Which Archbishop was executed by the Long Parliament for his opposition to Puritans?

• A. William Laud
• B. Oliver Cromwell
• C. Thomas Cranmer
• D. Stephen Gardiner

Answer: (A)

William Laud, the Archbishop of Canterbury, led the king’s push to enforce a high Anglican form of worship and discipline across England. Puritans in Parliament saw these policies as a direct threat to their reforms and to the liberties they claimed for the church and realm. When the Long Parliament moved against those who supported royal authority and opposed Puritan ascendancy, Laud was tried and executed in 1645, symbolizing Parliament’s dominance over church leadership during the Civil War era. The other figures were from earlier centuries or held different roles, not the same context of opposing Puritan reforms under the Long Parliament.