English Civil War – Glorious Revolution

 James I wanted absolute power when he inherited the throne from Queen Elizabeth  Elizabeth wanted absolute power too, but was better at flattering parliament to get her way  Always conflict between the royalty and parliament over $ - royalty wants $ for royal court and foreign wars

 English kings want to be absolute monarchs  Problem – English kings need Parliament (representative assembly) for money  James I dies and son Charles I takes over  Charles I – summons Parliament because he needs money

 2. Parliament forces him to sign Petition of Right – king cannot raise taxes without Parliament’s consent and king cannot imprison anyone without just cause – Charles I dismisses Parliament

 Petition of Right  No imprisonment without due cause  No taxation without parliament’s consent  No putting soldiers in private homes  No martial law during peacetime

 Charles I signed the petition and then ignored it – even dissolved parliament again and levied mad taxes on the people  The people hated the taxes (obviously)

 – Long Parliament  declared that Parliament could not be dissolved without its consent  1642  Charles I led troops into Parliament  English Civil War begins

 Cavaliers (supported Charles I) vs. Roundheads (supported Parliament and its leader – Oliver Cromwell)  Roundheads got their names because they had short hair- exposing their “round head”  1649  Charles I executed – first time that a ruling monarch had been tried and executed by his own people

 Commonwealth – England ruled by a commoner (Oliver Cromwell) and not by a king  Cromwell promoted Puritan beliefs (closed theaters, pubs, etc…)  No sporting events

 Cromwell dies  1660  Parliament invited Charles II (son of Charles I) to rule England – restoring monarchy to England  Charles II – reopened theaters and taverns & restored Church of England –People  1685  James II becomes king of England

 James II was openly Catholic and appointed Catholics to high office  problem because England is a Protestant nation  Many feared James II would restore Catholic Church

 1688  Parliament invited William and Mary (Protestant daughter of James II) to rule England – bloodless revolution  James II fled  1689  Bill of Rights – trial by jury & abolished excessive fines and cruel and unjust punishment  Limited Monarchy  monarch + representative assembly

 Habeas Corpus  no person can be held in prison without being charged with a specific crime  “to have the body”  People need to know why they’re arrested  Could not be held indefinitely without trial  Parliament is more powerful than the king