Absolutism and Civil War In England

Background: The Magna Carta In 1215, the English monarchy was checked by the creation of the Magna Carta (Great Charter) Forced King John II to sign Made the King responsible to the law of the land Free men not allowed to be punished by the king arbitrary Although parts have been repealed or changed, it is still a mark of the power of the common man over the divinity of kings

Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558 – 1603) Tudor family – ruled after half-brother Edward VI and half-sister Mary (Bloody Mary) Height of English Absolutism An accomplished, rational ruler – tolerant, flexible Had good advisors Allowed for religious tolerance in a time of turmoil Allowed for flexing of England’s military might (naval) Stability led to strength of culture Encourages exploration on behalf of English crown

Liz’s Successor: King James I of Scotland (r. 1603 – 1625) James was Elizabeth’s cousin of the Stuart family of Scotland He was not magnanimous and clung to the idea of the divine right of kings (he only had to answer to God) Could not relate to the common man but because he kept taxes down, he was well liked Was left with a sizeable debt by Elizabeth, but unlike her, he was not adept with money and he spent it lavishly to gain favor among the nobles

Charles I (r. 1625 – 1649) Continued a trend of being cut off from his subjects Had a reputation for being deceptive, mean and treacherous Put belief in his ministers but they were also out of touch with commoners Puritans and other Calvinists felt persecuted by constant updates to the Church of England’s policies He dismissed Parliament away for ten years after they questioned his policies 1641 – Triennial Act – King had to call Parliament at least once every 3 years

Civil War – 3 separate stages of fighting 1642 – 1651: Fighting for control of government between Roundheads (Parliamentarians) and Cavaliers (Royalists) Territorial areas like Ireland and Scotland also having uprisings at the same time Roundhead name coming from hairstyle of the Puritans Jan 30, 1649 – King beheaded, his son fled country 130.000+ died in all in England Ireland saw 600,000+ deaths (40% of its population)

Theories on why it went to war… The Civil War was a class war, in which the despotism of Charles I was defended by the reactionary forces of the established Church and conservative landlords, Parliament beat the King because it could appeal to the enthusiastic support of the trading and industrial classes in town and countryside, to the yeomen and progressive gentry, and to wider masses of the population whenever they were able by free discussion to understand what the struggle was really about.

Leader of the Roundheads – Oliver Cromwell Opportunistic aristocrat Employed the New Model Army Period of his control was called Interregnum by later historians because it breaks up 2 different monarchical reigns HE called it the Protectorate and it was set up to be a republic, but it was more of a military dictatorship

Cromwell’s England As a Puritan, he believed in a strictness not before seen on a state level in England He declared martial law when parliament would not back his ideas England was divided into 12 districts Censorship of the press, theater and forbade sports Navigation Acts to make sure English goods were protected He allowed for religious tolerance of Protestant sects only All Catholics were put down with great force Irish Catholics were put down with such great cruelty that their relationship with England would never be the same.

Post Cromwell Once he died, there were very few who wanted to keep his ideas going. Return of the monarchy with Charles II, who was easygoing, tolerant and likeable Created a cabinet of 5 advisors, laying group for something that would become commonplace later on