page_title: William Laud
section_title: Trial and execution
hierarchical_section_title: William Laud / Under Charles I / Trial and execution
context_page_description: William Laud, 7 October 1573 to 10 January 1645, was a priest in the Church of England, appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633. A key advocate of Charles's religious reforms, he was arrested by Parliament in 1640, and executed towards the end of the First English Civil War in January 1645.
  A firm believer in Episcopalianism, or rule by bishops, Laudianism refers to liturgical practices designed to enforce uniformity within the Church of England, as outlined by Charles. Often highly ritualistic, these were precursors to what are now known as High Church views.
  In theology, Laud was accused of Arminianism, covertly favouring Roman Catholic doctrines, and opposing Calvinism. On all three grounds, he was regarded by Puritan clerics and laymen as a formidable and dangerous opponent. His use of the Star Chamber to persecute opponents like William Prynne made him deeply unpopular.
  Laud favoured scholars, was a major collector of manuscripts, and pursued ecumenical contacts with the Greek Orthodox Church.
context_section_description: The Long Parliament of 1640 accused Laud of treason and, in the Grand Remonstrance of 1641, called for his imprisonment. Laud was imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he remained throughout the early stages of the English Civil War. Apart from a few personal enemies like William Prynne (and possibly Archbishop Williams), Parliament showed little anxiety to proceed against Laud; given his age (68 in 1641), most members would probably have preferred to leave him to die of natural causes. In the spring of 1644 he was brought to trial which ended without a verdict: as with Strafford, it proved impossible to point to any specific action seen as treasonable. Parliament took up the issue and eventually passed a bill of attainder under which he was beheaded, aged 71, on 10 January 1645 on Tower Hill, notwithstanding being granted a royal pardon.
  Laud was buried in the chapel of St John's College, Oxford, his alma mater.
caption: Etching by Wenceslaus Hollar, Laud being tried for treason, with several people present labelled
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