Gilbert Burnet

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Portrait of Gilbert Burnet by John Riley, around 1689–91

Gilbert Burnet (born September 18, 1643 in Edinburgh , † March 17, 1715 in Clerkenwell , London ) was an English prelate , statesman and historian of Scottish descent. He served as Bishop of Salisbury from 1689 until his death .

Life

Gilbert Burnet came from a strictly royalist house. His father opposed the extreme Presbyterianism of the Scottish Covenanters , while his mother's brother, Archibald Johnston, was a leader of that party. So Burnet grew up between these two opposites, and in him an attitude that strived for the equalization of the two developed, which guided all his later actions. With this he represented the theological direction of Latitudinarism .

Burnet studied law, then theology, toured Holland in 1664 and became pastor of East Saltoun in Scotland in 1665. His conversations between a conformist and a nonconformist ( Conference between a Conformist and a Nonconformist, in seven dialogues , 1669) led him into the struggle of the religious parties. Appointed as professor of theology in Glasgow in 1669 , he defended the reputation of the bishops against the Presbyterians and the tolerance of the dissenters against the episcopals in accordance with his ecclesiastical line , but made himself unpopular with both parties because of his tolerant principles. It is true that he won the favor of King Charles II , who accepted him under his royal chaplains in 1673; but when he openly opposed the Catholic tendencies of the court, he was removed from the list of royal chaplains in 1674. Because of his latitudinarianism, he fell out with the governor of Scotland Lauderdale . In 1674 he resigned his teaching post in Glasgow; he had to leave Scotland and in 1675 in London to look for a subordinate position as chaplain at Roll's Chapel, which he held until 1684. His attempt to overthrow Lauderdale by indictment in Parliament turned out to be against himself.

His middle position between the Protestant parties brought Burnet back into good relations with King Charles II, who also tried to maintain a neutral stance at this time. However, he made a name for himself as a staunch opponent of Catholicism . The History of the Reformation of the Church of England (3 vols., London 1679–1714; new edition by N. Pocock, 7 vols., Oxford 1865, and 1 vol., 1873), the first volume of which he then edited and for the Parliament's thanks to him are one of the greatest literary phenomena of the anti-papal direction.

Some letters containing an account of what seemed most remarkable in Switzerland, Italy , 1686

Therefore, Burnet fell apart with James II when he ascended the throne in 1685 because the new ruler was pursuing the restoration of Catholicism as the primary goal of his government. Burnet had previously publicly denied Jacob's succession rights and now, fearing the king's disfavor, he left England. He traveled the continent for several years, visited France and Italy and was in Rome by Innocent XI. Treated with distinction. His blatant disapproval of church customs drew him to a sudden expulsion from the papal states. Burnet then traveled through Switzerland and Germany and finally came to The Hague to the court of William of Orange , whose trusted advice he became. William saw in Burnet an excellent tool for promoting his intentions for the English crown. While the governor was preparing the army and navy and working on the states-general and cabinets for his company, Burnet prepared him for victory in public opinion with his eloquent pamphlets. He also promoted Wilhelm's plans in England through his many connections there and was the contact person for all English people who were dissatisfied with the Stuarts . Therefore accused of high treason in England , he evaded the verdict of the local courts by allowing himself to be naturalized in Holland.

As a Dutchman, he was now able to show himself all the more openly as a supporter of the Prince of Orange. On Wilhelm's behalf, he wrote the manifesto, in which all the complaints of the English against James II were listed and Wilhelm was announced as the advocate of the people who would come to call a free parliament, to ensure the freedom and security of the nation and to investigate the legitimate birth of the Prince of Wales ( James III ). Wilhelm landed at Torbay on the west coast of England in November 1688 , with Burnet in his wake. James II fled to France, the Prince of Orange, however, advanced as William III. to the new English king. At his request, Burnet became Bishop of Salisbury in 1689 .

Through his work in the ecclesiastical office and in parliament and as a friend of Queen Mary II , Burnet was one of the most influential personalities in Great Britain. But when, in a pastoral letter, he dared to base the rule of the Prince of Orange on the right of conquest, he was burned by the executioner's hands on the orders of Parliament. Nevertheless, the king chose him in 1699 as tutor of Duke William of Gloucester , the presumed heir to the throne, who died early in July 1700.

The reaction of the Tories at the beginning of Anne's government , which was also reflected in the opposition of the lower clergy to the latitudinarianism of the bishops, drove Burnet more and more to his previous adversaries, the Whigs , which was the case with the new uprising of the Tories under Harley and Bolingbroke (1710 ff.) Again turned to his disadvantage.

Burnet mostly used his income for charitable purposes, making no distinction between nation, sect or party. He improved the benefices of poor country pastors, supported widows and needy students, paid considerable contributions to the building of churches and rectories and founded a school for the poor in Salisbury for 50 children, which he received from his own resources. When he died on March 17, 1715, at the age of 71 in St. John's Court, Clerkenwell, London, the inheritance from his episcopal income was just enough to pay off his debts.

His History of his own time , edited by his son Thomas (2 vols., London 1723–34; new edition with the passages and notes suppressed in the first, 6 vols., Oxford 1823, repeated in 1833, edited by Martin Routh ; 1902, edited by Foxcroft), although often lacking objective treatment, is an important source for contemporary history. His smaller historical, political, and theological writings are numerous. In addition to the works mentioned, he also wrote A vindication of the authority, constitution and laws of the state and church of Scotland (1673), a description of his journey through Switzerland and Italy (1687) and Exposition of the 39 Articles of the Church of England (1699).

literature

personal data
SURNAME Burnet, Gilbert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English prelate, statesman and historian of Scottish descent
DATE OF BIRTH September 18, 1643
PLACE OF BIRTH Edinburgh
DATE OF DEATH March 17, 1715
Place of death Clerkenwell , London