Challenges of Changing Leadership

Who will win? We are preparing for a change in leadership. The right to vote is ours, but there is no assurance our favorite will win. Regardless of who will be the new President, we don’t know what to expect. Does it create some anxiety? One is known to us from a former Presidency, and one is new to us and relatively untried except for a Vice-Presidency. Either could make many changes that could affect us.            

This must be what Jonathan and Grace Fairbanks faced at the end of March 1625. King James died suddenly during a major plague of England. However, he didn’t die of the Plague. It is said he died of dysentery. They would have called it the flux at that time. Still King James was gone suddenly, a new King would take his place.           

King James was responsible for the Pilgrims (Separatists) leaving England. During his reign, the Pilgrams emigrated to Holland, then to a new colony in the New World, Plymouth.  King James was not a friend of the less radical Godly (Puritans) either. Regardless of religion, he had England embroiled in many wars, one in particular with Spain.

In earlier years, there was an internal war in England to seat a new Monarchy. You may have heard of the brutal battles of the War of the Roses between the House of Tudor and House of Stuarts. The House of Tudor won which brought us to King James eventually.

Today it is not dictated who will succeed a leader in this country. There are not battles with weapons. There are battles with words.

King James’ death opened the throne to one of his heirs. His first son died, so the throne was bestowed on his younger son, Prince Charles. At the time of King Jame’s death, Prince Charles was living in Scotland. Parliament called Prince Charles to London and told him that they arranged a Spanish bride for him. Parliament hoped this would abate the battles between England and Spain.

of accepting the arranged marriage, Prince Charles selected his own bride, Henrietta Marie of France. She was Catholic. There had been much turmoil in England since King Henry the VIII left the Catholic Church and introduce the Anglican Church that didn’t uphold the Catholic law nor recognize the Pope as leader of England’s church. After King Henry the VIII, England’s King/Queens vacillated between support of the Catholic Church and Anglican Church. Puritans were Anglican but wanted to rid the church further of Catholic ritual and pomp. It appeared King Charles would support a more Catholic-like church and try to rid England of the Puritans, which he did.           

Jonathan and Grace were caught in the question of what their homeland would be like under the new King. They found he would persecute Puritans.

Though we don’t expect such extreme actions in our newly elected administration, we don’t know exactly what to expect with them leading the country. Of course, the USA has in place a more democratic government which puts much strength in the House, Senate and Supreme Court as a three-tier check and balance for power.

                  Yes, in our way, we are experiencing the anxiety of a changing leader of our nation as Jonathan and Grace did. We can understand their decisions and actions better. Did they make the right choices for themselves even though they had no vote in their leadership?