nineteenth Century Religious History." ''Journal of British Studies'' 11.2 1972, pp.&nbsp;142–159. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/175080 online]
* Tapsell, Grant. ''The later Stuart Church, 1660–1714'' (2012).
* {{cite book|last1=Walsh|first1=John |last2=Haydon|first2=Colin |last3=Taylor|first3=Stephen |title=The Church of England C.1689-c.1833: From Toleration to Tractarianism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vYNlzfthufUC|year=1993|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-41732-7}}
{{Refend}}

===Primary sources===
{{Refbegin}}
* Flindall, Roy P., ed. ''The Church of England, 1815–1948: a documentary history'' (London: S.P.C.K., 1972) [https://archive.org/details/churchofengland10000flin online]
* Gee, Henry, and William John Hardy, eds. ''Documents Illustrative of English Church History'' (1896); coverage to 1689 [https://archive.org/details/documentsillust02hardgoog online]
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://anglicanhistory.org/ Project Canterbury, Documenting Anglican History Online]
* [http://www.anglican-methodist.org.uk/ A Covenant between the Methodist Church in Britain and the Church of England was signed on 1 November 2003]

{{Christian History|collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:History of the Church of England}}
[[Category:History of the Church of England| ]]