Established Church - Definition and Overview

In English history, the Established Church is the Church of England, the church which is established by the Government, supported by it, and of which the monarch is the titular head; until 1920 it also held the same position in Wales. The Church of Ireland had the same position in Ireland prior to 1869. The Church of Scotland is the Established Church in Scotland but is independent of parliament rather than being subject to it. A strong push was made by liberals and dissenters for disestablishment in England in the late 19th Century as well; although unsuccessful, the issue has never entirely gone away.

In a more general sense, the Established Church is the church officially sanctioned and supported by the government of a country, for example the Lutheran Church in the case of Sweden or the Roman Catholic Church in the case of Argentina.

See also: state religion