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Episode Summary

In this episode of the La Garde Ecossaise Historical Fiction Podcast we explore the emergence of the Protestant religion in early modern Scotland, the tussle between Episcopacy and Presbyterianism and what life was like for a Scottish minister like Robert Meldrum in the 1670s.

1672: Scotland’s Religious Tensions

In ‘To the Reader’ Meldrum writes as follows ‘Scotland was being threatened by religious tensions’.  Meldrum then proceeds to take us quickly through four decades of religious tensions. This episode will explain the religious changes Scotland experienced during the early modern period.  It will then reflect upon parish life within a small village such as Corstorphine, and give a glimpse into Meldrum’s life before his journey to Paris.  However, to explain these religious changes fully I have to take you back to the Scottish Reformation in 1560.

The Pre-Reformation Catholic Church

Before 1560 Scotland was a Catholic country and, as such, it was part of a wider European Catholic culture, for example, a Scot in Edinburgh, participated in Mass on Sunday, just like a Frenchman in Rouen, a Spaniard in Cadiz, a Bavarian in Munich and so on.  Even though each country had its own monarch, the monarch was the secular leader with some religious responsibilities towards their subjects but the head of the Catholic Church in all religious matters was the Papal See in Rome.

The Scottish Reformation

The interesting aspect of the Scottish Reformation, that is to say Scotland’s transition from a Catholic to a Protestant country, which sets it apart from the majority of Reformations which took place across Europe was that it was mainly a legislative affair where conflict was limited.  This should be seen in contrast to the French Wars of Religion which took place between 1562 and 1598 which resulted in a bloodbath of extreme violence, as France vacillated between the Catholic and Protestant faiths as aristocrats battled for the religious soul of France.

Another important aspect that has to be noted about the Scottish Reformation is that it marked a move away from the Auld Alliance with France, a formal treaty which ended in 1560, and a move towards a more formal relationship with England. This move away from France and towards England laid the religious foundations of the Union of the Crowns between England and Scotland in 1603 whereby the monarch ruled over a united Protestant British kingdom.

Episcopacy and Presbyterianism

There was an emerging division over the form of discipline to be instilled within the church. Was the church to be run by Bishops or was there further need for reformation, similar to the Calvinist reformations in Europe, most notably in Switzerland and France?

The stage was set for a battle between Episcopacy, which advocated a church run by Bishops with the oversight of the monarch and Presbyterianism which drew its inspiration from John Calvin in Switzerland and which advocated church discipline through a series of church courts.  The Scottish Protestant church would move between these two positions over the next 120 years.  The question was finally settled in 1689 after William of Orange invaded Britain and established Presbyterianism as the form of church discipline within the Church of Scotland.

What was life like for a Scottish minister, like Robert Meldrum, in the 1670s?

His primary roles within the church would have been the reading of scriptures to his congregation and the administering of communion.  The other main role of the minister was to perform the sacraments of baptism, marriage and funeral rites.

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Website and Further Resources

If any of the topics in this podcast have interested you today and you would like to know more, further resources, including recommended reading, websites, digital resources, and social media can be found at  www.lagardeecossaise.net These resources have been organised by podcast and by reading order in the novels with corresponding page numbers.

I look forward to joining you again next week for the next episode of the La Garde Ecossaise podcast where we will explore Stuart London.

Until then, au revoir, A bientôt.