Supreme Governor of the Church of England
Supreme Governor of the Church of England | |
---|---|
Elizabeth I |
The Supreme Governor of the Church of England is the
History
By 1536, King
"
Thirty-Nine Articles
The monarch's role is acknowledged in the preface to the
Being by God's Ordinance, according to Our just Title, Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church, within these Our Dominions, We hold it most agreeable to this Our Kingly Office, and Our own religious zeal, to conserve and maintain the Church committed to Our Charge, in Unity of true Religion, and in the Bond of Peace ... We have therefore, upon mature Deliberation, and with the Advice of so many of Our Bishops as might conveniently be called together, thought fit to make this Declaration following ... That We are Supreme Governor of the Church of England ...
Article 37 makes this claim to
The Queen's Majesty hath the chief power in this Realm of England, and other her Dominions, unto whom the chief Government of all Estates of this Realm, whether they be Ecclesiastical or Civil, in all causes doth appertain, and is not, nor ought to be, subject to any foreign Jurisdiction. ... [We] give not to our Princes the ministering either of God's Word, or of the Sacraments ... but only that prerogative, which we see to have been given always to all godly Princes in holy Scriptures by God himself; that is, that they should rule all estates and degrees committed to their charge by God, whether they be Ecclesiastical or Temporal, and restrain with the civil sword the stubborn and evildoers. The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this Realm of England.[6]
Church of Scotland
The British monarch vows to uphold the constitution of the
List of supreme governors
English
Name | Years | Notes |
---|---|---|
Henry VIII of England
|
1531–1547 | As supreme head. |
Edward VI of England
|
1547–1553 | As supreme head. With Thomas Cranmer, authorised the Book of Common Prayer. |
Mary I of England and Philip | 1553–1555 | As supreme head (from 1554 the couple omitted the title, without statutory authority until authorised by Parliament in 1555). Promoted the Catholic Reformation in England and Wales. |
Elizabeth I of England
|
1558–1603 | See Elizabethan Religious Settlement. |
James I of England
|
1603–1625 | See James VI and I and religious issues. Authorized the King James Version of the Bible. |
Charles I of England | 1625–1649 | Canonised martyr of the Church of England. |
Interregnum | 1649–1660 | |
Charles II of England | 1660–1685 | Converted to Catholicism on his deathbed .
|
James II of England | 1685–1688 | Last Catholic to hold the position; he only held it as statutory authority.
|
Mary II of England
|
1689–1694 | Reigned jointly with her husband (and cousin) William III.1 |
William III of England | 1689–1702 | At first reigned jointly with Mary II, 1689–1694. Calvinist .
|
British
Portrait | Name | Tenure | Life details |
---|---|---|---|
Anne | 8 March 1702 – 1 August 1714 (12 years, 4 months and 24 days) |
6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714 (aged 49) Raised an Anglican.[8] During her reign, the Acts of Union 1707 merged England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. Since then, monarchs also swear to preserve the Church of Scotland.[9] |
Name | Years | Notes |
---|---|---|
Anne of Great Britain | 1702–1714 | Married to the Lutheran Prince George of Denmark. |
George I | 1714–1727 | Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. First Protestant in the line set forth by the Succession to the Crown Act 1707 . Lutheran.
|
George II | 1727–1760 | Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. Lutheran. |
George III | 1760–1820 | Head of the Lutheran Church in Hanover. Creation of the United Church of England and Ireland in 1800.
|
George IV | 1820–1830 | Catholic emancipation enacted by the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829. |
William IV | 1830–1837 | |
Victoria | 1837–1901 | The Church of Ireland was disestablished by the Irish Church Act 1869. |
Edward VII | 1901–1910 | |
George V | 1910–1936 | The Church in Wales was disestablished by the Welsh Church Act 1914. |
Edward VIII | 1936 | Pressured to abdicate, formalised by the His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936 .
|
George VI | 1936–1952 | |
Elizabeth II | 1952–2022 | Longest-serving, at 70 years. |
Charles III | 2022–present |
References
- ^ a b The Monarchy Today, "Queen and Church of England".
- ^ a b Thurston, H (1910). "Henry VIII". Catholic Encyclopedia. New Advent. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023.
- ^ Thurston, H (1910). "Mary Tudor". Catholic Encyclopedia. New Advent. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023.
- ^ "Elizabeth's Supremacy Act". Hanover Historical Texts Collection. April 1559. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023.
- ^ Ephesians 5:23
- ^ "The Thirty Nine Articles : Anglican Church League, Sydney, Australia".
- ^ BBC News "Royal Thanks at Church Assembly" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2007449.stm
- ^ Curtis 1972, p. 28.
- ^ "The Queen, the Church and other faiths". Royal.UK. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
Bibliography
- Curtis, Gil (1972). The Life and Times of Queen Anne. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. OL 5457893M.