Court of High Commission
Encyclopedia
The Court of High Commission was the supreme ecclesiastic court
in England
. It was instituted by the crown during the Reformation
and finally dissolved by parliament in 1641. The court was convened at will by the sovereign, and had near unlimited power over civil as well as church matters.
One such court was created by King James II
on 27 July 1686, which lasted until 26 August 1688.
. The Triennial Act held that the Crown summon Parliament every three years. It also impeached archbishop William Laud
, who had been supported by Charles I
. Laud's new ideas and prayers had upset the Scots, and when Charles was refused an army from Parliament, which did not trust him, he created his own. This led in part to the English Civil War
.
Ecclesiastical court
An ecclesiastical court is any of certain courts having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. In the Middle Ages in many areas of Europe these courts had much wider powers than before the development of nation states...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was instituted by the crown during the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
and finally dissolved by parliament in 1641. The court was convened at will by the sovereign, and had near unlimited power over civil as well as church matters.
One such court was created by King James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
on 27 July 1686, which lasted until 26 August 1688.
Triennial Act Dissolves Court of High Commission
The Court of High Commission was dissolved by the Triennial Act, passed by ParliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
. The Triennial Act held that the Crown summon Parliament every three years. It also impeached archbishop William Laud
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
, who had been supported by Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. Laud's new ideas and prayers had upset the Scots, and when Charles was refused an army from Parliament, which did not trust him, he created his own. This led in part to the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Sources
- 'High Commission, Court of' http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9040397, retrieved 4 August 2005
- The Glorious Revolution of 1688 http://www.lawsch.uga.edu/~glorious/chron.html, retrieved 4 August 2005
- ' A History of the Woodforde Family from 1300' http://www.woodforde.co.uk/page26.htm, retrieved 4 August 2005