Increasing Pressure on Established Religion

The Rise of Puritanism

Puritanism developed as a movement within the Church of England with a desire for further reformation. The Puritan belief in a more direct, personal communion with God threatened the traditional church hierarchy.
James I dismissed the Millenary Petition, a request for further reformation supported by many Puritans, thereby increasing tensions.
The Hampton Court Conference (1604) saw James I maintain and enforce the traditional Anglican practices, further alienating the Puritans, and sowing the seeds of future conflict.

Catholic Tensions and the Gunpowder Plot

Catholics, persecuted under Elizabeth I, had anticipated a reprieve under James I due to his Catholic mother, Mary Queen of Scots. However, they faced disappointment as his policies continued to repress Catholic practices.
The Gunpowder Plot (1605), coordinated by a small group of radical Catholics, intended to kill James I and replace the monarchy with a Catholic leader. The plot increased suspicion and fear of Catholics, who faced harsher prosecution.

Charles I and Religious Conformity

Charles I’s marriage to the French Catholic Henrietta Maria in 1625 increased fears of a Catholic influence on the monarchy and deepened the gulf between the monarch and his mostly Protestant subjects.
Attempts to enforce religious uniformity, such as the introduction of the Book of Common Prayer in Scotland (1637), not only resulted in violent rebellion (the Bishops’ Wars) but also fueled fears in England of similar impositions.

The Interregnum and Religion

Under Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth, there was a radical redrawing of religious boundaries. Despite Cromwell’s personal Puritan leanings, he argued for a broad national church with liberty of conscience for other protestant groups.
Shifting attitudes towards Catholics fluctuated during the Commonwealth. The Act of Settlement (1652) readmitted the right to worship for Catholics but was accompanied by regulations aiming to prevent Catholicism from regaining popularity.

Restoration Era and Increased Tolerance

Charles II privately leaned towards Catholicism, causing fear among his subjects, but the Act of Uniformity (1662) aimed to consolidate the Church of England and repress Nonconformists.
The Declaration of Indulgence (1669) suspended laws punishing dissenters, indicating a more lenient approach towards Nonconformism.

James II and Catholic Revival

King James II’s conversion to Catholicism culminated in an attempt to force greater Catholic tolerance, creating fear of a return to Catholic dominance.
The birth of a Catholic heir to James II in 1688 precipitated the Glorious Revolution, bringing Protestant Mary II and William III of Orange to the throne and placing Protestantism as the established religion of the monarchy from this point forward.

In summary, the major religious tensions under the Stuart Monarchy were driven by fears of a Catholic resurgence, the rise of the Puritan movement within the Anglican Church, and attempts to enforce religious uniformity. Understanding these factors helps to understand the societal complexities of the period between 1603-1715.