Covenanter movement

The Covenanter movement, emerging in Scotland in the 17th century, was rooted in opposition to the imposition of Anglican worship and governance by English monarchs on the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Central to this movement were the National Covenant (1638) and the Solemn League and Covenant (1643), documents pledging defense of their faith against royal intrusions. Initially battling Charles I during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, they later found themselves at odds with both Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarians and the restored monarchy under Charles II. The movement faced severe persecution, particularly during the "Killing Time" in the 1680s, but its intensity waned after the Toleration Act of 1689, following the Glorious Revolution.