Sermons at Court: Politics and Religion in Elizabethan and Jacobean Preaching

This study describes for the first time the most neglected site of political, religious and literary culture in early modern England: the court pulpits of Elizabeth I and James I. It provides a timely contribution which unites the most fertile strains in early modern British history - the court and religion. Dr McCullough shows how previous work has underestimated the place of religion in courtly culture, and presents new evidence of the competing religious patronage not only of Elizabeth and James but also of Queen Anne, Prince Henry, and Prince Charles. The book recontextualises the political, religious, and literary careers of court preachers such as Lancelot Andrewes, John Donne and William Laud, and presents new evidence of the tensions between sermon- and sacrament-centred piety in the established Church. The book is published with a diskette containing a definitive calendar of court sermons for the period.