![]() “Not only are those heresies reviving among us which were formerly dead and buried, but new ones are springing up every day… On the other hand, a great proportion of the kingdom so adheres to the popish faction as altogether to set at nought God and the lawful authority of the magistrate, so that I am greatly afraid of a rebellion and civil discord.” One senior English ecclesiastic complained: Several Protestant groups had emerged, each with its own definition of the faith. Nothing but chaos could ensue if subjects were free to believe whatever they wished.By the second half of the century, the impact of religious radicalism had smashed gaping holes in several of Europe’s Christian commonwealths. Religion fell within the remit of kings, for the prevailing principle was “cuius regio, eius religio”, interpreted as “the ruler’s religion is the religion of the people”. The Reformation pioneer, Martin Luther, was the first to rush into print against the leaders of the Peasants’ War (1524–5) – men who claimed religious sanction for rising against their overlords. Nothing was more feared (not only by those at the upper levels) than rebellion. It was self-evident to most people that God ordained the structure of a ‘Christian commonwealth’ with the pope at the top, then the king, nobles, gentry and so on down the scale of political authority. William Tyndale, whose translation of the New Testament into the English vernacular was the literary cornerstone of the English Reformation, also wrote a treatise The Obedience of a Christian Man (1528), in which he stated quite categorically (and taking St Paul as his authority), “the king is in this world without law and may at his lust do right or wrong, and shall give accounts but to God only”. ![]() European society and the political rules that organised it were hierarchic. Government of the people, by the people, for the people, was a political ideal unknown in 1620. After two false starts, those determined not to be deflected from their purpose eventually left England aboard the Mayflower on 16 September 1620. The nucleus of this group was made up of people who had originated in the separatist congregation established at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, the place still regarded by many as the cradle of the Pilgrim Fathers. Eventually, out of the 102 Mayflower passengers, only 37 were (strictly speaking) ‘Pilgrim Fathers’ – that is, religious exiles who had originally settled in the Netherlands returning to England in 1620 in order to travel to the New World. Meanwhile long delays depleted the colonists’ provisions and arguments among the travellers caused some to abandon the venture. Unfortunately, the Speedwell proved unseaworthy and had to be abandoned. The would-be colonists planned to travel from England in two ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell. What happened to the lost colony of Roanoke Island?.They returned to England for the express purpose of travelling on to the New World. So it was that, in 1620, a minority of those who had settled in the Low Countries decided to move again – this time across the Atlantic. Having claimed the territory they called ‘Virginia’, the English government offered incentives to anyone prepared to travel there and develop plantation agriculture (mainly of tobacco). The English and Dutch governments were both sponsoring the establishment of settlements on the North American coast. Their discontent coincided with a growing interest in colonisation. Unfortunately, the pilgrims encountered many difficulties in their new homeland: they did not always see eye-to-eye with their Dutch neighbours and they often fell to squabbling amongst themselves over religious matters. Lambert/Kean Collection/Archive Photos/Getty Images) Why did they leave England?īefore setting sail for America in 1620, several of the pilgrims first settled in the northern Netherlands in the early years of the 17th century – there, immigrants were welcome and permitted to set up their own churches. Painting by WJ Aylward (Photo by Harold M. The Pilgrim Fathers disembark the Mayflower, November 1620.
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