The English Civil War and Glorious Revolution 1642-1689

There was one problem though. She died without an heir Our story begins where one English dynasty ends Queen Elizabeth I was the last monarch of the Tudor Dynasty She had many accomplishments: She was head of the Anglican Church, defeated the Spanish Armada (navy) and oversaw colonial expansion into America She, like her father Henry VIII, got along very well with Parliament , but she did depend on them for money There was one problem though. She died without an heir

With no heir to carry on the Tudor dynasty, Elizabeth’s cousin James Stuart was chosen to be king James was king of Scotland, and would now be king of England as well James claimed divine right and always argued with Parliament over money If Parliament refused to give him money, James would dissolve them (send them home) Perhaps his greatest claim to fame as king of England was the writing of the King James version of the Holy Bible He was not very well liked by the English people, and they were glad when he died

The next king of England would be Charles I, son of James I Like his father, Charles abused his power and was not well liked by many English people. To limit his power, Parliament made Charles sign the Petition of Right in 1629, which was similar to the Magna Carta

The Petition of Right made the king do 4 things: He could not imprison subjects without due cause (had to have a good reason) Could not levy (raise) taxes without consent (permission) of Parliament Could not house soldiers in private homes Could not impose martial law (military rule) in peace time

Charles only agreed to sign the Petition of Right because he needed money to fight Spain and France After he got his money, Charles ignored the Petition of Right He dismissed Parliament after getting his money, which angered the English people

Not only did Charles anger the English, he made the Scots angry as well When he tried to impose a standard prayer book on the people of Scotland, they rebelled, assembled a huge army and threatened to invade England Due to the threat of a Scottish invasion, Charles called Parliament back into session in 1640 because he needed money to fight the Scots This led to a political power struggle between the king and Parliament

Besides politics, Charles angered many people in another way. The Puritans, a religious group, were the targets of prejudice and punishment under king Charles. Many would leave for America to seek religious freedom.

Other Puritans decided to stay and fight against the king The Civil War begins!!! Cromwell would lead his men, the Roundheads (Puritan supporters of Parliament) against the supporters of King Charles, the Cavaliers (also called royalists) The fight would be for political and religious freedom

Cromwell’s forces were outnumbered and not very well trained. They lost their first battle against the king’s men at Edgehill in 1642 After losing the battle, Oliver Cromwell built a new fighting force which he called the New Model Army The New Model Army used unconventional tactics to battle Charles’s Cavaliers Cromwell’s army turned the tide of the war and defeated King Charles

After the war, Charles tried to start a second civil war Charles was put on trial for treason (betraying one’s country) Charles was found guilty and executed by beheading He was the first European king to have a public trial and execution

Cromwell would be the next ruler of England, but not as a king! His first act was to abolish the monarchy and the House of Lords (he wanted the common man to be in charge of England) Cromwell set up a republic, but eventually tore up the constitution and ruled as a dictator He passed many strict laws. Cromwell outlawed games and dancing. He also was intolerant of the religious beliefs of Catholics The people soon got tired of Cromwell and were glad when he died.

The Parliament felt England needed a king again, so in 1660 they invited Charles II, son of King Charles I, to be their king. (Charles II went to France when the civil war began) Once again, a Stuart king sat on the throne, and this event was called the Restoration because a king was restored to the throne Charles II was called the “Merry Monarch” because he brought back the fun and games that Cromwell outlawed Although a protestant, Charles favored religious tolerance for Catholics When he became king, Charles II signed the Habeas Corpus Act, which gave people the right to be seen before a judge and stated that those in jail had the right to a trial

When Charles II died his brother James II became king (Charles had no legitimate heir) James II was a Catholic, like his mother. He also gave birth to a son that would be raised in the Catholic Church Political parties developed during this time. The Tories supported James as king (political minority). The Whigs opposed James and feared having to live under a line of Catholic kings (political majority)! The Whigs felt they needed to do something, and fast!

Parliament asked James’s daughter Mary to be the new queen of England Mary was Protestant as was her husband William of Orange , prince of the Netherlands. Parliament asked William and Mary to come to England and overthrow James II for the sake of Protestantism William and Mary come to England ready to fight James II for control of England

But there was not a fight! James II ended up fleeing England and going to France This event is referred to as the Glorious Revolution since no one was killed during this change of power!!! William and Mary were now the new king and queen of England. William and Mary would rule England as a constitutional monarchy, where the monarch would be limited by the constitution)

In 1689, William and Mary signed the English Bill of Rights The document gave people freedom of speech and the right to petition the king for grievances It also declared that the king or queen could not levy taxes without Parliament’s permission Finally, the English Bill of Rights stated that the monarch could not suspend the laws of Parliament (king must respect their laws) Because of the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution and the English Bill of Rights, the power of the English monarchy would be forever limited by the law of England. The End!