The Complexities of Whig and Tory Anti-Catholicism in Late Seventeenth-Century England

The purpose of my research is to analyze anti-Catholicism in late seventeenth-century England in order to comprehend how complex it was. I analyzed primary (published) sources such as dialogues, diaries, histories, letters, pamphlets, royal proclamations, and sermons to get my results. Based on this research, I argue that Whiggish anti-Catholicism remained mostly static over time, while the Toryish variant changed in four different ways; this reflected each party's different approach to anti-Catholicism. The Whigs focused on Francophobia, the threat that Catholicism posed to Protestant liberties, and toleration of all Protestants, while the Tories focused on loyalty to Anglicanism and the threat that Catholics and Dissenters posed to Anglicanism. While the Whigs did not change with different contexts, the Tories did so four times. The significance is that, while the core principles might have remained fairly static, the presentation and impact of those ideas changed with different circumstances.