High Commission

E22493
church court ecclesiastical court royal commission

The High Commission was a powerful ecclesiastical court in early modern England that enforced religious conformity and royal authority, often provoking controversy for its extensive and arbitrary powers.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (57)

Predicate Object
instanceOf church court ⓘ
ecclesiastical court ⓘ
royal commission ⓘ
abolishedBy Long Parliament 1640 ⓘ
surface form: Long Parliament
abolishedInYear 1641 ⓘ
aim maintenance of religious uniformity ⓘ
protection of royal supremacy in the church ⓘ
appliesToJurisdiction Church of England ⓘ
characteristic lack of jury trials ⓘ
secret examinations ⓘ
use of inquisitorial procedure ⓘ
wide discretionary powers ⓘ
controversy accusations of arbitrary power ⓘ
association with Laudianism ⓘ
conflict with common law courts ⓘ
persecution of Puritans ⓘ
country Kingdom of England ⓘ
hasRole censorship enforcement ⓘ
church discipline ⓘ
enforcement of religious conformity ⓘ
instrument of royal authority ⓘ
moral regulation ⓘ
jurisdictionOver blasphemy ⓘ
clergy ⓘ
heresy cases ⓘ
laity ⓘ
moral offences ⓘ
nonconformity ⓘ
legalAuthority Elizabethan religious settlement ⓘ
surface form: Act of Supremacy 1559

royal letters patent ⓘ
royal prerogative ⓘ
location London, England ⓘ
surface form: London
meetsAt Lambeth Palace ⓘ
St Paul's Cathedral ⓘ
surface form: St Paul’s Cathedral precincts
notableMember John Whitgift ⓘ
Archbishop Matthew Parker ⓘ
surface form: Matthew Parker

Richard Bancroft ⓘ
William Laud ⓘ
opposedBy Parliamentarians ⓘ
Puritanism ⓘ
surface form: Puritans

common lawyers ⓘ
religious nonconformists ⓘ
power book licensing and censorship ⓘ
deprivation of benefices ⓘ
ex officio oath ⓘ
examination of witnesses ⓘ
excommunication ⓘ
fines ⓘ
imprisonment ⓘ
suspension from ministry ⓘ
relatedTo Court of High Commission ⓘ
surface form: Court of High Commission for Scotland

Star Chamber ⓘ
surface form: Court of Star Chamber
religion Anglicanism (broadly) ⓘ
surface form: Anglicanism

Protestantism ⓘ
timePeriod English Renaissance ⓘ
surface form: Elizabethan era

Stuart period ⓘ
early modern period ⓘ

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Eleven Years' Tyranny → judicialInstrument → High Commission ⓘ
Personal Rule (1629–1640) → usedCourt → High Commission ⓘ