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Religious Comprehension in Scotland, 1689–1695
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 June 2023
Abstract
This article discusses how religious comprehension was promoted by the Scottish authorities after the revolution of 1688–9 to reach a compromise between the nation's two main religious groups: the Presbyterians and the Episcopalians. Unlike the failed attempt to enact comprehension in England in 1689, in Scotland five attempts were made from 1689 to 1694 to accommodate Episcopalians into the Church. The article argues that comprehension forced the Scots to confront the practical limits of their commitment to religious uniformity, and was central to their transition from a Reformed nation that cherished uniformity to one that begrudgingly accepted the existence of pluralism.
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- Research Article
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2023
Footnotes
For helpful comments on drafts of this article, I am grateful to Alasdair Raffe, Julian Goodare, Clare Loughlin, Ivar McGrath and this Journal's anonymous reviewer.
References
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