1. Scottish Presbyterians who signed covenants in the 16th and 17th centuries to defend their religious beliefs against interference from the English crown
Usage: historical

Examples

• The Covenanters resisted King Charles I’s attempts to impose Anglican practices on Scottish churches.
• Many Covenanters were persecuted for their refusal to accept royal supremacy over religious matters.
• The National Covenant of 1638 was signed by thousands of Scottish Covenanters.
• Covenanter armies fought against royalist forces during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
• The legacy of the Covenanters influenced Scottish Presbyterian traditions for centuries.
• Some Covenanters fled to Ireland and America to escape religious persecution.