To Meddle with Matters of State

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The thesis analyses political preaching during the reigns of Charles II (1660-1685) and James II (1685-1688/89). It argues that the political importance of sermons preached at court, before Parliament and in the churches of London, is based on the unsolved political, and confessional tensions of the era. Preachers relatively freely discussed questions of religious tolerance, models of political power, and could offer counsel and criticism to those in power. They were in a position to influence the political and religious discourse of Restoration England. In addition, a refined culture of reception existed, showing that a sermon was as much a performance as a text. Sermons therefore continued to be of central importance for the political and religious discourse of the Restoration.