... Catholicism caused serious tensions within the contemporary Protestant society. Indeed Craig Rose has estimated that in 1688 only two percent of the country was sympathetic to Catholicism2. James's belief therefore that there was no need to impose Catholicism on his subjects but merely to remove the fear and expediency attached to the Church in Rome and huge numbers of people would flood back to 'the one true faith' seems totally unfounded. Indeed shortly after his accession James ordered the release of Catholics who had been imprisoned for not attending Protestant church or for not taking oaths and even ordered the exchequer to pay their fines. He also encouraged Catholics to worship openly and promoted a number of Catholics to prominent civilian and military posts, which violated the 1673 Test Act which required all commissioned officers to take Anglican communion. This blatant attempt to introduce religious tolerance and in essence reverse ...

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