March 23 - Presbyterians

March 23 – Presbyterians

Scotland was definitely not having an easy time of it in the 1500s. They were so worried that England would overrun them, they aligned themselves with France. However, some of the nobles wanted to align with England and the little country had a terrible time dealing with the battles.

Finally, it was decided that Scotland should finally create ties with England. James IV married Margaret Tudor, Henry VII’s daughter. Their son, James V, though ended up marrying Mary of Guise from France. That sent England and Scotland on separate paths.

Protestantism had been making its way into Scotland with the return of scholars who had studied in Germany with Luther. But, the Parliament wrote laws against Protestants and persecution ran rampant against the preachers moving through the countryside. But, it continued to spread as students circulated smuggle Protestant books and the nobility resented the power of the King.

John Knox was a priest and a tutor to several noblemen’s children. He ended up in the thick of the controversy and then became preacher for the Protestants and the spokesman for reformation in Scotland.

France entered to put down the rebellion, Knox was arrested and sentenced to cruel labor. England got him released and he became a pastor there. Bloody Mary’s reign brought persecution to England and he escaped to Switzerland, studying with Calvin and Zwingli’s successor.

Back in Scotland, Mary Stuart married a Frenchman, which brought forth a sense of nationalism and religious upheaval to Scotland. Knox returned in 1559. The Protestants won several battles and the Parliament adopted a profession of faith based on Calvin’s teachings and drafted by Knox. The pope no longer had jurisdiction and the mass was forbidden.

Knox wrote the Book of Discipline, building the Presbyterian Church into the government. Universities were built and this book became a foundation for the Scottish people. He wrote the Book of Common Order for worship and the Scots Confession.

Mary Stuart maintained her Catholic beliefs in private and publicly fought with Knox as he preached against her. She abdicated and her son James was crowned in 1567 bringing an end to Catholicism in Scotland.