Charles I reissues his father's 'Book of Sports', detailing the activities which he deems may be indulged on Sundays - these included archery, dancing and the use of maypoles.
The republication of this book was symptomatic of the growing troubles in the English Church as the Civil War approached. Under Queen Elizabeth, bishops had often understood the Thirty-Nine Articles that defined the new Protestant Church of England in a Calvinist sense, and had been loathe to impose strict compliance with elaborate ceremonies and rituals. But things were different under Charles I. Archbishop Laud feared Puritanism and insisted on high-church rituals, including a full set of elaborate vestments, all of which seemed to Puritans to be leading the Church of England back towards Rome. Sabbatarianism, a
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Citation: Forsyth, Neil. "'Book of Sports' allowed on Sundays". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 February 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=16066, accessed 24 November 2024.]
