Download
1 / 15
150 likes | 420 Views
17 th Century England. Parliament vs. the Stuarts in the power struggle of the century. 1. Tudors to Stuarts; Divine Right; Battle of the 17 th Century. 1. Tudors to Stuarts; Divine Right; Battle of the 17 th Century.
E N D
17th Century England Parliament vs. the Stuarts in the power struggle of the century
1. Tudors to Stuarts; Divine Right; Battle of the 17th Century
1. Tudors to Stuarts; Divine Right; Battle of the 17th Century • While the Tudors tended to work peacefully with Parliament in the 16th century, their dynasty died with Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen in 1603. Thus, rule passed to their cousins the Stuarts of Scotland. The Stuarts claimed to rule by divine right, which led to the alienation of Parliament and the ensuing power struggle between these two institutions over the next 100 years.
2. Absolute monarchy; wars in general; limited monarchy • While the Stuarts attempted to rule absolutely, that is independent of Parliament, they found it difficult because Parliament controlled the purse strings. Consequently, whenever wars occurred they were compelled to call upon Parliament for the funds necessary to prosecute those wars. These became excellent opportunities for Parliament to extort agreements out of the king (such as the Petition of Right) that would limit his power.
3. Anglicanism in Scotland(?); Long Parliament; English Civil War
3. Anglicanism in Scotland(?); Long Parliament; English Civil War • As the head of the Church of England (Anglican Church), Charles I decided to impose the Anglican prayerbook upon the Scots in the late 1630s. The Scots rebelled leading to the necessity of Charles calling Parliament for the funds needed to fight this war. Parliament used this as an opportunity to make all kinds of demands upon the king (19 propositions), which in turn led to the outbreak of the English Civil War when the two sides could not reach peaceable agreement.
4. Royal Absolutism; parliamentary republic; puritan dictatorship (oops!)
4. Royal Absolutism; parliamentary republic; puritan dictatorship (oops!) • Parliament chafed under the absolute rule of James I and Charles I, leading to the English Civil War and the beheading of Charles. They then set up a republic under the rule of Parliament which ironically evolved into a Puritan dictatorship under Oliver Cromwell.
5. Merry Monarch’s kids; Catholic monarch’s kid; Glorious Revolution
5. Merry Monarch’s kids; Catholic monarch’s kid; Glorious Revolution • The restored monarch Charles II had 20 or more kids, all of whom were illegitimate, leading to the ascendancy to the throne of his brother James II upon Charles’ death. Parliament would allow James to become king in spite of his Catholicism because they figure he would die soon and his Anglican daughter would take over. When James’ wife gave birth to a son who would be raised Catholic, Parliament fearing a long line f Catholic kings deposed James in a bloodless revolution known as the Glorious Revolution.
6. Glorious Revolution; Bill of Rights; Ascendancy of prime minister
6. Glorious Revolution; Bill of Rights; Ascendancy of prime minister • Having ousted James II in the Glorious Revolution, Parliament determined never again to allow a king to establish any sort of absolute power. Upon inviting William and Mary to succeed James to the throne, they demanded the new monarchs sign the English Bill of Rights, which ultimately made Parliament very powerful. In time, the leader of Parliament, the prime minister, would grow to be the equal and then superior of the king.
7. 1603; 1649; 1688 • The Stuarts ascended to the throne of England in 1603, thus setting the stage for the epic clash between king and parliament for power. That conflict rose to a crescendo when Parliament beheaded Charles I after the English Civil War in 1649. Having restored Humpty Dumpty to the throne during the Restoration, Parliament again pushed him off in the Glorious Revolution in 1688, establishing themselves as the ultimate winner of this battle.
