Bishops’ Wars

Bishops’ Wars, two small wars that resulted from attempts to impose the Anglican Church upon Scotland. In 17th-century Scotland, Presbyterians who were devoted to maintaining Presbyterianism as the state religion were called Supplicants. In February 1638, in support of their cause, Supplicants revived the National Covenant of 1581 (a document endorsing Protestantism in Scotland that had been signed by James I of England ). Fearing a revolution, Charles I convened a General Assembly of Scotland in November 1638. Consisting entirely of Supplicants, the assembly defied royal authority and abolished the Anglican episcopacy and re-established Presbyterianism. This act resulted in the First Bishops’ War (1639). Charles led his forces to the Scottish border but found his army so weak that he was forced to accept the Treaty of Berwick, which referred the dispute to another General Assembly and to a new Scottish Parliament.

In 1639 the new assembly reaffirmed the decisions of its predecessor and the new Parliament decreed limitations on royal authority. Charles broke his pledge to accept the decisions of these bodies. In the Second Bishops’ War (1640) a Scottish army invaded England. Charles had little money and no reliable troops. He was defeated at Newburn and was forced to sign the Treaty of Ripon, by which the Scottish army was to receive £850 a day until peace was actually made. As a result, the king had to call the Long Parliament and his period of personal rule came to an end. See also Covenanters.