Protestantism in the United Kingdom

Protestantism (part of Christianity) is the largest religious demographic in the United Kingdom.

Before Protestantism reached England, the Roman Catholic Church was the established state church. Scotland, Wales and Ireland were also closely tied to Roman Catholicism. During the 16th century, the English Reformation and the Scottish Reformation in differing ways resulted in both countries becoming Protestant while the Reformation in Ireland did not enjoy the same degree of popular support.

Protestantism influenced many of England's monarchs in the 16th and 17th centuries, including Henry VIII, Edward VI, Elizabeth I and James I. Persecution was frequent for followers whose faith differed from that of the reigning monarch and violence and death was commonplace for the first 100 years of the Reformation. Reformers and early church leaders were persecuted in the first decades of the Reformation, but the non-conformist movement survived nonetheless.

As a result of the Reformation, Protestantism is the most widely practiced religion in the modern United Kingdom, even though active participation in the church has declined in recent years.