1. James believes that he has been chosen by god to be king. James calls his critics objections “frivalous,” characterizes the critics as “hinderers” and implies that they are either ignorant or malicious.He is probably referring to Protestants who objected to his Catholicism.

2. Of the four kings who appear in this time line, which do you think was most responsible for the downfall of the monarchy? Why? Charles I was the most responsible, because he refused to listen to anyone from Parliament, which resulted in war and his beheading.

3. Power Struggle between King and Parliament  James I: The English king James I believed in the divine right of kings. He held that he was responsible only to God and not to Parliament.  Parliament: Members of Parliament believed that they, along with the king, should have a role in governing England.  Charles I: After Charles I inherited the throne from his father, James, he first accepted and then later ignored limits placed on his power by Parliament's Petition of Right.

4. Background  The Puritans were British Protestants who thought that the Church of England retained too many of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church.  They wanted to make it truly Protestant rather than "Anglo-Catholic."  Many members of Parliament who opposed James I and Charles I were Puritans, as were the Pilgrims who fled to America to escape religious persecution in 1620.  The Puritans reached the height of their power when Oliver Cromwell established the Protectorate.

5. Civil War and Commonwealth  Church of England: Whereas Charles I wanted to impose more ritual on the Church of England, many members of the House of Commons wanted the Church to be more Protestant.  Civil War begins: Complaints grew until England slipped into Civil War in 1642 between supporters if the king- the cavaliers, and the parliamentary forces- called the roundheads.  Parliament triumphs: Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan and a skilled commander of the New Model Army, led Parliament to victory over the royal army. Charles I was executed in 1649.  Commonwealth: Cromwell was made leader of England's new government, a type of republic called the Commonwealth. Cromwell later established a military dictatorship.