Protestantism established a precarious toehold in England very shortly after Luther's initial
protest in 1517, but for many years Protestants remained a tiny minority, frequently persecuted
persecuted. There was, however, widespread discontent both at the extent of corruption within
the English Catholic Church and at its lack of spiritual vitality. A pervasive anti-clerical attitude
on the part of the population as a whole and in Parliament in particular made it possible for
Henry VIII to obtain an annulment in 1533 of his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) in the
face of papal opposition, and in 1534 the Act of Supremacy transferred papal supremacy over
the English Church to the crown. It was not until the 1550's, however, under Edward VI, that
the English Church became Protestant in doctrine and ritual, and even then it remained
traditional in organization.
Under the Roman Catholic Mary I a politico-religious reaction resulted in the burning at the
stake of some prominent Protestants and the exile of many others, which led in turn to a
popular association of Catholicism with persecution and Spanish domination.
When Elizabeth I succeeded to the throne in 1558, however, she restored a moderate
Protestantism, codifying the Anglican faith in the Act of Uniformity, the Act of Supremacy, and
the Thirty-Nine Articles.

From the time of the Elizabethan settlement on, the Church of England (the Anglican Church) attempted, with varying degrees of
success, to consolidate its position both as a distinctive middle way between Catholicism and Puritanism and as the national
religion of England. Under Charles I, the "popish" High-Church policies of the Arminian William Laud alienated the Puritan wing of the
Church, and after the victory of Cromwell's (frequently Puritan) parliamentarians over Charles's (frequently Catholic) Royalists in the
Civil Wars of 1642-1651, the Anglican Church, by now the Church of England, was largely dismantled. 

The Puritan emphasis on individualism, however, made the establishment of a national Presbyterian Church during the Interregnum
impossible, and the Restoration of the Monarchy under Charles II in 1660 facilitated the re-establishment of the Anglican Church,
purged of Puritans, who split into various dissenting factions. It remained the official state church until the passage of the Toleration
Act in 1690, which permitted Dissenters to hold meetings in licensed preaching houses. Thereafter it grew both politically and 
spiritually weaker, and the eighteenth century found it largely unprepared for the serious spiritual challenge which was implicit in the
appearance of Methodism. 

At the time of the birth of the Methodist movement in the late eighteenth century, there were 13,500 Anglican priests in England, but
only 11,700 livings (fixed incomes derived from Church lands and tithes and attached to a particular parish) to support them, and many
of the livings paid so poorly that many priests held more than one. Some priests, too, thanks to political and social influence,
controlled more than one of the wealthy livings. In addition, the Church was far too dependent upon political and economic interests to
reform itself: half of all livings were granted by landowners, and the government had the right to appoint all bishops, a number of
prebends, and hundreds of livings, so that it is not exaggerating too much to say that the Church became, to a considerable degree,
the preserve of the younger sons of members of the aristocracy who had little interest in religion and less interest in the growing 
numbers of urban poor. There were, in consequence, over 6,000 Anglican parishes with no priests at all, and it was into this void that
the Methodist evangelicals stepped. 

In the nineteenth century the Church of England remained a middle way, but had to widen its doctrines considerably. This process was
facilitated to a considerable degree in part because many upper-class Anglicans, tired of doctrinal disputes, wanted only a rational,
moderate, practical religion which would permit them to worship in peace. This "Latitudinarian" outlook made it possible for the Church
to absorb not only the Evangelical movement which, fueled by the same energies which had given birth to Methodism, broadened the
Anglican Low-Church faction, but also the Oxford Movement which, fueled by the same activist impulses, presided over the revival of a
High-Church faction at the other extreme. During the greater part of the nineteenth century the Evangelicals remained dominant among
the clergy, but the universities had become bastions of the High-Church faction. At the same time, the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 
1829 emancipated Catholics, and this put still more pressure on the Church, as many High-Churchmen, notably Newman and his
disciples, would eventually defect to Catholicism. 
Meanwhile, the Broad Church faction received governmental support which was out of all proportion to its size. In the mid-nineteenth
century, then, the Church of England was disorganized.
Though its adherents were largely conservative, a considerable portion of its leadership was, ideologically speaking, perilously close to
Catholicism, and the religious census of 1851 showed that it was reaching only about fourteen percent of the population of England.

Although the real authority of the Church diminished thereafter, evangelical fervor diminished as well, and there was a considerable
movement of industrial wealth from the old Nonconformists to the established church. The public schools and the universities, even
after they were freed of religious restrictions, remained bastions of Anglicanism, and in 1919 the Church attained a still greater degree
of unity when, after the passage of an act which effectively separated Church and State, it established an assembly which would, fifty
years later, become the main legislative body of the Church. 


About Roman Catholic Church

At the end of the 18th century, the Roman Catholic Church in England was very small. After two centuries of persecution it was
estimated that membership had fallen to about 100,000. The achievement of Catholic Emancipation in 1829 helped to revive the
church.

Irish immigration increased Roman Catholic membership to 250,000 in 1840. The numbers of Catholics arriving increased rapidly
during the Irish famine of 1845. Most of the new immigrants were extremely poor and the Roman Catholic Church became very involved
in charity work.

In 1865 Henry Edward Manning became the leader of the Catholic Church in England. Active in social reform, Manning won the respect
of working class Catholics and the church continued to grow during the rest of the century.


Jewish Community

After the passing of Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829, members of the Jewish Community were virtually the last group that did not
possess full civil and political rights. Jews was not able to become members of the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
Nor were also barred from the military and could not obtain degrees from Oxford or Cambridge. 
In 1850 approximately 20,000 Jews lived in London, with a smaller number living outside the capital. Approximately 90 percent had
been born in Britain and the remainder were immigrants from Europe.

In 1855 Chief Rabbi Nathan Adler established the first Jewish College to train ministers. However, many Jewish immigrants from
Europe refused to accept the authority of the chief rabbi. Many opposed the anti-Zionism of Hermann Adler, who replaced his father a
chief rabbi in 1890. Jewish immigration increased after 1870 and by 1914 the Jewish population in Britain had reached 300,000. 

The granting of full civil and political rights was a slow and gradual process. In 1858 Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jewish MP
who was permitted to take his seat without taking the oath that involved the words "by the true faith of a Christian".
1871 Parliament passed the Universities Tests Act which opened both Oxford and Cambridge to members of all religions and in 1890
the last of the government posts became open to members of the Jewish faith. 
Some Jews are good Tories, others are Liberals, Communists and Socialists, Trade Unionists and Co-operators. 
        

Medieval Kings Of England

Brought up in Normandy, the reign of the Confessor saw the beginning of a close alliance with Normandy. Many Norman barons were
brought into England to control the Welsh Marches and castles were first built in the kingdom.
It would seem likely that Edward promised the Crown to Duke William of Normandy in 1051.

King Harold II, 1066

Harold had been the power behind Edward's throne since 1055 and was elected King of the English by most of the English noble
classes.

King William I The Conquerer, 1066 to 1087 

King William "inherited" the English throne as heir to Edward the Confessor, with, after the battle of Hastings,
substantial support from the remaining English nobility. Until 1071 the reign was spent suppressing English rebellions.
After that date, by which time much of the English nobility had been eliminated, William had mainly Continental
problems to deal with. The conquest of much of Wales was undertaken in the years 1070 to 1085. 
When William died the chronicles generally agreed that he was a good, but stern king. It had been possible during
his reign for a man to walk with his pockets full of gold from one end of William's realm to the other with no-one 
touching him through their fear of the king.

King William II, Rufus, 1087 to 1100 

Second son of William the Conqueror, William had the sternness and military ability of his father, but not his sense of justice. 
His court was renowned for its brutality and licentiousness and the king was often at variance with the church. He faced major
rebellions in 1088 and 1095 though he succeeded in crushing them, largely due to the loyal support of the English.

King Henry I, 1100 to 1135 

As able as his brother, Rufus, but with a keen sense of justice. The royal administrative corps really came into its own in his reign. 
The first seven years of Henry's rule was spent in protecting England and then conquering Normandy from his eldest brother, Duke
Robert. He ruled with an iron fist like his father and looked secure both in England and on the Continent until 1120 when his only
legitimate son and heir was killed in a naval tragedy. He settled the Welsh rebellion of his brother's reign and fortified Wales with many
castles. The end of his reign was dominated by a succession crisis where Henry forced his barons to support his daughter, Matilda,
as heir.

King Stephen, 1135 to 1141  

The favourite nephew of Henry I, broke his oath and assumed the kingship of England with the assent of the barons of England and
Normandy. His character soon showed severe flaws for a king and as the English put it, he was found "to be soft". From 1136 onwards
crisis followed crisis and England and Normandy slipped into Civil War.

Empress Matilda

Only legitimate daughter of Henry I to whom the Crown was promised in her father's lifetime. On her father's death Stephen was
elected. In 1139 her half brother, Earl Robert of Gloucester, and Miles Gloucester rebelled from King Stephen in her favour. Stephen
was defeated and captured in February 1141 and Matilda, the widow of the Emperor of Germany, began her short reign as Empress of
the English. Her ill temper and brutal manner soon exasperated the English and she was chased out of London and by the end of 1142
she had been reduced to control of much of the South and West of England, King Stephen, released from captivity continuing his reign
Normandy was taken from Stephen by Matilda's second husband, Geoffrey of Anjou in 1144, both titles passing to their son, another
Henry.

King Stephen, 1142 to 1154

By 1147 the civil war in England had effectively ended with most of the important, industrious and populated parts of the kingdom 
remaining under Stephen's ineffectual rule. In 1153, Duke Henry of Normandy, the son of the Empress Matilda and Geoffrey of Anjou,
invaded the kingdom and was recognised as Stephen's heir in place of his two sons, Eustace and William.

King Henry II, 1154 to 1189

Henry succeeded King Stephen in October 1154, apparently after surviving a poisoning attempt by Stephen's supporters. He ruled his 
Empire of Britain, Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Poitou and Aquitaine with an iron rod and was the first king of England to add Ireland to
his domains. With his fiery red hair and equally fiery nature, probably inherited from his mother, the Empress, Henry proved a king to
be reckoned with and for 35 years he dominated Western Christendom as the most influential monarch of the day. His masterfulness
was seriously challenged by the Thomas a Becket murder and the subsequent rebellion of his sons in 1173-74. He was hounded to
his death at Chinon by his eldest surviving son in the summer of 1189.

King Richard I, Lion Heart, 1189 to 1199 

Second and eldest surviving son of Henry II. Richard had little interest in Britain, except for using it as a bank to finance his Middle
Eastern and Continental ambitions. As soon as he had succeeded his father, Richard began selling the offices of state to raise money
for his cherished crusade. England during his time was run by a series of Justiciars who in effect were regents. Richard only returned
to his kingdom once in 1194 to put down the rebellion of his brother Prince John and to be crowned a second time. The rest of his
reign was spent in incessant wars in France.

King John, Lackland, 1199 to 1216

King John, also known as Lackland or Softsword, was the youngest son of Henry II. Between 1200 and 1204 he fought increasingly
losing campaigns to hold onto his Continental possessions. In England he was responsible for refining the government and was
instrumental in the spread of literacy. King John, despite his bad reputation, was possibly one of the most learned of all the English
kings. He was a keen historian and lawgiver who enjoyed nothing more than to stand in judgement on his peoples.
This keen sense of involvement in the running of the kingdom no doubt helped antagonise his baronage, who quite rightly thought that
their many privileges were under threat. Magna Carta was the work of an admittedly unwilling King John and his impressive legal
advisors, not the rag tag army of discontented barons who faced him at Runnymede. In 1216 when faced by the invasion of a French
army he refused to fight them on the coast as, we are told, his history books well reminded him of the fate of a previous king in 1066
who did just that! John's refusal to risk all on one decisive battle led to the long civil war of 1216-8. He died of dysentery at Newark in
October 1216 after the infamous loss of his treasure in the Wash.

King Henry III, 1216 to 1272

Henry III came to the throne aged only 7 years old and immediately was placed under the tutelage of what should be recognized as a 
regency led by the old warrior, William Marshall. The first years of his reign saw the country brought back to his fealty until by 1220
most of the land and even Wales was peaceful. The death of the old Earl Marshall did not materially change the set up of Henry's
government, and always a weak man he tended to appoint 'strong men' to run the country. 
Henry's inability to rule as his barons thought fit brought about sporadic rebellions against his ministers of which the outbreak of
1233-34 was one of the worst. Towards the end of the 1250's this discontent was focused in the Marches of Wales where the Marchers
had been having a hard time from the attentions of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd. In 1258 at the Mad Parliament of Oxford, the barons led by
the earls of Gloucester and Leicester commenced the reformation of the government which effectively shackled the absolute monarchy 
of Henry III and his predecessors with a more or less democratically elected council.
This new design worked sporadically until 1263 when Henry, aided by barons who no longer wanted the burden of running the country
thrust upon them, helped Henry 'regain his independence'. Unfortunately this led to a bloody civil war known as the Barons' War which
lasted until 1266 by which time Henry III had been effectively superseded in the running of the country by his eldest son and heir, the
Lord Edward. Henry, wounded at the battle of Evesham on 4 August 1265, contentedly allowed Edward to install a regency government
when he left the country in 1270 on crusade. Henry passed away peacefully in November 1272, leaving the government of the kingdom
in the hands of the regency council until the return of Edward two years later.

Edward I, The Hammer Of The Scots 1272 to 1307

Edward was a far different character from his father and soon put the country on a footing he preferred. In 1276-77 he brought Llywelyn
ap Gruffydd to heel as well as putting the finances of the country back in order after the disasters of the previous reign.
In 1282 he was surprised by a Welsh revolt and by the April of 1283 he had subjugated the whole of Wales, killing Llywelyn and
capturing his brother Dafydd. Even this proved insufficient to totally overawe Wales and Edward faced further revolts in 1287 and 1295,
though neither were as serious as the wars of 1277 and 1282. With the conquest of Wales Edward began a massive castle building
project that is still rightly seen as one of the wonders of the thirteenth century. Towards the end of his reign Edward became
increasingly embroiled in bringing Scotland under his direct rule in a similar manner to that which he had achieved in Wales and this
proved by and large to be his undoing. The Welsh campaigns had made heavy drains on the Exchequer and Edward turned more and
more to imposing unjust taxes on his peoples and antagonizing his baronage. The conquest of Scotland failed largely because of 
Edward's success in Wales, he had spent his money and this is why no military masterpieces like Caernarfon or Harlech are to be
found in Scotland, where Edward had to content himself more with wooden peels like the one he built at Linlithgow. An increasingly
beleaguered Edward, abandoned in some of his campaigns by some of his previously most loyal barons, died crossing the border into
Scotland again in 1307.

Edward II, 1307 to 1327

After such a forthright and powerful monarch it was not surprising that his successor should be so weak. Edward II had few of the 
redeeming features of his father and much more resembled his grandfather. His idea of a good time was living as a rustic on his own
play farm while the government of the kingdom was left to less than honest favourites. As a result his reign was punctuated by
sporadic explosions amongst his discontented baronage and the rise of a new movement called the Ordainers, who in many respects
were the descendants of the reformers of 1258. The Ordainers were decisively defeated in 1322, but Edward failed to capitalize on his
success. Instead he was overthrown by his queen and her paramour and put to a grisly 'end' in the dungeons of Berkeley Castle.

Edward III, 1327 to 1377 

Initially under the tutelage of his mother and her lover, Roger Mortimer of Wigmore, Edward III bided his time. In 1330 he struck,
seizing Mortimer and having him executed. With this Edward re-opened the war with Scotland and then against France having realised
that the defeat of Scotland was not possible whilst they received French aid. This helped start the 100 year's war which was the major
feature of the reign. War of course needed money and to this end Edward reformed the coinage and came increasingly to rely on
parliament to organise the economy and deal with law and order within the realm.

Richard II, 1377 to 1399

The 10 year old Richard succeeded his grandfather in 1377 and immediately his regency council faced all sorts of problems,economic,
social, political and constitutional which helped lead in 1381 to the Peasant's Revolt. 
Then for the first time was heard the rhyme "When Adam delved and Eve span / Who was then the gentleman?" The revolt was ended
with the death of Wat Tyler and the young King Richard making various promises to the rebels. However as soon as order was restored
the king went back on his promises with the words "Villeins ye are and villeins ye shall remain." The new king was soon set on a path
of tyranny and clashed often with his parliament, being defeated by them in 1388 at the battle of Radcot Bridge. Declaring himself of
age he then proceeded to rule by fear and attempted to reduce parliament to a talking shop. In 1399 Henry Bolingbroke landed at
Ravenspur while the king was in Ireland and rapidly had the country rise in his favour. At the end of September Henry, in English rather
than French, declared himself king as heir of Henry III and by right of conquest. Richard passed on to a bitter end at Pontefract Castle,
either by smothering or self-starvation.

Henry IV, 1399 to 1413

Henry's reign was punctuated by repeated rebellions in the North and the Glyndwr rebellion in the West. Despite this he successfully
held the Crown and passed it on to his son, Henry V, though their relationship was always uneasy.

Though the scribes that accompanied the Roman invaders of Britain gave us the first written history of the land that came to be known
as England, its history had already been writ large in its ancient monuments and archeological findings.
Man lived in what we now call the British Isles long before it broke away from the continent of Europe, long before the great seas
covered the land bridge that is now known as the English Channel.

Southern England that we call the 'Wessex Culture.' They were responsible for the enormous earthwork
called Silbury Hill, the largest manmade mound in prehistoric Europe.Silbury is 39 metres high and was
built as a series of circular platforms; their purpose still unknown. Nearby is the largest henge of all
Avebury, consisting of a vast circular ditch and bank, an outer ring of one hundred standingstones and 
wo smaller inner rings of stones. Outside the monument was a mile-long avenue of standing stones.

                                     Stonehenge, in the same general area as Silbury and Avebury, is perhaps the most famous, certainly the 
                                     most visited and photographed of all the prehistoric monuments in Britain. We can only guess at the amount 
                                     of labor involved in its construction, at the enormous complexity of the task which included transporting the 
                                     inner blue-stones from the Preseli Hills in Wales and erecting of the great lintelled circle and horseshoe of
                                     large sarsen stones, shaped and dressed. The architectural sophistication of the monument bears witness to
                                     the tremendous technological advances being made at the time of the arrival of the Bronze Age.


Introduction

England is only part of a tiny island shared with Wales and Scotland, with  France next door to the east via the English channel, then
Ireland to the west via the Irish sea. England is actually smaller than many individual states in the US but is much more crowded.
Great Britain includes Wales and Scotland but excludes the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
In the UK, which is England, Scotland, Wales plus Northern Ireland, currently have 59 million people. Compare this with the larger area
of the mid west US state of Iowa which has only 3 million people. Yes today  England is a little crowded!

England has in the past ruled more countries and more land (at one time more than ¼ of the world) than any other of the famous
conquering nations such as the Romans, the Greeks, the Persians, the Vikings, the French, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese.


History And  Religions 


England is now a multi religious, multi cultural and multi ethnic country.  In the last 50 years. England and the rest of Britain today,
which include Christianity particularly the “Church of England” together with the more fundamentalist Protestant sects,
(like Puritans and Presbyterians) and the Roman Catholics.  The faiths of Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus will follow.
We will look at the fundamental beliefs of these Religions as well as the rules which sometimes result in customs which help to ignite 
mockery, suspicions, jealousies and hate.  These will include rules on prayer, birth, marriage and death, the rules for men and women
and rules for diet and dress. We cannot exclude the cultural habits which generally have been shaped by the rules of their religions.

What is Religion and what does the word faith mean?

Religion :- System of Faith and Worship. Human recognition  of a superpower, more often than not a God, entitled to obedience.

Faith :-      Belief in a divine truth without proof.

God :-       The supreme being.

Here lies the root of many religious led problems.  “Faith is a belief without proof.”

Jesus was the son of God

Jesus rose from the dead. That is after he had been crucified by the Romans (in present day Israel) his dead body disappeared and
Jesus was seen alive again. This proving to Christians that he was very special, indeed the son of God

At death only those who believe the above will go to a place called Heaven which is a paradise

(A person who does not believe in God) but wants to learn. Some religious teachers advise pupils to start with meditation coupled with
an emptying of the mind followed by a slow refilling around words which describe PEACE and LOVE rather than WAR and HATE.
One of the world’s oldest religions advocates this approach (Hinduism) and Yoga is the physical discipline designed by Hindus to aid
this process. Many famous people (including of course the Beatles) have tried this approach.


Christianity

Christianity, now 2000 years old was originally intended to be a modification to Judaism (The religion of the Jews going back more than
2500 years). The founder, Jesus, a man born a Jew in modern day Israel, thought the Jewish religion was flawed and needed bringing
up to date. He had many religious and moral points to make which made him very unpopular with both the Jews and the Romans of the
day, which included:
The Jewish faith was only available to those born a Jew. Hence was a divisive religion. A religious faith should be open to all.
The Jewish faith did not concentrate sufficiently on the poor.  That is attention needed to be directed to those in need. 
Also it is easier to be a good poor man than a good rich man.
The Jewish view of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth was barbaric. Jesus preached a very tough alternative, “turn the other 
cheek”.  Clearly a suggestion that a discussion might avert a war.

The three most important written instructions for Christians are:  The Bible, Old Testament. The first five books of which are also
followed by Jews.  The second is the Bible, New Testament, where the words written by Matthew and Mark etc are recorded. 
The third is the Crede, written by Roman Christians about 1700 years ago in the monasteries around Istanbul (Turkey), then
Constantinople, the then capital of the Eastern Roman empire of Byzantium.

The PreHistoric In England 

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