AHC/WI: Lutheran England, Scotland, and/or Ireland

England, easy, almost did. Right persuasive person at right time and place persuades right person. I think it might not even require any change to the 39 Articles. I'm assuming here that "Lutheran" is used in a confessional sense. So we are saying a Church of England that looks to the Confession of Augsburg, rather than the Heidelberg Confessional . England would probably want to retain bishops and the traditional church polity (that's OK, there have been Lutheran bishops, or 'supervisors' , same word).

One point though, might that upset the marriage of the Princess Royal to the Elector Palatine? James was dubious about it as was, the religion being the same (both Calvinist, Palatine explicitly so, CoE implicitly) made a difference. If that is butterflied away you butterfly away the Hanoverian succession.

Scotland, bit harder, but the same deal.

Ireland. Almost ASB unless in includes a greatly more widespread Cromwellian settlement. The problem is that at the important 16th century period, the England only controlled a very small part of Ireland, and the rest was extremely backward, splintered and reactionary. Very hard to evangalise. Also, Ireland would tend to want to do whatever England didn't.

Still, maybe if Elizabeth was a Lutheran (she would have been OK with that), and her conquest attempts in Ireland went off better. At least, an Anglo-Irish Ascendancy which was Lutheran Church of Ireland (Same as Church of England) instead of OTL Calvinist-Anglo-Catholic-BitofEverything. )
 
Regarding Ireland, if English rule hadn't been so heavy-handed, and accompanied by massive colonization of English and Scottish Protestants, evangelization efforts might have been more successful. There were areas in Great Britain proper that initially resisted Protestantism as well, but they weren't flooded with colonists.
 
Possibly. Or alternatively, if the rule had been /more/ heavy handed and accompanied by more colonisation. What there was "worked" (from a Protestant view point, anyway) well enough in Ulster. If the Ulster plantation experience could be extended across the rest of Ireland, then the task is done. That's one hell of an "if" though.

Whether any English ruler could have managed to completely Protestantise Ireland seems doubtful. If rulers as determined as Elizabeth and Cromwell could not manage it, who could ? Someone more ruthless than Cromwell? Is such a thing possible ?

If Ireland could be made Protestant, I do not think that having it assume a Lutheran flavour would be hard.
 
As to the "what happens" part of the question: pretty much the same as OTL as regards England . CoE was almost Lutheran at times. Not much different in Scotland, either, though just possibly a Lutheran Scotland, less hostile to episcopacy , might lead to different decisions at the time of the Civil Wars.

Ireland, the question is Protest or Papist, not what flavour of Protestantism. A non-Catholic Ireland could make lots of differences.
 
Dont forget that the Scandinavian Lutherans do have bishops. Going to a Swedish style lutheranism, rather than a german style might make it easier.
 
Top