Parliament Limits the English Monarchy
England was divided between Catholics and protestants
The Anglican Church was founded by the Protestant - Queen Elizabeth I
A state affiliated church that Protestants and Catholics could both embrace
Sermons were conducted in English, not Latin which was preferred by Protestants
The Protestant Book of Common Prayer was revised to accommodate and appeal to Catholics
Elizabeth I of England
During her reign, she encountered frequent conflicts with Parliament over money
In England, Parliament controlled the government purse
She died in 1603
Leaving debt for her successor to deal with
King James I of England
Elizabeth’s cousin - James Stuart - her nearest relative was crowned king (1603)
Already - king of Scotland (James VI)
James I believed in the divine right of kings
He didn’t get along with Parliament
They quarreled over money
Parliament was reluctant to pay for his wars
Due to his pride, James I felt it was beneath him to reason with or win Parliament’s favor
But he reluctantly went along with Parliament
interest in religion & the King James Version
James was raised as a Calvinist – the Protestant members of Parliament initially thought James I would remove all Catholic traditions from the Church of England aka “The Anglican Church”
He didn’t
James called for a vast committee of Bible scholars to print an official English Bible
This translation is called the King James Version (1611)
The King’s Bible appealed to both Protestants and Catholics
Charles I of England
When James I died (1625)
his son Charles I became king
Like his father he believed in the divine right of kings
When Charles I requested funds from Parliament to wage his costly wars against Spain and France,
Parliament refused his request
Charles dissolved Parliament
Charles I reluctantly signed the Petition of Right
In 1628 Charles I called Parliament again to furnish funds for his expenses
Parliament refused this request until he agreed to signed the Petition of Right
Petition of Right limited the king’s power
The king:
wouldn’t imprison subjects without due cause
wouldn’t levy taxes without consent of Parliament
wouldn’t house soldiers in private homes during peacetime
wouldn’t impose martial law in peacetime
Charles I – ignored the Petition of Right
Charles I refused to sign the Petition of Right at first
But when his unpopularity grew, he later agreed to sign it
However, he continued to levy and raise taxes without Parliament’s consent
Charles I, believed that he was above the law and didn’t have to answer to Parliament or follow the Petition of Right, so he ignored it
The Petition of Right established the idea that in England, the law was above the king
Charles I – dissolved Parliament again
The struggle over finances between Parliament and Charles I continued…
Charles I dissolved Parliament again in 1629
and refused to call it back
To raise funds, he imposed higher fees, tariffs, and fines on the English people
He was very unpopular and his unpopularity continued to grow
Charles’ policy on religion brought England to the brink of war with Scotland
Charles I forced Scotland to follow England’s Anglican Prayer Book
A prayer book filled with Catholic overtones
He desired a unified religion in both of his kingdoms (England & Scotland)
This infuriated the Scottish – Calvinists who were devout Protestants, and they made arrangements to invade England
As Scotland threatened to invade England
Charles I needed funds to defend England so he called a for brand new Parliament
Parliament - tried to limit Charles I
Autumn 1641 - This new Parliament set out to limit the king’s power
Charles I- “was furious” and attempted to capture five of Parliament’s leaders in January 1642 (and try them for treason)
The discovery of this action infuriated the people and instigated a mob in London
Charles I was forced to flee London and raise an army to secure his throne
The English Civil War -began 1642
1642- the king’s rapid departure from London marked the beginning of the English Civil War
Cavaliers vs. Roundheads
Those loyal to Charles I were the Royalists = Cavaliers.
Supporters of Parliament =were Puritans or Roundheads
1644- The Roundheads found a successful military leader in Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell’s Victory
1646- Oliver Cromwell’s army defeated the army of King Charles I
1649- Cromwell and the Puritans brought Charles I to trial for treason, pronounced his guilt and sentenced him to death.
January 1649 - King Charles I was publicly executed by beheading
It was the first public beheading of a King
His last words - “I go from a corruptible, to an incorruptible Crown, where no disturbance can be, no disturbance in the world.”
Cromwell’s Commonwealth
1649- Oliver Cromwell abolished the monarchy and the upper House of Lords
He established a Commonwealth – (a state where supreme power is in the hands of the people)
This new English Commonwealth was a republic (where citizens elect representatives to positions of power)
Popular sovereignty power derives from the people (by voting)
In reality, Oliver Cromwell ruled as a dictator
John Lambert drafted the first ever written constitution for England
But Oliver Cromwell tore it up and ruled as a dictator
Charles II - The Age of Restoration
After Cromwell’s death…
1659- Parliament restored the monarchy to Charles II – the son of Charles I
Restoration: under Charles II, English society began to flourish
He restored the theater
sporting events
dancing
All were banned by Cromwell
Parliament passed the writ of habeas corpus during the reign of Charles II
1679 every prisoner was given the “Right” to obtain a writ of habeas corpus
It ensured that a prisoner would go before a judge in a timely manner
Judges not the king would decide if the prisoner should be tried or set free
Kings in England no longer had the ability to imprison someone permanently for opposing the king –Thus furthering the process of limiting the king’s po
Charles II – had his problems
His financial problem:
When Charles II needed money
Parliament wouldn’t grant his requests for funds
His religious problem:
Charles II was sympathetic toward Catholics
He entered into a secret agreement with Louis XIV of France
The English found out, that Louis XIV had agreed to give Charles II money “ an allowance” each year, if Charles would agree to become a Catholic and encourage the spread of Roman Catholicism in England
The heir of Charles II
When he died, Charles II had no children
His brother was his only heir
James (the Duke of York)
Many Protestants were very concerned:
As Charles II had been sympathetic to Catholics
But, James II was a devout Catholic,
The English feared he would bring Roman Catholicism back to England
Two political parties developed during the reign of Charles II
Whigs - Those who opposed - James II
Tories - Those who supported - James II
The Whigs and Tories were ancestors of England’s first political parties
James II of England (a Catholic Ruler)
James II became king in 1685
With Tory support
He flaunted Catholicism
Appointed several Catholics to high office positions in England
This angered both Tories and Whigs
He dissolved Parliament and didn’t call another
The final straw for English Protestants
1688- The wife of James II gave birth to a son
It was the worst possible scenario for English Protestants
Why? It meant there would be another Catholic as heir to the English throne
Parliament immediately moved to remove James II from power
This move is known as the Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution - 1688
James II first wife was a Protestant
their eldest daughter Mary was a Protestant
Mary had married William III of Orange a Protestant prince in the Netherlands (who had resisted the attacks of Louis XIV)
Both parties, the Whigs and Tories invited William and Mary to overthrow James II
So the army of William III came to England
and without a fight James II fled to France
The bloodless transition of power was a Glorious Revolution
Constitutional Monarchy:
The Glorious Revolution of 1688 gave England a constitutional monarchy
William and Mary recognized Parliament as their partner in governing
England’s Parliament and Monarch could not rule without the others consent.
Changes in English Government & Limited Monarchy
Parliament drafted a Bill of Rights
Kings could not suspend Parliament’s laws
Not levy taxes without granted permission from Parliament
Not interfere with a member’s freedom of speech in Parliament
No penalty for a citizen who petitioned the king about grievances
No standing army was to be kept in time of peace
No excessive bail was to be charged by royal courts
William and Mary officially consented to these limits on their power - A Limited Monarchy was established in England
The Toleration Act
Toleration Act: In 1689- Parliament granted religious freedom to Nonconformist Protestant groups like the Baptists and Congregationalists who were not members of the Anglican Church
It allowed Nonconformists to have their own places of worship, and their own teachers and preachers.
The Cabinet System
When the English monarch and Parliament could not agree…
A Cabinet was created to settle disputes
The Cabinet acted in the Monarchs name but in reality represented the Majority party in Parliament
In time the Cabinet became central to power and policymaking in England
The leader of the Majority party, the prime minister of Parliament lead the Cabinet
Bill of Rights - william and mary
type of monarchys- limited monarchs
Glorius Revvolution - James II removed from throne
Write of habeas - Charles II restrict his power to arrest subjects
Age of Restoration- end of the common wealth/ english monarchy is restored / Charles II became King of England