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Lay Catholicism and Religious Policy in Cromwellian Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2013

JOHN CUNNINGHAM
JOHN CUNNINGHAM*
Affiliation:
Department of History, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland; e-mail: cunninjo@tcd.ie
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Abstract

The conquest of Ireland between 1649 and 1653 created almost as many problems as it solved for the English government of the country. Not least of these was how, if at all, the majority Catholic population was to be won over to Protestantism. This article reassesses Cromwellian religious policy towards the Catholic laity and traces its evolution up to the end of the decade, taking account also of Catholic responses to official measures. It argues that the supposed leniency of government policy has been overstated and that Catholics who refused to conform to Protestantism in fact risked heavy penalties.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Ecclesiastical History , Volume 64 , Issue 4 , October 2013 , pp. 769 - 786
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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