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Primary sourceSpeech29 May 1716

The Restoration Made a Blessing to Us, by the Protestant Succession

Benjamin Hoadly · 29 May 1716

A 1716 sermon by Benjamin Hoadly preached before King George I, celebrating the Protestant succession.

A sermon preached in George I's presence, showing how the church promoted loyalty to his Protestant succession.

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The Restoration Made a Blessing to Us, by the Protestant SuccessionPDF · 40 pages
Benjamin Hoadly, The Restoration Made a Blessing to Us, by the Protestant Succession, 1716. Scanned book, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

This is a sermon by Benjamin Hoadly, Bishop of Bangor, preached before King George I at the Royal Chapel at St James's on 29 May 1716, the anniversary of the Restoration. It was printed by special command of the King.

Why it matters

Preached directly in the king's presence, this sermon shows how the Church of England publicly supported the Protestant Hanoverian succession that had brought George I to the throne. It reveals the close ties between religion and politics in early 18th-century Britain and how clergy like Hoadly used sermons to shape loyalty to the new king.

Look closer

  • Why would a sermon about the Restoration of the 1660s be used to praise George I's Protestant succession decades later?
  • What does it mean that this sermon was published "by special command" of the King?
  • What might this sermon leave out about opposition to George I or the Hanoverian succession?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of George I on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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