Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws. Requirements to abjure the temporal and spiritual authority of the Pope and transubstantiation placed major burdens on Roman Catholics.
From the death of James Francis Edward Stuart in January 1766, the Papacy recognised the Hanoverian dynasty as lawful rulers of England, Scotland and Ireland, after a gap of 70 years, and thereafter the penal laws started to be dismantled. The most significant measure was the Catholic Relief Act of 1829, which removed the most substantial restrictions on Roman Catholicism in the United Kingdom.
Read more about Catholic Emancipation: Initial Reliefs, Act of Union With Ireland 1800, Catholic Relief Act of 1829, Acts of Settlement 1701 and 1705, Political Results, Comparative Reforms in Europe, Catholic Emancipation in Newfoundland, Further Reading, Related Topics Leading Up To Catholic Emancipation
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