Peter Lake (Vanderbilt): ‘On Laudianism’

Peter Lake, Professor of History at Vanderbilt, is one of the most distinguished writers on English religion after the Reformation. Later this year Cambridge University Press will publish Peter’s latest book, Piety, polemic and politics during the personal rule of Charles I. The central argument is that ecclesiastical politics under Charles I and Archbishop Laud in the 1630s represented a ‘full-scale making’ and ‘true reformation’ of the English church, rejecting much that had passed as normative since the mid-16th century.  The forthcoming volume shows how the Laudians’ famous obsession with the beauty of holiness contained a plan for the reinvigoration of both the church and the state. It represented a self-conscious reaction against the long-term evils of puritanism and of the immediate political crisis of the 1620s. On Laudianism explores how this intensely controversial movement, and the strong reactions it provoked, helped cause the English Civil War, but over the long term provided one of the visions of the national church, one that has been in contention to define ‘Anglicanism’ ever since.

Peter will discuss his findings with two fellow scholars of the period – Ken Fincham (University of Kent) and Anthony Milton (University of Sheffield, to be followed by a general discussion. 

In association with the University of London research seminar on the Religious History of Britain, 1500-1800. All are welcome, but those wishing to attend should book a free ticket via Eventbrite or email archives@churchofengland.org not later than Monday 19 June.