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The Covenanters were 17th-century Presbyterians who committed
themselves to keeping their form of worship as the sole religion of Scotland.
In a bid to prevent a new liturgy and the structures of the Anglican Church
being forced on them by Charles I, they signed the National Covenant in
1638 to maintain their form of worship and church government in Scotland.
This led to the so-called Bishops' Wars (1639-40) which Charles I lost at
considerable financial cost. It was these wars, which made it necessary
for him to call the Short and Long Parliaments. In 1643 English Parliamentarians
and Covenanters joined forces against Charles under the Solemn League and
Covenant. The deal was that the Scots were to receive £30,000 and a guarantee
that Presbyterianism would be set up in England as well as in Scotland.
In return the Covenanters would supply an army, which they did. It swung
the balance of the conflict against Charles in the early part of the English
Civil War.
However, in 1647, now fearing the increasing power of Oliver Cromwell, the
Covenanters changed sides. In England Presbyterian dominance gave way to the favoured view
for Protestant tolerance of the English Independents. The Covenanters made a secret deal with
Charles that, in return for supporting him, he would abolish the Anglican episcopacy.
It was the wrong side to back. The Covenanters were appalled by the execution
of Charles I in 1649 and proclaimed Charles's 18-year-old son King. Charles II went to Edinburgh.
Cromwell invaded Scotland, the Scottish armies were defeated and Charles fled into exile. Scotland
was put under complete English control.
The Restoration in 1660 meant no great return to favour for the Covenanters.
Anglicanism was restored and Charles broke all his promises to the Scots. Rebellion began in
Dumfries and spread through Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. After the Pentland Rising of 1666 was put
down there followed years of persecution of the Covenanters, with dragoons billeted in the
troublesome western areas. The hatred came to a climax in 1679 when government troops under
Lord Claverhouse were defeated at Drumclog. Claverhouse withdrew to Glasgow. By now there was
virtual civil war. Just north of Hampton at Bothwell Bridge a large army of Covenanters was
defeated.
When James II, a Roman Catholic, succeeded Charles II in 1685, Covenanting
was declared to be treason and punishable by death. Persecution increased. These were the
so-called 'killing times' when some have said as many as 18,000 died. Professor Cowan points
out that much of the source material is based on oral accounts and precise numbers are
difficult to establish. The persecution ended with the accession to the throne of William
III, and since 1790 the Church of Scotland has been the official church in that country.
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