English
Constitutional
Monarchy
Mrs. Kelsey Hudson
Mrs. Anne Broderick
Ms. Susan M . Pojer
T he Stuart Monarchy
T he Stuart Century
James I [r. 1603-1625]
James I’s speech to the
House of Commons:
I am surprised that my
ancestors should ever be
permitted such an
institution to come into
existence. I am a stranger,
and found it here when I
arrived, so that I am
obliged to put up with what
I cannot get rid of!
James I: A little review
• Was James VI, son of Mary Stuart
(Queen of Scots), had been King of
Scotland since 1567. Succeeded
Elizabeth I as James I of England
• Raised a Presbyterian but found
hierarchical clergy and ornate rituals
more to his taste—Episcopal
structure could for strength of
kings, married a Catholic, and became
head of the Church of England
(Anglican)
• Parliament only meets when
monarch needs $$ James I v.
• James—goal=unite England Parliament
and Scotland, create a
standing army, set up new
system of finance (did not
happen)
• ―Addled‖ Parliament of 1614:
Dissolved because
ineffective.
– Parliament argued taxes could
be levied only with its consent
and rule by king and Parliament
together
• James sought another
source of income: new
custom duties known as
impositions
Religious Issues!
• Hampton Court
Conference (1604) in
response to James’
―catholic‖ sentiments:
– How are Puritans
different? Most
belonged to church but
wanted to purify it.
– Puritans v. King James I:
Puritans opposed the
Anglican hierarchy
– James does not reconcile,
angers the Protestants
Gunpowder Plot, 1605
• Guy Fawkes and 4 other
Catholics caught attempting
to blow up the House of
Lords on day James I was to
open the session (wanted to
kill James, his family, and
aristocracy
• Fawkes and a number of
others were tried in
Westminster Hall.
• Guilty of Treason! Hanged,
drawn, and quartered.
• Fawkes avoided the worst
by jumping from the
scaffold, dying before he
could be drawn and
quartered
Punishment for Treason…
• Dragged on a hurdle (a wooden frame)
to the place of execution. (This is one
possible meaning of drawn.)
• Hanged by the neck for a short time
or until almost dead. (hanged).
• Disembowelled and entrails burned
before the condemned's eyes (drawn)
• Beheaded and the body divided into
four parts (quartered).
King James
Bible,
1611
American Colonies!
– Virginia Company
(1604)
– Jamestown Colony
(1607)
– Plymouth Colony
(1620): Puritan
Separatists
– Another group left to
found Massachusetts
Bay Colony (1629)
Seal of the Plymouth Colony
Foreign Policy of James I
• 1604: peace with Spain, seen as a pro-
Catholic sentiment
• Hesitancy to support protestants in 30
Year’s War seems pro-Catholic
• Wanted to arrange a marriage between the
princess of Spain and Charles (his son), but
it failed. Then married catholic French
daughter or Henry IV of France (more
suspicions of Catholic sentiment)
• 1624: War with Spain in response to
parliamentary pressures
James I’s Corruption and Personality
• Governed by favorites:
George Villiers, Duke of
Buckingham, who openly
sold titles to the
highest bidders—
practice that angered
nobility
• Rumors around the
English Throne about
James I and love
interests
Personality issues??
• His personality also caused problems:
– fiercely believed in the divine right of kingship and
his own importance, but no acceptance
– People found him to have bad manners and be
paranoid.
– Extravagant spending habits
– Ignored nobility's grievances
– He came to the throne at the zenith of
monarchical power, but never truly grasped the
depth and scope of that power
Death of James I
– In early 1625, James was plagued by
severe attacks of arthritis, gout and
fainting fits, and in March fell
seriously ill and then suffered a
stroke. James finally died on March
27 during a violent attack of
dysentery.
– Charles I, you’re up!
Charles I [r. 1625-1649]
Charles I is Popular!
•Patronized the artistic
work of Flemish painters
Van Dyke and Rubens
–Painting = Van Dyke
•Personable and not
neurotic like his father
•He also won his
popularity by his anti-
Spanish policies and by
sponsoring a government
which was both
benevolent and efficient
T he Many Faces of Charles I
Charles inherits father’s problems
• Believed in Divine Right of
Kings
• War with Spain
• Supports Anglican hierarchy
and Archbishop Laud
• Financial problems of his
father: refusal of Parliament
to grant funds to a king who
refused to address the
grievances of the nobility
• Villiers=unpopular influence
over Charles in the first years
of his reign; assassination in
August 1628= happy nobility!
By an unknown artist, after Sir
Anthony Van Dyke
Charles v. Parliament
• Charles needed $$ for war with Spain,
but Parliament didn’t want to fund it
properly
• Charles resorts to ―extra-
parliamentary‖ measures
– Levying new tariffs and duties
– attempting to collect discontinued taxes
– subjecting property owners to a ―tax‖
– imprisoning people who refused to pay
Parliament of 1628… a demanding
bunch!
• To gain funds Charles called Parliament
• Petition of Right:
– no forced loans or taxation without consent of
Parliament.
– No freeman imprisoned w/o due cause (Habeus Corpus)
– troops are not housed in private homes (billeting)
– King cannot impose Martial Law
– Charles agreed! Will he keep promises?
• 1629 Charles calls Parliament: they pass 2 anti Charles
resolutions
– Religious innovation=enemy to the kingdom,
– Customs/duties levied without Parliament=enemy to
the kingdom
• Angry Charles doesn’t convene Parliament for 11
years! = ―Charles in Charge‖
T he Petition of Rights, 1628
―The Stuart Magna Carta‖
Years of “Personal Rule”
• Peace with France in
1629 and Spain in 1630
(Catholicism?)
• Thomas Wentworth was
adviser who was able to
extend old taxes,
exploiting legal fund-
raising, reviving old taxes
―selling commercial
monopolies and
extracting ship money (a
fee demanded from
towns for building naval
warships).‖
Ship Money Assessments, 1636
[per square mile]
In the past, whenever there
were fears of a foreign invasion,
kings were able to order coastal
towns to provide ships or the
money to build ships
1637 John Hampden was
prosecuted for refusing to pay
the Ship Tax on his land.
He appeared before the Court
and although he was found guilty,
the case made him one of the
most popular men in England.
Archbishop W illiam Laud
Opposes
Predestination,
Supports Free Will
Wants more
ornate services in
the Anglican
Church
All of this will
anger
Presbyterians and
Puritans
Scotland… not another Religious War?
• Charles wanted religious
conformity in England and
Scotland
• Charles and William Laud try to
impose the English Episcopal
System and a Prayer Book onto
Scots.
• Scots rebel, and Charles has to
call Parliament once again after
an 11 year hiatus…
– Gotta have the money honey!
Short Parliament
• Parliament wanted its list of
grievances before giving $… but nope.
Dissolved.
Loooooong Parliament 1640-1660
• Well, Scots won a battle, we have to
reconvene Parliament now!
• Charles has few supporters in
Parliament now
• He has to bow to their demands…
Loooooong Parliament 1640-1660
• Tried to impeach some of Charles' favorites
• abolished Star Chamber and High Commission.
• Other: Petition of Right all over again!
• Charles accepts, but built army anti- Parliament.
• 1641: Triennial Act = Parliament called into session at
least once every three years, king can’t dissolve w/o
consent.
• Thomas Wentworth (Earl of Strafford) = impeached,
executed for treason 1641
• Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud = impeached,
imprisoned. Executed 1645
• Abolition of Bishops = revolutionizing the church!
Civil War!
• 1641 Charles = raise an army to put down
revolt in Ireland
• Parliament believes Charles cant’ be trusted
• The Grand Remonstrance in 1641: list of
evils, demand church reform, parliamentary
control of army and royal appointments.
(arguments split the parliamentary party,
many moderates go over to Charles)
• Charles tried to arrest five members of
Parliament on the advice of Henrietta Maria,
(Jan. 1642) which brought matters to a
head.
– ―I see….‖
Civil War (1621-1649)
Royalists Parliamentarians
(Cavaliers) (Roundheads)
a House of Lords † House of Commons
a N & W England † S & E England
a Aristocracy † Puritans
a Large landowners † Merchants
a Church officials † Townspeople
a More rural, less † More urban , more
prosperous prosperous
Allegiance of
Members
of the
Long
Parliament
(1640-1660)
Royalists: North
and West
Parliamentarians:
South and East
New Model Army Soldier’s Catechism
a 1645, the "New Model
Army" defeated the forces
of Charles at Naseby and
Langport. (Cromwell led)
a The New Model Army was
based on a soldier’s ability
rather than on his position
within society. Merit not
birth or wealth became the
only criteria for
membership
a social class meant nothing
T he Beheading of Charles I, Jan. 30, 1649
For all which treasons and crimes this Court doth adjudge that he, the said Charles
Stuart, as a tyrant, traitor, murderer, and public enemy to the good people of this
nation, shall be put to death by the severing of his head from his body.
Cult of King Charles the Martyr…
• Charles = officially regarded by Church of
England as a martyr
– It is said, he was offered his life to abandon the
historic episcopacy in the Church of England.
– It is said he refused, however, believing that the
Church of England = "Catholic,― should maintain the
Catholic-style episcopate.
• When Charles was beheaded, some of the
crowd dipped their handkerchiefs in his blood;
this started the cult of the Martyr King.
• However, only one eyewitness source records
this.
Oliver Cromwell [1599-1658]
T he “Interregnum” Period [1649-1660]
† The Commonwealth
(1649-1653)
† The Protectorate
(1654-1660)
First Anglo-Dutch War: 1652-1654
• Navigation Acts 1651
• ½ Commonwealth, ½ Protectorate
• Caused by disputes over trade, the war
began with English attacks on Dutch
merchant shipping
• Expanded to vast fleet actions.
• The English Navy gained control of the
seas around England, and forced the
Dutch to accept an English monopoly on
trade with England and English colonies
Cromwell… you dirty dog
• Post-Beheading: abolished
monarchy, House of Lords,
Anglican Church
• 1649-1653: Officially Puritan
Republic COMMONWEALTH!
• Cromwell dominates. His crazy
army conquered Scotland and
Ireland! (Bad things for Irish
Catholics army takes out 40%)
• Cromwell takes out Parliament by
force (at sword-point), makes
himself ―Lord Protector‖ and has
a military dictatorship!
Cromwell’s “Protectorate”
• Religious conformity!
• Prohibitions by Puritans:
– Drinking
– Theatre
– Dance
•Cromwell died 1658 and English restored
monarchy and Anglican Church in 1658
•Son Richard Rules for one year... (who am I?)
•In comes Charles II!
The Merry Monarch: Charles II
• Charles roamed Europe
for eight years before
being invited back to
England as the
Commonwealth
dissolved.
• He married Catherine
of Braganza, but sired
no legitimate children.
• He had 200 Mistresses!
MANY illegitimate
Children, who later
made up 1/3 of the
aristocracy. (Princess
Di?)
King Charles II [r. 1660-1685]
a Had charm, poise, & political
skills.
a Restored the theaters and
reopened the pubs and
brothels closed during the
Restoration.
a Favored religious toleration.
a Had secret Catholic
sympathies.
a Realized that he could not
repeat the mistakes his
father had made.
Parliament…
a 1661 ―Cavalier‖ Parliament [filled with Royalists]
Disbanded the Puritan army.
Pardoned most Puritan rebels.
Restored the authority of the Church of England.
a 1662 Clarendon Code [Act of Uniformity]
All clergy & church officials had to conform to the
Anglican Book of Common Prayer.
It forbade ―non-conformists‖ to worship publicly,
teach their faith, or attend English universities.
Excluded from local gov’t.
Precursor to the Test Act
Great Plague of London: 1665
• Many superstitions as to what
was spreading the disease.
• Ill vapours borne on the wind or
that it must be spread by dogs
and cats.
• This led to the mass slaughter
of cats and dogs throughout
London.
• Of course we now know that
Bubonic Plague was spread by
rat fleas, and that by killing the
rat’s only natural predator the
people of London were only
making the problem worse
Great Fire of London 1666
Lieve Verschuier
Fighting Fire
• King William the Conqueror
(Hastings, 1066) insisted all
fires should be put out at
night to reduce the risk of
fire in houses with straw or
thatched roofs.
• William's law of couvre-feu
(literally - cover fire)
became the modern term
curfew.
• Even so, a huge fire
destroyed a large part of the
city in 1212 and was said to
have killed some 3,000
people. This fire was known
as the Great Fire of London -
until September 2nd 1666.
The start and end in 1666…
• Started Thomas Farynor’s shop, baker to King
Charles: forgot to douse oven fire, embers hit
stacked firewood.
• Strategy of destroying buildings so fire could
not spread helped, but…
• Fire flared up again and the Duke of York
ordered destruction of more buildings and the
fire was finally brought under control.
• By the end 4/5 of London had been destroyed.
• Although the fire only claimed a few lives it may
have saved many more - the rats that helped to
transmit the plague the previous year mostly
died in the fire.
• # of plague victims dropped after the fire
Charles II’s Foreign Policy
1665 – 1667: Second Anglo-Dutch War
a To Charles II, Louis XIV is an ideal ally against the
Dutch.
a New Netherlands and New Amsterdam become New York
for the Duke of York
a 1670 Treaty of Dover
1670 Treaty of Dover
• France and England ally against Dutch,
chief commercial competitor.
– Secret part of the treaty: Charles
pledged to announce his conversion to
Catholicism as soon as conditions in
England permitted it to occur. (Never
did)
– Declaration of Indulgence 1672: suspend
anti-Catholic and non-Anglican protestant
Laws = good faith move for Louis XIV
– BUT… Parliament won’t fund the war until
Charles rescinds the Act.
King Charles II [r. 1660-1685]
a Parliament’s responses to Charles…
a 1673 Test Act
Parliament excluded all but Anglicans from
civilian and military positions.
[to the Anglican gentry, Puritans were
considered ―radicals‖ and the Catholics were
seen as ―traitors!‖]
a Emergence of two political parties: Tories & Whigs
a 1679 Habeas Corpus Act
Any unjustly imprisoned persons could obtain a
writ of habeas corpus compelling the govt. to
explain why he had lost his liberty.
Popish Plot: 1678
• Cleric Titus Oates = responsible for
false rumor that Jesuits (and Charles’
Wife!) planned to assassinate Charles II
and crown James, the Catholic!
• Oates secured the arrest of around 80
people: tortured/executed for treason.
• After 15 state executions of probably
innocent men and an Exclusion Crisis
(Bill in Parliament barring Catholics
from holding public office and keeping
James Stuart from the throne) that
almost caused civil war was the plot
disproved.
• Oates was discredited and imprisoned.
Charles II Remembered…
• Charles II died February 1685 from
complications following a stroke.
• Charles' era remembered as "Merry Olde
England".
• The monarchy, although limited, was successfully
restored - 11 years of Commonwealth were
officially ignored as nothing more than an
―interregnum‖ between Charles I and Charles II.
• Charles' tolerance considering the situation of
England was astounding, but was necessary for his
reign to stand a chance at success.
• Intelligent, patron of scientific research, but
indecisive as a ruler… choosing to wait until the
last moment in his decisions.
Who will be the successor?
• Charles II’s oldest child, James Scott,
Duke of Monmouth, made a failed bid to
capture the crown at the time of his
father's death
• James Scott was executed by James
II, brother of Charles II (Bad Uncle
James!!)
King James II [r. 1685-1688]
a Was a bigoted convert
to Catholicism without
any of Charles II’s
shrewdness or ability to
compromise.
a Alienated even the
Tories!
a Provoked the revolution
that Charles II had
succeeded in avoiding!
King James II [r. 1685-1688]
a Introduced Catholics into the
High Command of both the
army and navy.
a Camped a standing army a few
miles outside of London.
a Surrounded himself with
Catholic advisors & attacked
Anglican control of the
universities.
a Claimed the power to suspend or dispense with Acts of
Parliament.
a 1687 Declaration of Liberty of Conscience
He extended religious toleration without Parliament’s
approval or support.
Thus…
―The Jimmy, Chuckie, Chuckie, Jimmy
show with Oliver thrown in for a twist!‖
Mr. Thornton
T he “Glorious” Revolution: 1688
a Whig & Tory leaders together offer the throne jointly to
Mary [raised Protestant] & her husband, William of Orange.
a Invite William to invade England to preserve the Anglican
Church and Parliament, also scared of James II’s son!
a William arrives, James flees to France, and Parliament
declared William and Mary the new monarchs 1689!
He was a vigorous enemy of Louis XIV.
He was seen as a champion of the Protestant cause.
English Bill of Rights [1689]
a It settled all of the
major issues between
King & Parliament.
a It served as a model
for the U. S. Bill of
Rights.
a It also formed a base
for the steady
expansion of civil
liberties in the 18c and
early 19c in England.
English Bill of Rights [1689]
a Main provisions:
1. The King could not suspend the operation of laws.
2. The King could not interfere with the ordinary course of
justice.
3. No taxes levied or standard army maintained in peacetime
without Parliament’s consent.
4. Freedom of speech in Parliament.
5. Sessions of Parliament would be held frequently.
6. Subjects had the right of bail, petition, and freedom from
excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishment.
7. The monarch must be a Protestant.
8. Freedom from arbitrary arrest.
9. Censorship of the press was dropped.
10. Religious toleration.
England and Scotland become
Great Britain
• Toleration Act (1689): All protestants have
freedom of worship, NOT Catholics though.
• Act of Settlement (1701)
– English Crown will go to House of Hanover in
Germany after Queen Anne (Mary’s Sister) dies
• Act of Union (1707)
– England and Scotland are combined into Great
Britain
• 1714: Elector of Hanover became King George
I of Great Britain
Lineage of George I the German…
Age of Wapole
• ―The Pretender‖ tries to
take throne (James II’s
son) from George I, who
can’t speak any English
because he’s German.
• Wapole: Considered 1st
―Prime Minister‖ of G.B.
• Catholic plots to take
the throne continued
Walpole is in with the people!
• Walpole=single most influential
politician in England for 20 years.
• Played the game of influence
very well. Resignations of his
rivals, Carteret (1724) and
Townshend (1730) helped.
• 1st “P.M.” to occupy the official
residence at 10 Downing Street.
• He was an accomplished
debater, but he dominated the
Commons by his ever-presence,
something other executives did
not do.