The Politicization of the Pulpit in Seventeenth-century England: Thanksgiving Sermons after the Duke of Monmouth’s Rebellion

Abstract

In the early 1530s, the sermon was a basic tool to teach the new Anglican doctrine to people of all social ranks. Later in the century, it would be further employed by moderate and radical ministers to debate ecclesiastical, domestic and foreign policies. This trend continued well into the seventeenth century, when sermons increasingly influenced English public opinion and encouraged actions for and against the status quo.

The present paper studies how this genre participated in contemporary political controversies. The date selected is 26 July 1685, the day officially appointed for a public thanksgiving for James II’s victory over the Duke of Monmouth’s insurrection. The sermons considered support the doctrine of the divine right of kings endorsed by James, and attempt to discredit each of the arguments for civil disobedience employed by the rebels. Nevertheless, some degree of anxiety permeates these texts, since they attempt to justify the need to obey a legitimate monarch, who, despite being the head of the Anglican Church, openly practised the Catholic faith.