Church and State in Tudor and Stuart England (The European History Series)

This deftly written book tells the story of the transition from the centrality of the church to that of the state in Tudor and Stuart England. The story begins with a quite medieval Henry VIII and ends with the triumph of constitutional-parliamentary monarchy following the Glorious Revolution of 1688-1689. Besides a Bill of Rights, the first step taken by the new regime led by William and Mary was the passage of the Toleration Act of 1689 (for Protestants). From then on the state was the unifying factor and the church became a divisive factor.