Notions of religious conformity in England were redefined during the mid-seventeenth century; for many it was as though the previous century's reformation was being reversed. Lane considers how a select group of churchmen - the Laudians - reshaped the meaning of church conformity during a period of religious and political turmoil. He emphasizes the Laudians' use of history in their arguments, particularly their creative appeal to common sensibilities about the reign of Elizabeth I as a 'Golden Age'. This book assesses the way historical claims functioned within the discourse of religious and political legitimacy in early modern England.