Catholic emancipation

The Catholic Emancipation was a process of legislation in the United Kingdom in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, during which repealed the restrictions on the civil rights of the remaining Roman Catholic population, particularly to freedom of religion and access to public office, gradually reduced and finally were. They took place under strong resistances.

Prehistory

Since completed by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. separation of the English Church from Rome and they are placed under the supremacy of the king's Catholicism was synonymous with opposition to the king in England, and was under suspicion of treason. Who strove church or state agencies, had to make the oath of supremacy. Due to legal restrictions, such as the Act of Uniformity and the Test Act the Catholic population should be induced to renounce the primacy of the Pope and the belief in transubstantiation. This resulted in a minority of serious conflicts of conscience; not a few went the way of martyrdom.

Emancipation

Relief Acts

The first reached on the path of emancipation relief was the Catholic Relief Act of 1778. He ran out of the state officials demanded oath actually religious content and reduced it to the renunciation of the succession claims of the Stuarts and the civil jurisdiction of the Pope. On this basis, he allowed the Catholics in the UK own property, inheritance of land and the entry into the army. One response to this were the Gordon Riots of 1780, a riot of about 50,000 Protestants, of whom 285 were killed by the army.

A further removal of restrictions was to be by the Catholic Relief Act of 1791, was allowed by the Roman Catholics, among other again, to keep public worship, to build inconspicuous church building to hold Roman Catholic religious education, worked as a priest or a Catholic religious order belonging.

The Irish Parliament made ​​similar decrees 1778-1793 on the way. There was the great majority of the population, remained Catholic despite the established state church by the Crown.

Since the voting right to vote at that time depended on the possession, by some Catholics were given the right to vote. In addition, they were able to exercise professions from which they were previously excluded.

Act of Union

Decisive for the further course of the union of the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland was in 1801, even if the Catholic Emancipation was not explicitly mentioned in the text by the Act of Union, since major protests of the Irish Protestant opposition were feared. At this stage, were due to the belief of King George III. , Who felt bound by its stored at the coronation oath, no further action.

Movement in Ireland

1823 launched the Irish Catholic Daniel O'Connell a campaign to repeal the Act of Union, and used this "Catholic Emancipation " ( Catholic Emancipation ) as a slogan. In 1828 he stood for election in County Clare, and was elected, even if he could not take his seat in the British Parliament. In 1829 he stood again and was elected. The ensuing rise of riots prompted Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, contrary to his earlier views, another Catholic Relief Act to adopt, which broke down many of the significant limitations of the Roman Catholic population in the UK. The royal authorization for the was passed by parliament on 24 March law was issued April 13, 1829.

1829 is commonly given as the year of Catholic Emancipation, even if later numerous small improvements have been implemented yet.

Follow

On the civic equality followed an inner and outer rise of British Catholicism. Many Catholic Irish came as a result of the industrial revolution and the Great Famine to England and founded communities. These came from the movement led by John Henry Newman often wealthy converts. Numerous events, some representative churches were built. In 1850 Pius IX decreed. the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England - not without renewed protests.