Constitutionalism & Alternatives to Absolutism

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering constitutionalism, European alternatives to absolutism, the English Civil War, the Stuart dynasty, and the English Bill of Rights.

Constitutionalism

A system of government where a ruler's or state's power is limited by law, protected rights, and shared authority with a representative assembly such as Parliament.

Estates General (United Provinces of the Netherlands)

The assembly of merchants and landowners in the Netherlands that held the House of Orange in check while fostering economic growth through religious toleration.

"Exploding the Diet"

A practice in Poland where noble electors held power and could nullify a legislative session by voting against a proposal, ultimately creating state weakness that led to foreign conquest.

James I (r. 1603–1625)

Stuart king who inherited the English throne after Elizabeth I, believed in Divine Right, and levied taxes without Parliamentary consent.

Impositions

Taxes levied by King James I without the consent of Parliament, violating an English custom dating back to Magna Carta (1215) that granted nobles the 'power of the purse.'

Charles I (r. 1625–1649)

Stuart monarch who displayed Catholic tendencies, dismissed Parliament for 11 years until the Scottish Rebellion of 1640, and was beheaded following the English Civil War.

Archbishop Laud

The close advisor to Charles I whose leadership displayed Catholic tendencies and heightened religious and political tensions leading up to the English Civil War.

Roundheads

The faction in the English Civil War that fought on the side of Parliament and opposed King Charles I.

Cavaliers

The royalist supporters of King Charles I during the English Civil War.

New Model Army

The military force created by Parliament under the command of Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell to fight against Charles I.

The Interregnum

The period between 1649 and 1660 ('between the kings') following the execution of Charles I; theoretically a commonwealth, but in reality a military dictatorship.

Oliver Cromwell

Puritan military commander who ruled England as a dictator under the title 'Lord Protector' during the Interregnum, enforcing strict Puritan values.

Charles II (r. 1660–1685)

The 'merry monarch' who restored the Stuart dynasty to the English throne, revived recreation banned under Puritan rule, and pursued pro-French foreign policies.

Test Act

An anti-Catholic law passed by Parliament requiring an oath against transubstantiation to vote, hold office, attend university, or assemble (though left unenforced by Charles II).

Treaty of Dover

A pro-French policy agreement entered into by Charles II that created anxiety and suspicion within Parliament.

James II (r. 1685–1689)

Pro-Catholic Stuart king whose challenges to the Anglican Church and parliamentary government provoked Parliament into replacing him.

William of Orange III & Mary

Protestant rulers invited by Parliament to assume the English throne in 1689, causing James II to abdicate with minimal bloodshed.

English Bill of Rights (1689)

Statute establishing that Parliament must be called at least every 3 years, laws must be enacted in Parliament, speech is protected, and the judiciary remains independent of the crown.

John Locke

Political philosopher who argued that the legitimate function of government is the protection of life, liberty, and property.