Wikipedia offers a reasonably concise explanation:
>In 19th century Britain, it developed as a political movement in opposition to [disestablishmentarianism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disestablishmentarianism), the [Liberal Party](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Party_(UK))’s efforts to [disestablish](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disestablishment) or remove the [Church of England](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_England) as the [official state church](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Church) of England, [Ireland](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland), and [Wales](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales).
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