1. England’s Reaction to Absolutism and the Glorious Revolution
From Queen Elizabeth I to William of Orange

2. Queen Elizabeth I Daughter of Henry VIII
Battle w/Parliament over finances
Protestant
No heirs (“Virgin Queen)
Cousin James inherits the throne

3. James
“Kings are justly called gods, for that they exercise a manner or resemblance of divine power on earth.”
Upset the Puritan controlled Parliament by not ridding the English church of Catholics or making Puritan moral reforms

4. Charles I Constantly at war with France & Spain
Needed tons of $ to finance wars
Parliament would not grant him the $ until he signed the Petition of Right
Could not imprison subjects w/o due cause
Could not tax w/o Parliaments consent
No quartering
No martial law in times of peace

5. Charles I Charles signed, but ignored the document
In order to get his funding, Charles establishes fees & fines
Charles becomes extremely unpopular
Charles still needs more $$$$$
Parliament opposes him
Mobs take to the streets
Charles flees London & gathers army of loyalists

6. English Civil War
Cavaliers (Royalists) vs. Roundheads (Puritans)
Oliver Cromwell
Becomes general of the Roundheads
Defeats Cavaliers, arrests Charles, and tries him for treason
Charles is found guilty and sentenced to death
*first time a king is publicly put on trial and executed

7. Oliver Cromwell Abolishes monarchy and establishes House of Lords
England is now a commonwealth and has the first European constitution
Cromwell decides that he likes having power
Tears up constitution
Makes himself military dictator
Abolishes entertainment (theatre)
Tolerant to all religions besides Catholicism

8. Charles II Cromwell dies in 1658 and the government collapses
The English want the monarchy restored after experiencing the military dictator.
The son of Charles I, Charles II, is restored to the throne

9. The Restoration Sports & theatre restored
Women are allowed to act on stage for the first time
The arts are promoted and flourish

10. We’ve got ourselves a “sticky wicket”
Who’s to rule?
Charles had NO legitimate children
He had a brother James, but he was Catholic and since England was mostly anti-Catholic, they were not happy with him ruling.

11. James II James becomes king, but flaunts his Catholicism
Appoints Catholics to high government positions, despite a law that prohibited Catholics from holding office
Parliament protests James actions and ends up dissolving Parliament

12. Bye-Bye Dad! Many English feared a succession of Catholic kings
James II had a Protestant daughter who married William of Orange, a Protestant prince from the Netherlands
Parliament asks them to come to England with an army to overthrow James in the name of Protestantism

13. Glorious Revolution The army is never needed James flees to France
This bloodless overthrowing of King James II is called the Glorious Revolution

14. But not so fast…
In order to become king William and Mary had to agree to a Bill of Rights, which limited the power of the monarchy and increased the power of Parliament.

15. The English Bill of Rights