CHAPTER 17 LESSON 2 NOTES: THE TRIUMPH OF ENGLAND’S PARLIAMENT DURING STUART RULE IN THE AGE OF ABSOLUTISM King Charles II (the “Merry Monarch” takes the Stuart English throne in 1660

accepts the Petition of Right that his father had ignored secretly holds loyalties towards Catholicism

King James II follows his brother in 1685

openly practices the religion of Catholicism his new wife gives birth to a son who would be Catholic and who will inherit the English throne! [another civil war?] so Parliament invites William III and wife Mary II to overthrow Mary’s father, King James II

the king flees England without a shot being fired this event becomes known as the Glorious Revolution because there was no bloodshed

William III and Mary II accept Parliament’s demands before coronation the English Bill of Rights is passed in 1689: ensures the superiority of Parliament over the monarchy gives the House of Commons “the power of the purse” (control of the national treasury) the monarchy could no longer interfere in Parliamentary debates or suspend laws

bans any Roman Catholic from sitting on the English throne to prevent future civil wars guarantees trial by jury abolished cruel or unusual punishment affirms Habeas Corpus, a law stating that no person could be held in prison without first being charged without a specific crime

the Toleration Act of 1689 grants religious freedom to all non-Anglican Protestants in England a limited monarchy is created by which the monarchy governs in partnership with Parliament, and not as absolute rulers

William III rules alone after the death of his Stuart wife, Mary II this king is most interested in checking the political motives in Europe of France’s “Sun King,” Louis XIV chooses a Cabinet from the House of Commons as advisers so that he does not have to deal with domestic affairs, giving even more power to Parliament acquires an American colony, New Amsterdam, from the Dutch and renames it “New York”

Parliament passes the Act of Settlement to guarantee a Stuart, Protestant heir to the throne of England since William and Mary have no children heir to be Mary’s younger sister, Anne if Anne dies without children, throne will pass to closest living Protestant relative, Sophie, from the German House of Hanover

Queen Anne rules England following William III’s death

Parliament passes the Act of Union, merging England and Scotland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain the last British monarch to veto an act of Parliament Queen Anne dies without children to inherit the British throne [so the next in line is… Sophie, of the House of Hanover… but Sophie dies before Anne does]!

The Hanover dynasty follows Queen Anne’s reign in 1714 German Kings George I and George II speak little or no English leading cabinet member, Robert Walpole, advises kings as their chief minister title of chief minister later becomes known as “Prime Minister,” and is still used in Britain today King George III loses Britain’s 13 American colonies as a result of the American Revolution (1776 to 1783)

King George V, great-grandfather to present-day Queen Elizabeth II, changes Britain’s ruling family name: Hanover is out; Windsor is in by 1917 George hopes to disassociate Britain from Germany’s Hohenzollern Dynasty and its destructive participation in WW I