medieval-atlas/events-from-about-850-to-1460/129

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The Reformation parliament 1560 In the midst of the Protestant Revolution. agreement was reached in theTreatyofEdinburgh (July 1560) between England and France for a withdrawal offorcign troops from Scouish soil. With the ensuing peace, preparations went ahead for summoning parliament in Edinburgh. which was duly authorised by Queen Mary and Frands 11 of France to meet on 10 July and 10 adjourn for reassembly on I August. When parliament met ineamest. a week was spentdebating legalities. the committee of the articles was elected. petitions accepted and. with characteristic promptitude, me assembled estates sanctioned a refonned Confession ofFaith (17 August). abrogated papal authority in Scotland. prohibited idolatry and rescinded all previous legislation considered inconsistent with the protestant Confession of Faith. abolished the celebration of mass and pre· scribed punishment for offenders who failed to abstain from the rile (24 August). Whereas in England the Henrician 'Refonnation parliament' had sat in seven sessions over seven years. its Scottish counterpart dispatched its essential business in seven days. Its work was short and swifl. Concentrating on fundamentals. it assigned to others the task of working out the details. The unprecedented attendance. from far and near. ofso wide a spectrum ofthe political community in the parliament of 1560 is indicativeofthedetennina· tion ofthe victorious revolutionaries to make a showing in the capital by rallying their adherents from many corners of the kingdom. The impressive appearance of 14 earls. led by ·the duke' who was heir presumptive 10 the throne. some 1910rds. half a dozen sons ofpeers. commissioners from 22 burghs. and a hundred or so lairds (whose right to allend by custom and use was a subject of dispute) was designed to overawe any opposition. Members of the country's most powerful and innuential families evidently considered it imperative to give their presence: most were finnly protestant. some were militantly so: and the few conservatives who put in an appearance for the best part kept silent. Among the six members of the episcopate who gave their attendance. three turned protestant refonners: and the remainder showed. at least. some disposition towards wavering, if not confonning. Nor was the strong turnout of two dozen or so commendators from the monastic houses inimical to religious change. for most had shown themselves friends of the refonning party. A remarkable feature of the Refonnation parliament's composition wa.~ the broad base of support which could be claimed from the political community. Its membership was drawn geographically from so far north as Inverness and its environs, along the north·eastern coastal plain, southward through Aberdeenshire. Angus and the Meams. Perthshire (highland and lowland), to Fife. the Lothians and Merse. Stirlingshire. Lanark· shire, and ~ / JK orJf ""'.1 A_ ~ Seats 01 nobIes In parliament 1560 : ~~~e [J \ o LO