Revolution in England
Last Updated 1/2/2008

Conflict in Parliament


King James I
1603, the last Tudor monarch, Elizabeth I, died.
Elizabeth left no heir.
Power passed to a distant relative.
James VI of Scotland, a Stuart, became King James I.
James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Elizabeth I had Mary beheaded.
The Tudors had been careful to get Parliaments opinion on their actions.
James I believed in rule by divine right.
He dismissed Parliament when it objected to some of his actions.
James I wanted the Angelican Church.
Many members of Parliament were Puritans.
they wanted to worship as they pleased.
They believed in hard work and plain living.
They wanted a say in how their taxes were spent.
James I had a new translation of the Bible.
Many English speaking Protestant churches still use the King James version.
1625, King James I died.

Charles I
Charles I, son of James I, became king.
He had the same beliefs about the monarchy as his father.
1628, Charles I was forced to call Parliament to meet.
He needed money to pay for wars with Spain and France.

Petition of Right
Parliament drew up a Petition of Right.
It put restrictions on the king.
The king could not declare martial law.
The king could not pass laws without the consent of Parliament.
King could not put people in prison.
Charles I agreed.
1629, Charles I broke his word and dismissed Parliament.

1640, Charles I needed money to fight the Scots.
Charles I had tried to force the Angelican church on the Presbyterian Scots.
The Scots had revolted.
Charles I called Parliament to meet.
Parliament again limited the king's power.
Taxes collected by the Crown were abolished without Parliament's consent
A law was passed that Parliament would meet regularly.
They did away with the Star Chamber.
The Star Chamber tried people without a jury.

Civil War
Charles I, accepted these laws.
Then he disregarded them.
1642, war broke out between the Crown and Parliament.

Cavaliers
Backers of the king were called Cavaliers.
They wore shoulder length, curly hair.
They were mostly rich Roman Catholics and Anglicans.

Roundheads
Backers of Parliamnet were called Roundheads.
They wore their hair short.
They were mostly middle- and lower-class Puritans and Calvinists.

Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was  a Puritan leader and the leader of the Roundheads.
The Rounheads lost the first battle with the king.
He formed a New Model Army.
It drilled hard, and followed strict rules against, drinking, swearing, and robbing.
Leaders were chosen for their ability.
1646, Cromwell defeated King Charles I forces.
Most English leaders did not trust Charles I.
Cromwell had the king put on trial for treason.
1649, King Charles I of England was beheaded.

Cromwell Rules
Cromwell took over the rule of England.
It was now called the Commonwealth.
The Irish and the Scots loked at Charles I's son as the true ruler.
Cromwell put down their rebellion.
Cromwell did away with Parliamnet.
He ruled as a miltary dictator. for the Puritan minority.
Cromwell was found of music and horses.
Women were finally allowed to act on the stage.
1658 September 3, Cromwell died.
Cromwell's son Richard becomes ruler.
By 1660, Parliament decided that England needed a monarch.

The Return of the Stuarts


Charles II
Parliament wanted Charles I's son who became Charles II.
Charles II had been in France for 15 years.
He brought French dances, clothing styles and food to England.
Men wore silks and velvets and huge wigs.
The wealthy ate huge meals.
The nobles of England enjoyed this style of living.
Charles II became very popular.



Great Fire of London
1666 September 2-5, fire of London destroyed 2/3 of the city.
13,500 houses, 87 churches, 44 Company Halls.
The Royal Exchange, Custom House, St Paul's Cathedral, 3 city gates, prisons, General Letter Office.
Catholics were blamed for the fire.
Sir Christopher Wren was put in charge of rebuilding.the city.
He designed St Paul's Cathedral and 52 other churches.
He had all new houses built of brick and stone instead of wood.

Foreign Policy
Charles II tried to work with Parliament
He would not consult with Parliament about foreign policy.
Parliament was worried about Charles II's friendship with the Roman Catholic king of France.


The Glorious Revolution


King James II
1685, Charles II died and his brother James became king.
King Kames II was a Roman Catholic.
He appointed Cathoics to to high posts in the govewrnment and the army.
This was against the law passd by Parliament.
James II also tried to get the Habeas Corpus law repealed.
The leaders of Parliament did not like him.
In 1688, James II and his second wife had a son.
His second was was a Roman Catholic.
Parliament was afarid of a Roman Catholic ruler.
They offered the throne to Mary, James II's Protestant daughter by his first wife.
1688, William, Prince of Orange, and Mary's husband landed in England with a large army.
James threw the Great Seal of the Realm in the Thames.
James II fled to France.
Parliament did not deose him.
They did say that he had abdicated because of the seal and fleeing the country.


    
William and Mary
William and Mary were then named joint rulers.
1689, William and Mary accepted Parliament's Declaration of Rights.
It stated that the Crown could not tax or have a peacetime army without the approval of Parliament.
Parliament could debate openly.
Parliament would be freely elected.
People had the right to a fair and speedy trial.
People would be judged by a jury of their peers.



The Writings of John Locke
1690, John Locke writes Two Treasties of Government.
He believed people are born with natural rights.
Right to life, liberty, and property.
Locke believed the government should protect these rights.
If the government fails to do so, the people  can revolt.
They can set up a new government.
He felt the best government was a representative one.
He was widely read.
His ideas became the basis for the American and the French Revolution.

Bibliography
"Charles I of England." Wikipedia On Line Encyclopedia. 2 Jan. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England.

"Charles II of England." Wikipedia On Line Encyclopedia. 2 Jan. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II_of_England.

"Great Fire of London." Wikipedia On Line Encyclopedia. 2 Jan. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_London.

Greenblatt, Miriam, and Lemmo, Peter. Human Heritage A World History. Columbus, Ohio: McGraw-Hill, 2001.

"James I of England." Wikipedia On Line Encyclopedia. 2 Jan. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_I_of_England.

"James II of England." Wikipedia On Line Encyclopedia. 2 Jan. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_England.

"John Locke." Wikipedia On Line Encyclopedia. 2 Jan. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke.

"Oliver Cromwell." Wikipedia On Line Encyclopedia. 2 Jan. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell.

"William and Mary." Wikipedia On Line Encyclopedia. 2 Jan. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_and_Mary.