Rise of Parliament

 1640s – Civil War in Britain  Fought between Calvinist Protestants and Church of England

Background To War  This civil war was a movement of Liberalism and Representative institutions

 1603 – Queen Elizabeth dies  Parliament becomes restless  James I, then Charles I become king  Parliament doesn’t trust him-Catholic

 Parliament wont’ give them adequate revenue to accomplish their goals

Why they didn’t like Charles  -he supported church hierarchy  Knew king would make laws and solve cases at his own discretion  They were all property owners and feared he would raise taxes  He was an absolutist

Deadlock  Parliament in England concentrated  One for the whole country, represented by landed interest in both houses  1629 – deadlock  Charles wants to expand navy, needs money, tries to raise it without parliamentary consent

 He wanted to do whatever he wanted – absolutist  Ship Money Dispute  Political classes don’t accept unlimited King  Scots rebel in 1637 – Edinburgh

 Charles summons parliament to quash rebellion NO  Dissolved parliament, the same men elected again  Long Parliament 20 years  Passed its own demands

Emergence of Cromwell  Oliver Cromwell comes to the foreground in Parliament  Most powerful person in parliament  He argues that Charles cannot be trusted, and must be executed  Parliament hesitates

 ‘Prides Purge’ – weeds out most of long parliament  Left a rump of 50  Charles sentenced to death in 1649

 England declared a republic – Cromwell governed  He subdues Ireland and Scotland by force  1000s of Catholics killed, women and children, and priests  Cromwell had difficulty governing – had to use military law  Ruled as Lord Protector

 He dies in 1658 – 2 years later Royalty restored – Charles II  Legacy of Cromwell – nightmare- had to rule by force

The Triumph of Parliament  Restoration  Parliament gets power back  Abolished feudal land payments to king, establishes private property  Land owning class become a propertied aristocracy  Parliament enacts taxation instead of feudal dues  Gives power to parliament

 They consolidated religion  Dissenters forbidden from governing bodies

Test Act 1673  All officeholders must take communion from church of England  Make it impossible for Catholics to serve in government

 James (Brother) next in line to be king  He’s Catholic  Parliament moves to keep James from throne  Whigs  Supporters Tories

 Revolution of 1688  James II becomes King in 1685  Acted as if there was no Test Act  Appoints many Catholics  Promotes religious toleration  Made laws on his own will

 Tories and Whigs join forces  1688 James has a son, baptized Catholic  Both Parties abandon James  Offer the throne to his daughter Mary  Protestant  Husband of William of Orange  He has support of both parties James flees

 Constitutional forces and Anglican protestants win  1689 – Parliament enacts a bill of rights  No law suspended by King  No tax or army without parl. Consent  William III accepted – legal contract

 Act of Settlement 1701  No Catholic could be King

Glorious Revolution  1688 Becomes known as the Glorious Revolution  -establishes control of parliamentary government  -rule of law  -right of rebellion against tyranny  -Overthrow of James II limited  John Locke