1. English Constitutionalism versus French Absolutism
Cost of waging war and running the government increased so 17th century rulers looked to new sources of income. Those who raised money without the consent of a representative body became absolute, those who depended on a representative body found conflict but eventually a more democratic rule.
England and France set the examples here. But what caused the English to enter into a civil war that pitted Parliament against the King?? And, what factors allowed Louis XIV to become absolute??

2. Evolution of relationship between English Monarchs and Parliament
Reason 1
Evolution of relationship between
English Monarchs and Parliament
William I
Norman King conquered Saxon Nobles
Domesday Book record of who owed what taxes to the King
Salisbury Oath nobles swore allegiance
Henry II
Replaced nobles courts with Royal court system and trial by jury
John I
Magna Carta
King is subject to laws, Trial by Jury, Great Council (clergy and nobles) House of Lords
NO TAXES WITHOUT NOBLES’ CONSENT
Edward I
Model Parliament
Added middle class reps to Great Council - House of Commons
100 Yrs War
GAVE PARLIAMENT POWER OF THE PURSE. The ability of one group to manipulate and control the actions of another group by withholding funding, or putting stipulations on the use of funds. Bargaining power
War of Roses
Many nobles died - King took their land
Middle class rallied to support King
Kings became Powerful

3. Tudor Dynasty Strong Kings who controlled Parliament Henry VII
Court of Star Chamber
Controlled nobles while furthering trade and wealth
Henry VIII
Replaced Catholicism with the help of the Reformation Parliament.
Elizabeth I
Politique
Revival of Protestant Religion with Elizabethan Settlement
Defeat of Spain
Would work with Puritans in Parliament but not tolerate Separatists - Conventicle Act
Result: Parliament won several rights to challenge a weaker ruler

4. Using PERSIA to examine situation in England before the Civil War
Stuart Kings against Parliament
POLITICALLY
The Stuarts believed in the Divine Rights of an Absolute Ruler - wanted what Louis of France had
Nobles and wealthy merchants in Parliament [House of Lords and House of Commons] felt threatened by Kings who circumvented their political power. Parliament was established and had bargaining base with king, plus legal experience, expected to be consulted
Jury System
Magna Carta
Model Parliament
Power of the Purse

5. [House of Lords and Commons]
Kings threatened economic well being of nobles landed wealth and merchants commercial wealth
[House of Lords and Commons]
To raise more money:
Kings sold peerage
2. Did not consult Parliament
No Power of the Purse
Nobles gladly paid taxes in return for a voice in how the money was spent

6. Extreme Protestant sects
Religion
Extreme Protestant sects
Stuart Kings appeared to possess Catholic tendencies
Parliament, especially the House of Commons, had many PURITANS who wished to purify the Anglican Church of any Catholic ceremonies or Episcopal system. That also included the Scottish Presbyterian system.
Remember, Elizabeth had Puritans work with her in Parliament but the extremists were exiled or executed under the Conventicle Act

7. And then there was the Stuart Kings personality
Scots did not know local English customs
Arrogant and refused to compromise
Prone to making faulty decisions
James I Charles I

8. Son of Mary Stuart - She was executed by her cousin Elizabeth
Elizabeth left him a large debt ( he needed to raise money), and a fiercely divided Church.
Believed in the divine right of Kings (Trew Laws of a free Monarchy) King ruled by the will of God and was responsible only to him. Therefore, he rarely expected to consult Parliament. He stood above the law, his subjects had no right to question or resist his will.
James I
House of Lords (nobility and bishops) mostly supported King but some were beginning to resent his extreme claims
House of Commons (merchants, lawyers, prosperous land owners) were determined to defend Parliament’s legitimate role in government and religiously were mostly Anglican but Puritans were gaining power.
Needed new source of income to pay off debts so without summoning Parliament he levied Impositions (taxes) - Tonnage and poundage.
Refused to give into the Millenary Petition - Puritans wanted the Anglican church to get rid of Catholic ceremonies and Episcopal governance system but the Hampton conference did yield the King James version of the Bible
Issued the Book of Sport that allowed those who went to services at the Church of England to play games on Sunday. This angered the Puritans who kept Sunday holy but James felt the Puritans narrow view kept Catholics from converting to the Church of England and besides he needed physically fit soldiers.
Some separatists left for Cape Cod Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony

9. James I may have come out of this unscathed had he not:
Allowed his homosexual lover, Buckingham to control patronage or sell peerage. Buck was assassinated in 1628
Declared Peace with Spain (a Catholic country)
Relaxed laws against Catholics, then under pressure renewed them - Gunpowder plot - Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up Parliament
Hesitated to send troops to help Protestants in Germany during the 30 Years War
Arranged a marriage between his son and the daughter of the King of Spain. In response, members of Parliament forced war with Spain
But was his foreign policy really wrong ?????

10. Charles I
Was even more inflexible and inept than his father. Kept Buckingham until his assassination.
Parliament forced war with Spain but refused to adequately fund it so Charles…
Levied new taxes and duties
Forced Loans and imprisoned those who refused to pay
Quartered troops in private homes
And… the war against Spain was not going well, now France was involved
Parliament met at the King’s request and gave him the Petition of Rights that:
Disallowed illegal taxes and forced loans without the consent of Parliament
No Englishman could be imprisoned without a trial
Disallowed quartering of troops.
Charles needed the money so he signed it then disregarded it.
Parliament met in 1629 and declared Charles’ religious changes “popery” and his illegal taxes treason, the King dissolved Parliament for 11 years.

11. How did Charles rule without Parliament?
Religious policies were his downfall
Tried to make all Protestant groups following the Anglican Church in England and Scotland…One religion … One ruler…
William Laud
Imposed the Episcopal governing system
Court of High Commission prohibited Puritans from publishing and preaching
Tried to impose the Episcopal system and Anglican Book of Common Prayer
Made peace with Spain and France
Supported Arminians who rejected Puritan doctrine
Wentworh instituted Thorough - an administrative tool to establish the King’s control of England and allow him to rule without Parliament
Instituted old taxes
Enforced ‘ship money” for all towns, not just coastal
Sold Nobles titles and knighthoods
Scotland revolted and Charles was forced to call Parliament
Nobles feared thorough might do away with them

12. Short Parliament Puritans in the House of Commons,
led by Pym refused to fund the Scottish
war until Charles gave into their political and religious demands.
Power of the Purse
So, Charles dismissed them after only one month April - May 1640
Then the Scots invaded England and defeated the British Army at Newburn. Charles had no choice but to convene Parliament

13. Long Parliament 1640 - 1660 That is a long time
Landowners and merchants resented King’s financial policies while the Puritans resented his religious policies so this Parliament had a lot of support for different reasons
Imprisoned and executed Wentworth and Laud
Abolished Court of High Commission and Star Chamber
Imposition of new taxes and ship money was illegal
Resolved to meet at least every three years and could not be disbanded unless Parliament agreed to it - Triennial Act
Despite the fact that members in House of Commons initially agreed, they were divided on religion reform. Some wanted to end Episcopal system and prayer book, others wanted a Calvinist structure with congregations electing representatives to speak for them in a Presbyter, and others wanted every congregation to have its own authority, and some wanted to keep the Anglican Church
When the Irish revolted and Parliament was asked to fund an army to suppress it, Pym and followers in Commons refused the King and wanted Parliament to become commanders of the army. This only divided Parliament more.

14. With all these divisions, Charles thinks he sees a chance.
Parliament presents Charles with the Grand Remonstance (list of grievances against the King) and he invaded Parliament with his soldiers to arrest Pym who had been forewarned and escaped
Charles knew he was in hot water so he retreated to London to raise his own army
Shocked by the King’s invasion, Parliament passed the Militia Ordinance and raised their own army under Oliver Cromwell
Civil War began over 2 issues: (1) Who would rule, parliamentary government or an absolute monarch. (2)Would the church be controlled by the Episcopal or Presbyterian system?
Supporters of the King were called Cavaliers and resided in NW England
Supporters of Parliament were called Roundheads and lived in the SE

15. Cromwell and the Puritan Republic
Two factors = Parliamentary Victory
Solemn League and Covenant with Scotland (accepted a Presbyterian structure for church, no more Anglican prayer book)
Organized Parliamentary army under Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell did not want the Episcopal or Presbyterian system but he would accept the majority religion as long as Protestant dissenters could worship
New Model Army with victories at Marston Moor and Naseby but Charles did not give up so………
Colonel Thomas Pride barred the Presbyterians from taking their seats in Parliament. (Pride’s Purge)
Rump Parliament (fifty remaining members) who
Tried and executed the King
Abolished the Monarchy,
House of Lords and
the Anglican Church

16. Oliver Cromwell Puritan republic but really a military dictatorship
Commonwealth
Conquered Ireland and Scotland creating Great Britain
Rule by a One-House Parliament and a Council of State. When House of Commons tried to disband his army, he dissolved Council and Rump Parliament and replaced them with Barebone’s Parliament. Took Title of Lord Protector supported by Army
Strict Puritan - public morality, closing theatres, prohibited dance and strict observance of the Sabbath. Did not tolerate Anglicans
Navigation Acts, all imported goods to England must be carried in English ships or ships owned by importing country.

17. Restoration Kings Charles II 1660 - 1685
Charles II came to the throne as a hereditary king, no legal requirement to call Parliament and the Anglican Church
Wanted all religions to worship freely and remain loyal to the king but many royalists in Parliament still believed that you could not separate religion and political loyalty
Claredon Code - Imposed penalties for not attending Anglican services, must use Book of Common Prayer and Thirty- Nine Articles. Swear allegiance to Church of England to hold a government job
Again imposed Navigation Acts this time, it led to war with Holland
Needed more money than Parliament allowed so he increased customs duties
Treaty of Dover - pledged to announce his conversion to Catholicism and Louis XIV promised to pay him a large sum of money
Declaration of Indulgences - ended all laws against Catholics and Protestant dissenters but Parliament refused to finance the war until he rescinded it.
Test Act demanded pledge against Transubstantiation
Popish Plot - Titus Oates swore that Charles’ wife plotted to kill the king so James, a Catholic could take the throne. BUT Charles did get his revenge against Whigs

18. James II
Charles left a Parliament of mostly loyalists but James blew it
Repealed the Test Act and dismissed Parliament when they protested
Appointed Catholics to high positions in his court and the army
Declaration of Indulgences - suspended all religious tests and allowed free worship
Local candidates for Parliament who opposed the declaration were removed by the king’s soldiers and replaced by Catholics
Imprisoned 7 Anglican bishops who refused to publish his suspension laws
He wanted Absolutism but even the loyalists (Tories) could not accept this
When his Catholic wife gave birth to a Catholic male heir Whig and Tory members of Parliament offered the crown to his oldest daughter, Protestant May and her Husband William II of Orange

19. Glorious Revolution 1688
William, with his army, came to England in 1688 and was received without a battle because James fled to France and the protection of Louis XIV
Bloodless Revolution was complete. William and Mary
Recognized the Bill of Rights that limited the powers of the king and guaranteed liberties for upper classes
Kings are subject to the laws and rule with the consent of Parliament that would meet every three years
Prohibited Catholics from the English throne
Toleration Acts allowed worship for all Protestants but not Catholics
Supported by John Locke’s Second Treaties of Government
Act of Settlement English crown went to Protestant House of Hanover in Germany if Queen Anne’s (last Stuart) children could not take the throne