Anglican Apology of the Ancien Regime in England

Abstract

Following J. Clark, many scholars now use the term “ancien regime” (“old order”) in relation to England of “the long 18th century” (1689–1832). The article deals with the question of the forms and methods of the apology of the ancien regime in England by the clergy of the Established Church, which was one of its most important pillars. Focusing on the four final decades of the “long 18th century”, the authors come to the conclusion that the defense of the unequal order of society as God-given, preaching obedience and submission to state power were considered by the Church of England as one of its most important functions. At the end of the 18th century such position was quite consistent with the prevailing public sentiment determined by the fear of the possibility of repetition of the events of the French Revolution in England. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Anglican apology of the old order already received less support. During the struggle for the Parliamentary reform (1830–1832), the position of the Anglican Church caused an unprecedented wave of anticlericalism. At the same time, the number of supporters of the reforms among clergy, as well as among those who tried to revive the Church of England as a sacral institution (Oxford movement), increased significantly. In Victorian era, with the fading of the ancien regime, the clergy gradually ceased to consider the function of its protection a priority, and concentrated on the implementation of internal church reforms.