On This Day in Reformation History

On this day in 1603, King James VI of Scotland becomes King James I of England on the death of Elizabeth I. For Scottish Presbyterians, the struggle against Prelacy would get tougher. The following year in 1604 the king tried to stop the General Assembly from meeting. The next year the Assembly met without his permission and in 1606 the ministers signed a paper protesting against Episcopacy. In 1612, full Episcopacy was introduced in Scotland. In 1618, James brought in the Five Articles of Perth. These forced five Episcopal and Roman Catholic worship practices on the church, including kneeling at communion and celebration of Christmas and Easter. Ministers who refused to accept them were removed from their churches or put in prison. Things would come to a head when his son Charles I ascends the throne and the Covenanters are born.