1. The Stuarts 1603 - 1714 Lecture 10

2. James I Charles I James IICharles II Mary II + William III (of Orange)

3. James I 1603 - 1625 In 1603 Queen Elizabeth died childless leaving no heir to the throne. James VI of Scotland, son of Queen Mary of Scotland and Lord Darnley, becomes the first Stuart King of England.

4. The Reign of James I: His relation with the English Parliament was strained from the beginning; he showed little understanding of it and its changing political, social and religious conditions. He insisted upon the concept of the Divine Right of the Monarchy; that is, everything depends on the King. In that way, the Parliament was of no importance. )Royal-God-given rights)

5. According to James, this was the best way to rule. The ideas of participation of people in the government and democracy were alien for James I (Scots), and that is why he ruled by Divine Right. However, James I found great difficulty in gaining acceptance from the English society. The main problem with James I is that he made a lot of mistakes during his reign that were fatal during his son’s reign who took over after he died.

6. His mistakes: 1.When he ascended the throne the treasury was bankrupt, so he imposed taxes without the consent of the Parliament, something which infuriated the English as they were not used to that. (taxes were only collected after the approval of the parliament).

7. 2. Selling Titles: During the Feudal system, the only source of money was the land which was protected by the Church as it was extremely powerful during the middle ages. After that, at the beginning of the Renaissance, things changed. The land was no longer the main source of wealth because people started making money by trade leading to a new class to evolve: the class of merchants. These merchants were productive for the country, but they had no social standing, which was also important. Therefore, their only aspiration was to have a “title” which will lead them directly to the parliament – they cannot get there without certain “property qualifications.”

8. 3. Selling Monopolies: James I also sold monopolies which meant to have the sole right to trade in a particular item. Therefore, prices will rise and merchants are going to accumulate a lot of wealth. )a single seller of a product)

9. 4. Neglected the army!! Since James I was a peace-loving man, he neglected the army of his country. This was a serious mistake because neglecting the army meant the loss of power. This is what happened eventually; the power declined.

10. The Gunpowder Plot November 5, 1605

11. James’ inconsistent policy and the fact that he claimed that he would not change anything angered both the Protestants and the Catholics equally. This anger led to the Gunpowder plot which basically sprung from Catholic anger. In November 5, 1605, Guy Fawkes was caught attempting to blow up the House of Lords on a day in which the King was to open a session. All conspirators were executed, but a fresh sentiment of anti- Catholic sentiments washed across England. The Puritans, on the other hand, felt that England lost its freedom and therefore decided to leave to the “New World” searching for liberty and democracy.

12. Conclusion (James I): James I left England in a very bad condition. Almost immediately after his death, his son, Charles I, became embroiled in disputes with parliament. The disputes escalated until the English Civil War during the 1640s.

13. Charles I Charles I was influenced by his father’s favorite advisor George Villiers who was an opportunist, a villain and a social climber. George Villiers took Charles I on an expedition to Spain to look for a suitable bride, and settled on the daughter of the Spanish King Philip III, Infanta Maria of Spain. No marriage occurred, however, as the Spanish demanded that Charles has to convert to Roman Catholicism. After that Charles I met Henrietta Maria of France and fell in love with her, then got married to her.

14. When Charles I came to the throne, it was clear that he inherited the ideas of his father, James I, in ruling by Divine Right. This idea was furthered even more by his wife who grew up with the belief that the king had absolute power. Whenever the Parliament opposed Charles I, he would dissolve it and when he needs it, he would call it again. When the Parliament decided to impeach (punish) Buckingham who was accused of high treason, Charles I decided to dissolve the Parliament in order to save his friend! People therefore assassinated George Villiers in the streets.

15. The Eleven Years of Tyranny