Constitutional Monarchy in England

The Tudors The Tudor dynasty ruled England from 1485-1603 Henry VIII Elizabeth I The Tudors respected and consulted Parliament and the two sides worked well together In 1603, Elizabeth died without an heir; throne passed to her cousin, a member of the Stuart family

King James I 1566 – 1625 First king of a “United Kingdom” of “Great Britain” (England, Scotland, & Ireland) Clashed with Parliament over money and foreign policy, wanted more control as king Eventually dismissed Parliament

King James I & Religion Persecuted Puritan religious dissenters, causing many of them to flee England (including the Pilgrims who settled in Massachusetts James also ordered a new translation of the Bible (The King James Version) that reinforced the practices of the Church of England

The Gunpowder Treason Plot by Catholics to blow up King James and Parliament in order to place a Catholic on the throne November 5, 1605 Remember, remember the fifth of November Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason, why the gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot. The plot failed, leading to a crackdown on Catholicism

Guy Fawkes 1570 – 1606 Former soldier assigned to carry out the Gunpowder Plot, but was caught in the act Tortured into confession Sentenced to be hung, drawn, & quartered, Fawkes deliberately jumped from the scaffold and broke his own neck Continues to be a sort of “folk hero” in England for his willingness to take action against a government he did not support

King Charles I 1600 – 1649 Tried to diminish the power of Parliament and establish himself as an absolute monarch Violated the Magna Carta and imprisoned his political enemies without trial By 1628, however, England was broke and Charles was forced to convene Parliament and ask for an increase in tax rates to keep the country running

Charles & Parliament Parliament demanded that Charles agree to not imprison anyone without cause and to respect Parliament’s right to control the tax rate in exchange for raising taxes; Charles agreed As soon as the new taxes were approved, Charles dissolved Parliament again, this time for 11 years

Descent into War In 1640, a Scottish rebellion forced Charles to reconvene Parliament once again Parliament quickly moved to arrest and execute Charles’ top advisors and declared that the king no longer had the power to dissolve Parliament Parliament also raised its own army to stand against the king’s, forcing England into civil war

The English Civil Wars 1642-1649 Cavaliers (pro-king) vs. Roundheads (pro-Parliament) Roundheads were led by Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan King Charles was captured by Roundheads and given a chance to accept a constitutional monarchy, but refused Charles I was tried, convicted of treason, and beheaded in 1649 – the first European king to be executed by his own people

The Commonwealth After executing Charles, the House of Commons (the lower house of Parliament) abolished the monarchy, the House of Lords (the upper house of Parliament), and the Church of England Oliver Cromwell was named Lord Protector, the country’s new leader When Catholic Ireland and Calvinist Scotland rebelled; Cromwell put down these rebellions harshly Cromwell quickly became a tyrant, losing the support of the people After Cromwell died in 1658, Parliament softened and invited Charles II (Charles I’s son) to return and resume the throne in 1660

The Strange Tale of Cromwell’s Head After the restoration of the monarchy, Cromwell’s body was dug up, publicly hung, and then decapitated. The head was publicly displayed on a pole for 25 years, before being stolen and traded by private collectors until 1960

King Charles II 1630 – 1685 Catholic sympathizer His reign is known as “The Restoration Period” Despite having many (illegitimate) children, he left no legitimate heir at his death, so he was succeeded on the throne by his brother James

King James II 1633 – 1701 Had converted to Catholicism and tried to diminish the power of the Church of England Maintained a standing army with many Catholic officers Openly promoted the idea of the “divine right” of kings His oldest daughter, Mary, was a Protestant, but once James produced an heir by his second (Catholic) wife, Parliament became worried that the monarchy might become Catholic for the long-term

The Glorious Revolution Parliament secretly negotiated with James’ Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William III of Orange to replace James as rulers In 1688, fearing execution, James abdicated and fled to France

William III & Mary II William III (1650 – 1702) Mary II (1662 – 1694) In order to take the throne, had to agree to the conditions laid out by Parliament in the English Bill of Rights William ruled while Mary managed the Church of England Granted the charter which founded the College of William & Mary in the Virginia Colony in 1693 Mary died from smallpox with no children, so the Stuart dynasty ended upon William’s death

The English Bill of Rights Parliament is superior to the king Parliament must be allowed to meet regularly House of Commons controls the treasury (taxes) King can not dismiss or interfere with Parliament King can not suspend laws King can not be Catholic King can not maintain a standing army King can not quarter soldiers in people’s private homes

The English Bill of Rights Citizens get trial by jury No cruel or unusual punishment Writ of Habeas corpus – no one can be arrested and imprisoned without being charged with a crime Citizens have the right to bear arms