William Laud
William Laud (born October 7, 1573 in Reading , † January 10, 1645 in London ) was Archbishop of Canterbury and one of the advisors to the English King Charles I in the run-up to the English Civil War .
Coming from a small family, he studied theology at St John's College , Oxford and was ordained a priest on April 5, 1601. Laud was early on against the Puritans in the Anglican Church , who accused him of Catholic inclinations.
In 1628 Laud was promoted to Bishop of London , and in 1633 he became Archbishop of Canterbury and thus holder of the highest ecclesiastical office of the Anglican Church, certainly also as a result of the support given to Laud by the King's first minister, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham , received.
In the increasingly violent dispute between King Charles I and the English Parliament at the time , Laud was an ardent supporter of the policy of the King and of Thomas Wentworth , who later became the Earl of Strafford , who became more and more powerful during these years .
In ecclesiastical matters, the conflicts between Laud and the Scottish Presbyterians intensified . The Bishop of London wanted to abolish the Presbyterian church constitution in Scotland and set up the Anglican Church there. The Scots protested and rose. Laud advocated the use of military force against Scotland. Scottish troops marched into England , the so-called Episcopal Wars had begun.
In 1640 he was imprisoned by the Long Parliament . Charles I did not succeed in getting the archbishop released. In 1645 Laud was beheaded due to a judgment of the parliament ( Bill of Attainder ).
literature
- Hugh Trevor-Roper : Archbishop Laud, 1573–1645 , Orion Publishing Group, 2000, ISBN 1-84212-202-9 (reprint of the original 1940 edition)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Milbourne |
Bishop of St. Davids 1621–1627 |
Theophilus Field |
| Arthur Lake |
Bishop of Bath and Wells 1626–1628 |
Leonard Mawe |
| George Monteigne |
Bishop of London 1628–1633 |
William Juxon |
| George Abbot |
Archbishop of Canterbury 1633–1645 |
William Juxon |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Laud, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Archbishop of Canterbury |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 7, 1573 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Reading |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 10, 1645 |
| Place of death | London |