Editing Presbyterianism (section)

====Scotland====
[[File:Covenanters in a Glen.jpg|thumb|''Covenanters in a Glen'', a depiction of an illegal [[conventicle]]]]
[[John Knox]] (1505–1572), a [[Scottish people|Scot]] who had spent time studying under [[John Calvin|Calvin]] in Geneva, returned to [[Scotland]] and urged his countrymen to reform the Church in line with [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] doctrines. After a period of religious convulsion and political conflict culminating in a victory for the [[Lords of the Congregation|Protestant party]] at the [[Siege of Leith]] the authority of the [[Catholic Church]] was abolished in favour of [[Scottish Reformation|Reformation]] by the legislation of the [[Scottish Reformation Parliament]] in 1560. The Church was eventually organised by [[Andrew Melville]] along Presbyterian lines to become the national [[Church of Scotland]]. [[King James VI and I]] moved the Church of Scotland towards an episcopal form of government, and in 1637, James' successor, [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and [[William Laud]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], attempted to force the Church of Scotland to use the [[Book of Common Prayer]]. What resulted was an armed insurrection, with many Scots signing the ''[[Solemn League and Covenant]]''. The [[Covenanter]]s would serve as the government of Scotland for nearly a decade, and would also send military support to the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarians]] during the [[English Civil War]]. Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, [[Charles II of England|Charles II]], despite the initial support that he received from the Covenanters, reinstated an episcopal form of government on the church.

However, with the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688 the Church of Scotland was unequivocally recognised as a Presbyterian institution by the monarch due to Scottish Presbyterian support for the aforementioned revolution and the [[Acts of Union 1707]] between Scotland and England guaranteed the Church of Scotland's form of government. However, legislation by the [[United Kingdom parliament]] allowing [[patronage]] led to splits in the Church. In 1733, a group of ministers [[First Secession|seceded from the Church of Scotland]] to form the Associate Presbytery, another group seceded in 1761 to form the [[Relief Church]] and the [[Disruption of 1843]] led to the formation of the [[Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)|Free Church of Scotland]]. Further splits took place, especially over theological issues, but most Presbyterians in Scotland were reunited by the 1929 union of the established Church of Scotland and the [[United Free Church of Scotland]].

There are today ten Presbyterian denominations in Scotland. These are, listed by number of congregations within Scotland: the [[Church of Scotland]], the [[Free Church of Scotland (post 1900)|Free Church of Scotland]], the [[United Free Church of Scotland]], the [[Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland]], the [[Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)]], the [[Didasko|Didasko Presbytery]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://sites.google.com/view/didaskoscotland/home |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=sites.google.com |language=en-US}}</ref> the [[Associated Presbyterian Churches|Associated Presbyterian Church]], the [[Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland]], the [[International Presbyterian Church]] and two congregations of the [[Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster]]. Combined, they have over 1500 congregations in Scotland.

Within Scotland the term '[[kirk]]' is usually used to refer to a local Presbyterian church. Informally, the term 'The Kirk' refers to the Church of Scotland. Some of the values and ideals espoused in Scottish Presbyterian denominations can be reflected in this reference in a book from Norman Drummond, chaplain to the Queen in Scotland.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Drummond|first1=Norman|title=The Power of Three: Discovering what really matters in life|date=2010|publisher=Hachette (Hodder & Stoughton)|location=London|isbn=978-0-340-97991-4|language=en}}</ref>

'''Chart of splits and mergers of the Scottish Presbyterian churches'''
{{chart top|width=70%|Splits and mergers of the Scottish Presbyterian churches}}
{{chart/start|align=left}}
{{chart| | | | | | | | |CS| CS=[[Church of Scotland]] ([[Scottish Reformation Parliament|1560]])}}
{{chart| | | | |CO|-|-|(| CO=[[Covenanters]] ([[Rescissory Act 1661|1661]])}}
{{chart| | | | | |)|-|-|.|!| |CS=[[Church of Scotland]] (1688)}}
{{chart| | | | | |!| | |CS| |CS=[[Church of Scotland]] ([[Glorious Revolution in Scotland|1688]])}}
{{chart| | | | | |!| | | |)|-|-|EP |EP=[[Episcopal polity|Episcopalians]] (1689)}}
{{chart| | | | |RP| | |!| | | |!|RP=[[Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland|RPCS]] (1690)}}
{{chart| | | | | |!| | | |!| | |EC|EC=[[Scottish Episcopal Church]] ([[Scottish Episcopalians Act 1711|1711]])}}
{{chart| | | | | |!| | | |!| | | |`|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|}}
{{chart| | | | | |!| | | |!|}}
{{chart| | | | | |!| | | |)|-|-|-|SE| SE=[[First Secession|Associate Presbytery]] (1733)}}
{{chart| | | | | |!| | | |!| | |,|-|^|-|.| | }}
{{chart| | | | | |!| | | |!| |BR| |AN| BR=[[Burgher (Church history)|Burghers]] (1747)| AN=[[Anti-Burgher]]s (1747)}}
{{chart|RC|-|-|b|-|-|-|(| | |!|!| |!|!| RC=[[Relief Church]] (1761)}}
{{chart| |!| | | |!| | | |!| |,|'|NL|`|.| NL=[[Old and New Lights|New Lights]] (1800s)}}
{{chart| |!| | | |!| | | |!| |!| | |!| | |!}}
{{chart| |!| | | |!| | | |!| |!| |US| |!| US=[[United Secession Church]] (1820)}}
{{chart| |!| | | |!| | | |!| |!| | |!| | |!}}
{{chart| |!| | | |!| | | |!|,|b|-|-|b|-|-|(}}
{{chart| |!| | | |!| | |CS|!| | |!| | |!| CS=Church of Scotland (1822)}}
{{chart| |!| | | |!| | | |!|,|'| | |!| |OS| OS=[[Original Secession Church|Original<br/>Secession<br/>Church]] (1827)}}
{{chart| |!| | | |!| | |CS| | | |!| | |!| CS=Church of Scotland (1839)}}
{{chart| |!| | | |!| | | |!| | | | |!| | |!}}
{{chart| |!| | | |!| | | |)|-|FC|!| | |!| FC=[[Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900)|Free Church of Scotland]] ([[Disruption of 1843|1843]])}}
{{chart| |!| |,|-|b|-|-|-|b|-|-|b|-|'| | |!}}
{{chart| |US| |!| | | |!| | |!|,|-|-|-|(| US=[[United Presbyterian Church (Scotland)|United<br/>Presbyterian<br/>Church]] (1847)}}
{{chart| | |!| | |!| | | |!| |FC| | | |!| FC=Free Church of Scotland (1852)}}
{{chart| | |!| | |)|-|-|-|b|-|.|!| | | | |!| }}
{{chart| | |!| | |!| | | |!| |FC| | | |!| FC=Free Church of Scotland (1876)}}
{{chart| | |!| | |!| | | |!| | |!| | | | |!| }}
{{chart| | |!| | |!| | | |!| | |)|-|FP|!| FP=[[Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland]] (1893)}}
{{chart| | |!| |,|b|-|-|-|b|-|-|(| | |!| |!| }}
{{chart| | |UF|!| | | |!| |FC| |!| |!| UF=[[United Free Church of Scotland]] (1900)| FC=[[Free Church of Scotland (since 1900)|Free Church of Scotland]] (1900)}}
{{chart| | | |)|-|b|-|-|.|!| | |!| | |!| |!| }}
{{chart| | | |!| |!| | |CS| |!| | |!| |!| CS=Church of Scotland (1929)}}
{{chart| | | |!| |!| | | |!|,|-|b|-|-|b|-|'| }}
{{chart| | | |!| |!| | |CS| |!| | |!| CS=[[Church of Scotland]] (1956)}}
{{chart| | | |!| |!| | | |!| | |!| | |)|AP| AP=[[Associated Presbyterian Churches|Associated<br/>Presbyterian<br/>Churches]] (1989)}}
{{chart| | | |!| |!|FP|b|-|-|(| | |!| |!| FP=[[Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)|Free<br/>Church of Scotland<br/>(Continuing)]] (2000)}}
{{chart/end}}
{{chart bottom}}