Introduction: Church, Coin, and Custom: Religious Conflict and the Marketplace

Abstract

The introduction to the volume presents an overview of the religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants during the early modern period in terms of the general ideological stress created by an anti-Catholic government in a region with deep Catholic roots. It recognizes that despite the official condemnation of Catholicism, the reality for many of the people within Britain was more fluid: individual practices, traditions, and devotions often came into conflict with official prescriptions. It also presents a discussion of the new types of markets and marketplace exchanges that emerged in the same period, both as they relate to religious matters and in the economic system at large. The introduction concludes with an overview of the chapters of the volume which demonstrates that the so-termed division between religious and economic life was largely fictional, and that both aspects were central to the continued success of both individual and commonwealth.

Document Type

Article

ISBN

9781003049173

Publication Date

2022

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2022, Taylor and Francis Group

ISBN: 9781003049173

The definitive version is available at: Routledge

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