It is the origin of the Anglican tradition , with foundational doctrines being contained in the Thirty-nine Articles and The Books of Homilies.
English Christianity traces its history to the Christian hierarchy recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain by the 3rd century and to the 6th-century Gregorian mission to Kent led by Augustine of Canterbury. The guiding theologian that shaped Anglican doctrine was the Reformer Thomas Cranmer , who developed the Church of England's liturgical text, the Book of Common Prayer. In the earlier phase of the English Reformation there were both Roman Catholic martyrs and Protestant martyrs.
In the 17th century, the Puritan and Presbyterian factions continued to challenge the leadership of the church, which under the Stuarts veered towards a more Catholic interpretation of the Elizabethan Settlement, especially under Archbishop Laud. After the victory of the Parliamentarians , the Book of Common Prayer was abolished and the Presbyterian and Independent factions dominated.
The episcopacy was abolished in but the Restoration restored the Church of England, episcopacy and the Book of Common Prayer. As a broad church , the Church of England contains several doctrinal strands: the main traditions are known as Anglo-Catholic , high church , central church , and low church , the latter producing a growing evangelical wing that includes Reformed Anglicanism , with a smaller number of Arminian Anglicans.
The British monarch currently Charles III is the supreme governor and the archbishop of Canterbury vacant since 12 November , after the resignation of Justin Welby is the most senior cleric.
