millenary petition

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millenary petition, 1603. Elizabeth I, having authorized the establishment of a protestant church in England at the beginning of her reign, stood firm against any further changes. This angered those of puritan inclination, who believed that it preserved too many catholic vestiges in its structure and worship. They took advantage of the accession of a new monarch in 1603 to present James I with a petition, said to have 1,000 signatories, setting out their position. James responded by summoning the Hampton Court conference and using the millenary petition as its agenda.

Roger Lockyer

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