Religion and the making of the later Stuart army, 1660–1714

This study explores the interactions between religion and the making of the later Stuart army. Regarded as the beginning of the modern British army, the later Stuart army was forged in the aftermath of the religious wars which had raged through the Three Kingdoms. As both primary career choices for gentry sons and hierarchical institutions connected to the monarchy, the army and the church were involved in the political and religious turmoil that shaped later Stuart Britain. The army was deployed to maintain the ascendancy of the established churches in a persecuting society, but the distinctive confessional identities within the army itself also raised sensitivity, until the Revolution settled the army as a Protestant institution. The churches attempted to establish their authority in the army through chaplaincy, while many churchmen published religious literature to articulate an ideal army which was characterised by loyalty, discipline and piety. Even though religion to some extent shaped soldiers’ identity and their understanding of war and service, the established churches with a strong sense of compulsion and formality failed to provide sufficient pastoral care for soldiers in the difficult military life.