James had been tutored by Presbyterians and publicly professed his support for Puritanism while sitting on the Scottish throne, but English Catholics hoped that he would also act tolerantly toward them, given his mother’s religious beliefs. Instead, James continued the Elizabethan program of Catholic suppression after a group of Catholics orchestrated the Gunpowder Plot to seize control of the government in 1605. James also attempted to weed out nonconformity among the Puritans by calling the Hampton Court Conference and prosecuted Protestants who refused to adhere to the revised canons. In short, James I was more apt to pursue his own absolutist policies than to side with any particular faith, and he suppressed all who tried to undermine his total authority.
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