The Lead Up to The English Civil Wars

Nah, nah, nah…Nah, nah, nah…Hey, hey, hey…Good bye! The Queen is dead! Long live the King! Elizabeth I – The Virgin Queen and the last Tudor Monarch of England (reigned from )

King James I In 1603, James IV of Scotland became King James I of England, Scotland and Ireland following the death of Elizabeth I. He was the first of the Stuart kings. He believed in the the divine right of kings. During his reign, he organized and financed the writing of the King James Bible. Fourth or First, I don’t really care. Just be sure to kneel down before me commoner!

 Geography Shapes History  Great Britain is an island, thus it has often seen itself as being somewhat separate from the rest of Europe.  In what other ways has being an island helped to shape British history?  The south and east of Britain has always been more populated and richer than the north and west.  Why do you think this is the case?

Geography has saved Great Britain on more than one occasion.

 English Society in the 17 th Century  England was still an agrarian society though no longer feudal. People were not tied to the land.  More people were moving to cities and towns.  English society was divided into three major classes; the upper, middle and lower classes.  Crime was widespread as the poorest of the lower classes struggled to makes ends meet.

Crime didn’t pay in 17 th century England.

 The Rich and the Poor Upper Classes  Meats, spices and claret  Large comfortable houses and estates  Average incomes in the thousands of pounds per year Lower Classes  Bread and beer  Closely packed apartments or hovels  Average income was under twenty pounds, or far lower, per year

Nice Digs. Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, England (built in 1611).

 Globalization 1.0 The ‘discovery’ of the New World in 1492 had really begun to transform the world’s economy by the 1600s. The enslavement of millions of Africans and the genocide committed against Native American peoples were definitely the most tragic side effects of this economic development.

 Religion in the 1600s By the 17 th century almost all of England was Protestant, but some Catholics still remained inside the country. Jews were still forbidden from living in England. The official church was the Church of England (Anglican Church) many Anglican rituals, vestments and decorations resembled those used in the Catholic Church. The Puritans, or Calvinists, were the most hardline of all the Protestant sects. They despised decorated churches and religious art. Drinking, dancing gambling, fancy clothes and going to the theatre were all frowned upon by the Puritans.

Witchcraft was a burning issue of the day.

 Witchcraft  During the 1600s many women were hunted, put on trial and burned, or drowned, for being witches.  Witch hunters, such as Matthew Hopkins, roamed the countryside and were well paid for their work.  Claims by suspicious, nervous or jealous neighbours had very real consequences for many women during this period of time.  The Puritans were especially zealous witch hunters both in Britain and North America.

Parliament was troublesome for both kings and king slayers. You don’t know me yet, but we’ll meet soon enough.

 Government in the 1600s  Since the end of the reign of Elizabeth I, parliament ’s power was held in check by James I and his son Charles I.  The Stuart kings did not like to have to answer to parliament and preferred to rule as near absolute monarchs.  As the middle classes expanded, more people began to own property and became more educated. They began to put pressure on the king.  People expected more rights and riled against tax increases.  400 years after the Magna Carta was signed in People began to demand more rights and more representative and responsive governments.

King Charles I  After the death of his father, Charles I was crowned as king.  Charles I also believed in the divine right of kings.  He loved art, had expensive tastes and was the head of the Anglican Church. Three heads are better than none. How do you think the Puritans might have felt about their new king?

 Check for Understanding  Who was James I?  Who was Charles I?  What role has geography played in British history?  What role did religion play in 17 th century England?  Who were the Puritans?  What was society like?  Explain the divine right of kings.  What role did parliament play in England during the early 1600s?