Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Dissenters
(733 words)

The term dissenters, from the verb dissent (“to deviate, differ, depart from”), came into use in England in the 1660s during the Restoration and referred to the followers of denominations (Presbyterian, Congregationalist, Baptist, Quaker, and others) that rejected the Act of Uniformity of 1662 and split off from the Anglican Church (Anglicanism).

Elizabeth I had already brought about an understanding (settlement) between the conflicting parties within the Church of England , but certain Puritans (Puritanism) rejected priestly vestments and ceremonies on principl…

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Meier, Marcus, “Dissenters”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_018367>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170626



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