Thorough Facts for Kids

For other uses, see Thorough (disambiguation).

In 17th century England, Thorough was a special plan. It was created by Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. The goal was to make the king's power absolute, meaning he could rule without needing Parliament. While Strafford is often given credit for "Thorough," William Laud, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury, also played a big part in making it happen.

Archbishop Laud's Role

William Laud used his power as the Archbishop of Canterbury to help the king. He made sure that only clergymen who followed a belief called Arminianism became bishops. These new bishops then chose other church leaders who also believed in Arminianism.

Arminianism was a type of Protestantism. It taught that kings had a "Divine Right" to rule. This meant their power came directly from God. Arminians also liked the "Beauty of Holiness," which involved more ceremonies in church, similar to Catholic practices. Laud hoped that by promoting Arminianism, people would support King Charles I ruling on his own, without Parliament.

Laud also used special courts, called prerogative courts, to punish people who disagreed with him. Many of these people were Puritan or Presbyterian, who opposed Laud's ideas and the king's absolute rule. For example, he punished a Puritan named William Prynne. During this time, religious disagreements were also about who had power in the country. This was clear when Charles I and Laud tried to force a new prayer book on Scotland.

Strafford's Actions in Ireland

Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, was the Lord Deputy of Ireland. This meant he was the king's main representative there. He spent most of his time in Ireland while the king ruled England without Parliament. Strafford was in charge of making "Thorough" work in Ireland.

Strafford made the Irish people very afraid. This fear helped him get money easily from the Irish Parliament when the Second Bishops War was about to start in 1640. Besides raising money, Strafford wanted to make sure the Church and the King had strong authority.

To show the king's power, Strafford expanded Protestant settlements in northern Ireland. This meant taking land from the native Irish and the Old English families. But he also used a court called the Star Chamber to punish even the new Protestant settlers if their land ownership wasn't perfectly clear. To support the Church's power, he used the Court of High Commission. These actions, which pushed for Laudianism, made both Catholics and Protestants in Ireland unite against him.

Thorough facts for kids

Archbishop Laud's Role

Strafford's Actions in Ireland

See also