The Bishops and the Duke of Buckingham, 1624–1626. Issue 343 (21st January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Parry, Mark
• Is Part Of: History. Volume 100:Issue 343(2015)
• Page Start: 640
• Page End: 666
• Publication Date: 2016-01-21
• Subjects: History -- Periodicals; 905
• DOI: 10.1111/1468-229X.12140
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0018-2648

Abstract

Abstract: This article seeks to demonstrate the political activism of the bishops, particularly through their role in the House of Lords, and the extent to which they were polarized by their attitudes to the royal favourite, the duke of Buckingham. Buckingham himself was as divisive a force among the episcopate as he was among the laity, and it will be argued here that the anti‐Calvinists, conscious of the favourite's support of them as a patron, went to great lengths to cultivate his favour, defend him against the threat of impeachment in parliament and to have him elected chancellor of the University of Cambridge. As such this article highlights the importance of aristocratic patronage relationships among the bishops and the inextricable links between theology and politics in the highly charged parliamentary atmosphere of the 1620s.