WH.C6.PO2 1

Triumph of Parliament in England

Age of Absolutism

WH.C6.PO2 2

James I

• “Kings are called gods because the sit upon God’s throne on Earth”

» James I

• This attitude set James on a collision course with parliament.

• Unlike France’s Estates General – England’s parliament asserted itself against royal power

WH.C6.PO2 3

The Tudors

• Tudor dynasty ruled England from 1485 to 1603

• Believed in their divine right but recognized the importance of parliament.

• Parliament and Henry VII:– Passed Act of Supremacy– Routinely gave new taxes

for wars

WH.C6.PO2 4

Elizabeth I

• Consulted and controlled Parliament

• Forbade discussion of her love life

• “Good Queen Bess” was a popular ruler

• Ruled for 45 years• Daughter of Henry VIII

and Anne Boleyn

WH.C6.PO2 5

The Stuarts

• Elizabeth I died without an heir in 1603– Throne passed to her relatives

the ruling family of Scotland• They were not as skillful at

dealing with parliament as the Tudors

• Century of Revolution followed

WH.C6.PO2 6

Royal Challenge

• James I promise to uphold English laws and customs but insisted upon his Divine Right– Parliament disagreed!

• Insisted upon his lavish lifestyle and the money to maintain it. – Parliament often refused

• James dissolved Parliament and collected the taxes on his own.

James I

WH.C6.PO2 7

Purify the Church

• Puritans wanted to “purify” the church of all Catholic rituals

• Preferred simpler services and more democratic structure for the church.

• James rejected their ideas• James I commissioned a new version of the

Bible:– KING JAMES VERSION

WH.C6.PO2 8

Parliament Responds

• 1625, Charles I inherited the throne. – Behaved like an absolute monarch– Imprisoned political rivals without trial– Squeezed the nation for money

• Parliament forces Charles I to sign the Petition of Right:– Prohibited King from raising taxes without Parliament– Prohibited King from imprisoning people without just

cause.

WH.C6.PO2 9

Parliament Responds

• Charles signs Petition of Right but then dissolved parliament.

• Calvinist Scots revolt over the Common book of Prayer – Charles forced to ask

Parliament for tax money

WH.C6.PO2 10

Long Parliament

• Parliament met from 1640 to 1653– Executed King’s advisors– Parliament could not be

dissolved without its consent• Charles sent troops into the

House of Commons to arrest leaders– Escape to the battlefield.

WH.C6.PO2 11

English Civil War

• Lasted from 1642 to 1649

• English Civil War posed a major challenge to absolutism.

• Forces of Revolution triumphed in England.

WH.C6.PO2 12

Cavaliers• Supporters of Charles I

– Wealthy nobles– Plumed hats– Fashionably long hair

• Well trained in dueling and warfare• Favored to win.

WH.C6.PO2 13

Roundheads

• Backers of parliament leader Oliver Cromwell– Country gentry– Town-dwelling manufacturers– Clergy

• Cromwell was a skilled general– Organized the “New Model Army”

• Defeated the Cavaliers 1647– Captured the King

WH.C6.PO2 14

Execution of a King

• Parliament set up court to try the King• Condemned him to death as “a tyrant, traitor,

murderer, and public enemy”• Sent shockwaves across Europe– First time monarch had been tried and executed

by his on people• In England, no ruler could claim absolute

power and ignore the rule of law

WH.C6.PO2 15

The Commonwealth

• After the execution, Parliament:– Abolished the House of

Lords– Declared England a

Republic – Commonwealth• Under the leadership of

Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell

WH.C6.PO2 16

Lord Protector

• Cromwell took the title of Lord Protector– Rule through the army

• Fought back attacks from Charles II – heir to the throne.

• Crushed Catholic majority in Ireland.

WH.C6.PO2 17

Puritan Society

• Set aside Sunday for religious observance

• 14+ “profaning the Lord’s day” could be fined

• Closed theaters– Discouraged dancing,

taverns and gambling• Encouraged education of

the masses – boys, girls

WH.C6.PO2 18

Puritan Society

• Marriage:– Pushed for changed to

ensure fidelity– Marriages based on love not

just business• Women considered

subordinate to men– Some denominations

allowed women to preach

WH.C6.PO2 19

Religious Freedom

• Cromwell would not accept open worship by Catholics

• Believed in religious freedom for other protestant groups

• Allowed Jews to return to England after 300 year exile.

WH.C6.PO2 20

Glorious Revolution

• Cromwell dies in 1658 and Puritans lost grip on England

• Charles II returns to the throne– Restores Church of England,

allowing other Protestant denominations

– Reopens theaters and taverns• Secretly had Catholic beliefs Charles II

WH.C6.PO2 21

Glorious Revolution

• James II inherits throne but flaunts his Catholic faith. – Suspended laws– Appointed Catholics to high office

• Parliament invited his daughter Mary and her husband William to become rulers of England

• James II fled to France• This bloodless overthrow is known as the

Glorious Revolution.

WH.C6.PO2 22

English Bill of Rights

• Parliament forced them to sign English Bill of Rights before acquiring the throne.

• Established Parliament as superior to the Monarch

• House of Commons had power of the purse• Barred any Roman Catholic from sitting upon

the throne of England.

WH.C6.PO2 23

English Bill of Rights

• Traditional rights:– Abolished excessive fines– Barred cruel and unusual punishment– Affirmed habeas corpus• Can’t be held without being told of charges

– Granted limited religious freedoms

WH.C6.PO2 24

Limited Monarchy

• Glorious Revolution did not establish democracy

• Established a limited monarchy – Legislature limited monarch’s power– English rulers had to obey the law

WH.C6.PO2 25

Questions To Ponder

• Describe the results of the English Civil War.• How did the Glorious Revolution limit royal

power in England.• Write paragraph: Which aspects of

Commonwealth society are part of American society today?