The Killing Time facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Killing Time |
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| Part of the Restoration | |||||||
.jpg) James Renwick executed in 1688 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Covenanters (Presbyterians) |
 Privy Council (Episcopalians and monarchy) |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| c.100 executions | |||||||
The Killing Time was a difficult period in Scottish history. It involved a conflict between the Presbyterian Covenanter movement and the government forces of Kings Charles II and James VII. This time lasted from about 1679 to 1688.
The Covenanters were a group of Scottish Presbyterians. They believed that the Church of Scotland should be free from the King's control. They also believed that the King should follow God's laws, as they understood them. The name "The Killing Time" was given to this period later by a historian named Robert Wodrow.
Contents
Why the Conflict Started
In the 1500s, Scotland had a big change in its church, called the Reformation. After this, there was a lot of disagreement about how the church should be run.
The Church of Scotland was mostly Presbyterian. This meant that church leaders were chosen by the people and ministers. However, King James VI tried to mix this with an Episcopalian system. In this system, bishops, who were appointed by the King, had more power.
When King Charles I became king in 1625, he tried to make the church even more controlled by the King. He also tried to introduce some practices from the Church of England. Many Scots did not like this.
In 1638, many people signed the National Covenant. This was a huge protest against the King's church policies. This disagreement eventually led to wars.
After King Charles I was removed from power in 1649, the Scottish Covenanters supported his son, Charles II. They agreed to crown him King of Scotland, but only if he promised to support Presbyterianism. Charles II agreed to this in the Treaty of Breda.
However, when Charles II became king again in 1660, he broke his promises. He brought back bishops to the Church of Scotland. He also passed laws that made it illegal to go against the King's authority in church matters. One law, the Abjuration Act of 1662, made people swear an oath. This oath rejected the Covenants and said they would not fight against the King. This meant most Presbyterians could not hold public jobs.
What Happened to Ministers
Many church ministers had a tough choice. They could accept the King's new rules or lose their jobs. About a third of them refused to accept the changes.
Many ministers left their churches rather than be forced out. Most of these empty churches were in the southwest of Scotland. This area strongly supported the Covenanters.
Some of these ministers started preaching outdoors in secret meetings called conventicles. Thousands of people would often come to listen.
The Scottish Privy Council (a group of the King's advisors) tried to stop these meetings. They offered "Indulgences" in 1669 and 1672. These allowed ministers to return to their churches. But they had to promise to stay quiet about the disagreements.
Many Covenanter ministers refused these offers. They had several reasons:
- They believed bishops were wrong and had promised to reject them. Taking permission from bishops would mean they accepted their authority.
- They believed only Jesus Christ was the head of the Church, not the King.
- They would not pray for the King because they saw him as persecuting their church.
- They believed it was their duty to gather and worship God, even if it was forbidden by the King. They felt they must obey God rather than man.
The King's Response
The King's government was worried about possible rebellions. They also remembered that the Covenanters had only fought for Charles II during the civil wars if he supported their church. So, the government tried to stop the Covenanter movement.
They fined people who did not go to the King's churches. They made preaching at outdoor meetings punishable by death. They also used harsh punishments, like hanging people by their thumbs or using devices like "the boot" (a torture device for the leg).
In 1678, about 3,000 Lowland soldiers and 6,000 Highlanders were sent to live in Covenanter areas. These soldiers took food and supplies from the people.
These harsh policies led to armed rebellions in 1666 and 1679. But these were quickly put down.
In 1679, the conflict grew worse. The Archbishop of St Andrews, James Sharp, was killed. There were also battles like the Battle of Drumclog and the Battle of Bothwell Bridge.
In 1680, a group of Covenanters, led by Reverend Richard Cameron, made the Sanquhar Declaration. They read it publicly at Sanquhar. This declaration said they no longer supported King Charles II. It also opposed his brother James, who was a Roman Catholic, from becoming the next king.
In February 1685, King Charles II died. His brother became King James VII.
The Scottish Privy Council then allowed quick executions of those caught with weapons. They also executed those who refused to swear loyalty to the King and reject the Covenants. This oath was designed to find out who was loyal and who was not.
John Graham, also known as "Bluidy Clavers" by the Covenanters, was ordered to carry out these executions.
About 100 people were executed because of these orders. Most of them were radical Covenanters called Cameronians. They were executed over a few months in 1685 for civil crimes punishable by death.
The End of the Killing Time
Tensions grew in both Scotland and England. King James VII's rule became very unstable. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 ended James's reign in England. He fled to France in December.
In Scotland, the political situation was also chaotic. The Scottish Privy Council asked William of Orange to take over the government in Scotland in January 1689.
The Scottish Parliament realized that King James did not have much support. So, they passed the Claim of Right Act. This law stated that the throne was empty after James left.
The persecution of the Covenanters ended when William of Orange became King William II of Scotland in 1688. The Scottish Parliament then officially accepted Presbyterianism in the Act of Settlement 1690. The execution of James Renwick in 1688 is seen as the last act of this period of conflict.
Images for kids
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Margaret Wilson, one of the 'Wigtown Martyrs', executed by drowning in the incoming tide of the Solway Firth (1685).
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The Scottish Parliament on 8th May, 1685 recorded this law: "Our Soveraign Lord, considering the obstinacy of the fanatical party who, notwithstanding all the laws formerly made against them, still keep their house and field conventicles, which are the nurseries and rendezvouses of rebellion; therefore His Majesty, with consent of Parliament, ordains that all such persons who shall hereafter preach at such house or field conventicles, also those who shall be present as hearers, shall be punished by death and confiscation of their goods."
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Edinburgh, May the 8th, 1685. Our Soveraign Lord and the Estates of Parliament, do here by Declare that the giving or taking of the National Covenant as explained in the Year 1638 or of the League and Covenant, so commonly called, or writing in defence thereof or owning them as Lawful or Obligatory on themselves or others shall infer the Crime and pains of Treason.
