Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Archbishop William Laud, 1573-1645

 From BCW Project:

Laud's career flourished on the accession of King Charles I in 1625. He officiated at Charles' coronation in place of Bishop Williams, the dean of Westminster, who had fallen from favour, and preached sermons at the opening of the parliaments of 1625 and 1626. When Archbishop Andrewes died in September 1626, Laud succeeded him as dean of the Chapel Royal. Laud was appointed to the privy council in April 1627, made bishop of Bath and Wells, then bishop of London in 1628. In 1630, he was elected chancellor of Oxford University, and became archbishop of Canterbury in 1633.

King Charles admired Laud's learning and valued his advice. As well as his church preferments, Laud became increasingly powerful in affairs of state. He was appointed to several important offices close to the King, but he was not a successful politician because of his inflexibility and over-sensitivity to criticism. Queen Henrietta Maria disliked him, and his tendencies to fussiness and pomposity made him an easy target for mockery by more sophisticated courtiers. However, he used his influence with the King to secure preferments for his friends, including Sir Francis Windebank, who was appointed secretary of state in 1632, and William Juxon, bishop of London, was was appointed lord treasurer in 1636. (Read more.)

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