chapter 16 part 4 absolutismvconstitutionalism. james ii 1685-88 inherited the throne on the death...
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James II 1685-88
Inherited the throne on the death of his brother Charles II
Was 55 years old and a recent convert to Catholicism
Had outlived his first wife and had two grown and married daughters:
Mary, who had married William of Orange
Anne, who had married the king of Denmark
First family and James…Anglican
James II tried to return England to Catholicism
He appointed Catholics to high positions in Government and universities
James II issued The Declaration of Indulgences: granting freedom of worship to Catholics
And demanded that the above be read at Anglican services on two successive Sundays
Then
James had married a Catholic His wife delivered a son 1688
(Catholic)
Parliament was not willing to go along
Forced James II to abdicate His son WOULD HAVE been
James III Was called the Old Pretender (will
try to invade England in 1715 and take power (unsuccessfully)
The Old Pretender
Will grow up, marry, have a son of his own
Would have been Charles III Charles was called the New
Pretender HE tried to retake the English
throne with the help of the Scots in 1745
Was also called Bonnie Prince Charlie
The Glorious Revolution
James II’s daughters were both Protestant
The older daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, were invited by Parliament to take the English throne
William and MaryCharles I (England) 1625-1649
William II …Mary Charles II James II
William III (Orange/England)……….Mary II
Holy Christmas! Charles I was the grandfather of BOTH William and Mary! Yikes! (I guess it’s not just the Hapsburgs!
William of Orange
Agreed IF he had the popular support of the English
And if he could bring Dutch troops with him…
Clearly, he was prepared to invade England and take power if necessary
England as a Constitutional Monarchy
All Below constitute the English Constitution:
The English Bill of Rights (1689) The Petition of Right (1628) The Habeas Corpus Act (1679)
The English Bill of Rights:
King could not be Roman Catholic Laws could be made only by
Parliament No standing army in peacetime
without Parliament’s approval Taxation only with Parliament’s
approval Prohibited excessive bail and cruel
and unusual punishment
English Bill of Rights continued
Guaranteed the right to trial by jury, due process of law, reasonable bail
The right to bear arms (for Protestants)
Free elections to Parliament Parliament could only be dissolved
with its consent People have the right of petition
John Locke
Wrote his Second Treatise of Civil Government (1690)
Was the most notable defense of the Glorious Revolution
Locke said that the people create a government to protect their “natural Rights” of Life, Liberty, and Property
The Toleration Act 1689
Freedom to worship for Protestant nonconformists (like Puritans and Quakers) but not the right to hold office
Freedom to worship was NOT extended to Catholics, Unitarians
BUT they were usually left alone
1701 The Act of Settlement
If King William or his sister-in-law, Anne, died without children, the crown would pass to the granddaughter of James I (the electress dowager of Hanover) or to her heirs
The Stuarts were no longer in the line of Succession
When Anne died in 1714, crown went to George I (a Hanovarian)
1707 The Act of Union
United England and Scotland = Great Britain
Scots agreed to this to take advantage of English trade…it worked out well for them
Also, Scottish Presbyterians were worried that the Old and Young Pretenders might try to return and take the throne of Scotland
The Cabinet System (18th Century)
Leading ministers who were members of the House of Commons AND had the support of the majority of its members made policy and conducted the business of the country
The Prime Minister
Considered the leader of the government
A member of the majority party Generally the liaison between the
monarch and the House of commons
Robert Walpole
Though the title of PM was not jet used, he is considered to be the first PM
He led the Cabinet from 1721-42
Established the precedent that the cabinet was responsible to the House of Commons
The Hanoverians as Monarchs
George I 1714-27 usually presided over cabinet meetings (but did not speak English)
George II 1727-60 did not preside over Cabinet meetings and did not speak English
George III (grandson of II) tried to be a better English king but the role had been diminished as a result of the disinterest of Georges I & II
The United Provinces of the Netherlands
aka The Dutch Republic
First ½ of the 17th Century was the “Golden Age” of the Netherlands
Government was dominated by the Bourgeoisie
Their wealth and power limited the power of the state
The Government of the Dutch Republic
Was an organized CONFEDERATION of 7 provinces
Each province sent one representative to the ESTATES GENERAL
Holland and Zeeland were the richest and most influential of the provinces
The Government of the Dutch Republic
Each province and city was autonomous (self-governing)
Each province had an elected STATHOLDER (governor) and military leader
In times of crisis all 7 provinces would elect the same Statholder…usually from the House of Orange
Religious Toleration
Calvinism was dominant but was split between two factions:
Dutch Reformed: the majority and most powerful
Arminians: Calvinism without the belief in predestination
Religion
Arminians: most merchant class Enjoyed full civil rights after 1632
Catholics and Jews: full toleration but fewer rights
Religious toleration fostered trade and led to a cosmopolitan society
The Greatest Mercantile Nation of the 17th Century
Amsterdam became the banking and commercial center of Europe
Replaced Antwerp (dominant in the 16th C)
Amsterdam was the richest city in Europe
Population 100,000+ Banking dominance because of the
lower interest rates than English banks
The Dutch Few Natural Resources So it relied on commerce
Had the world’s largest fleet dedicated to trade
Was a hub of European trade due to its many outstanding ports
Little government interference with free enterprise
Industries
Fishing: the cornerstone of the Dutch economy
Major Industries: Woolens, furniture, sugar refining, tobacco cutting, brewing, pottery, glass, printing, paper making, weapons manufacturing, ship building
DEIC and DWIC: Corporate ventures of private individuals and the state
DEIC
Challenged the Portuguese in the East including South Africa, Sri Lanka, and parts of Indonesia
DWIC traded exclusively with Latin America and Africa
Foreign Policy
Participated in the Thirty Years’ War against the Hapsburgs
1670’s wars with England and France
Significant economic decline resulted
Middle Class Values
Even the wealthy had middle class values
Wealth was fairly evenly divided
The poor in the Netherlands were not as poor as that class in the rest of Europe BUT
Hard times and the end of the Golden Age due to the costly wars: 30 Years’, the Dutch Devolution, 2nd Dutch War, 4 separate Anglo-Dutch Wars
Gustavus Adolphus
Reorganized the government
The Riksdag: an assembly of nobles, clergy, townsmen, and peasants SUPPOSEDLY had the highest legislative authority
BUT the real power was with the monarchy and nobility