Act of Settlement
A statute of 1701 that vested the British Crown in Sophia of Hanover (granddaughter of James I of England and VI of Scotland) and her Protestant heirs, so excluding Roman Catholics, including the ...
Admiral's Men
Elizabethan company which, with Edward Alleyn as their star actor, was the only real rival of the Chamberlain's Men. Their patron was Lord Howard, who became an admiral in 1585 ...
Alexander Henderson
(c.1583–1646), Scottish Covenanting leader. He was mainly responsible for drafting the National Covenant of 1638, and during the Bishops' Wars of 1639–40 he was the recognized leader of the Scottish ...
Andrew Melville
(1545–1622).Scottish Reformer and theologian, concerned especially with educational reform. Entrusted in 1575 with the responsibility of compiling the Second Book of Discipline, he vigorously opposed ...
Appellants
1 The 31 RC secular priests who in 1598–9 appealed to Rome for the cancellation of the appointment of G. Blackwell as archpriest and superior of the mission. The original Appeal failed, but after ...
architectural styles and features
With the reign of King David I (1124–53), Scotland became a part of the western European polity of feudalism. Its most visible symbol was the castle, which was introduced by ...
Articles of Perth
Five articles on such subjects as kneeling at Communion which were forced on the Church in Scotland by James V at Perth in 1618. In 1621 they were carried through the Scottish Parliament.
Authorized Version
An English translation of the Bible made in 1611 at the order of James I and still widely used, though never formally ‘authorized’. Also called the King James Bible.
Banqueting House
A hall in Whitehall Palace designed (1622) by Inigo Jones; it was from a window in the Banqueting House that Charles I stepped onto the scaffold for his execution.
Basilikon Doron
(1598),a manual on the practice of kingship, was written by James I and VI for his eldest son, Prince Henry. Though less polemical in tone than The Trew Law of Free Monarchies, composed about the ...
Ben Jonson
(1572/3–1637),born in London of Border descent. He was educated at Westminster School under Camden. During the early 1590s he worked as a bricklayer in his stepfather's employ, and saw military ...
Book of Common Prayer
(often BCP).The major prayer book of the Anglican Church, and official service book of the Church of England. Its centrality and continuing use is advocated by the Prayer Book Society.[...]
book of sports
Sunday, the one non‐working day in the week, was traditionally a time for recreation, but puritan clergy, equating it with the sabbath, kept it ‘holy’ by banning customary pastimes. This threatened ...
Borders
From 1973, an administrative region of Scotland, comprising the counties of Berwick, Peebles, Roxburgh, and Selkirk. A hilly area, its economy has continued to be dominated by sheep‐farming and ...
burning
Burning alive was a penalty for certain criminal offences in late Roman and early Germanic law and was subsequently adopted in most W. European penal codes. The burning of convicted heretics was a ...
Bye plot
1603.James VI and I, plagued by plots in Scotland, was confronted by fresh ones as soon as he arrived in his new kingdom. The Bye plot was a hare‐brained scheme, hatched by William Watson, a catholic ...
central Europe
Cannot be sharply delimited on a map. Although it is situated on the east-west axis of the continent—the adjective “central” here signifies an in-between (as in Central America) rather than ...
Chamberlain's Men
Formed in 1594, based initially at the theatre, and drawing actors from the Admiral's men, this acting company is strongly associated with Shakespeare, and performed most of his plays. In ...
Channel Islands
Dependencies of the British crown—constitutionally odd and financially richThe Channel Islands consist of four main islands and numerous other islets. They are governed as two separate ‘bailiwicks’ ...
Charles I
(1600–49),king of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1625–49). Charles was the second son of James VI. Born in Scotland, he moved to England in 1604 after his father ascended the English throne. He ...
