The English Monarchy: From the Spanish Armada to the Glorious Revolution
The Spanish Armada
King Philip II, king of Spain, decided to take the war to England, as a reaction to Francis Drake’s destruction of the Spanish fleet of warships. The Spanish Armada set sail for the English Channel on July 12, 1588. The fleet met with a series of misfortunes, including miscalculation, bad weather, and, most importantly, attacks. The defeat was used as a symbol of God’s favor.
Colonies
In the 1570s and 1580s, Elizabeth I gave permission to two Englishmen to colonize America. As Spain had laid claim to much of South and Central America, England’s attention was directed to the eastern coast of North America. Sir Humphrey Gilbert led three unsuccessful attempts to establish a colony in America, but in 1583 was lost at sea while returning home. Jamestown was established in 1607.
Mary Queen of Scots
Elizabeth’s first policy in Scotland was to oppose the French presence. She feared that the French planned to invade England and put Mary Queen of Scots, considered the heir to the English crown, on the throne. Elizabeth sent a force to Scotland to aid the Protestant rebels. When Mary returned to Scotland, she married several nobles, the last one very controversial. She was forced to abdicate in favor of her son James.
Mary managed to escape to England.
James VI (1566-1625)
King of Scotland from 1567 and England (as James I) from 1603. He was the son of Mary Queen of Scots and her second husband. He succeeded to the Scottish throne on the enforced abdication of his mother and assumed power in 1583. He established a strong centralized authority. In 1589, he married Anne of Denmark. He alienated the Puritans by his High Church views and Parliament by his assertion of divine right.
The Stuarts (1603-1714)
James I
King of Scotland as James VI and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns until his death in 1625. The kingdoms of Scotland and England were individual sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciaries, and laws, though both were ruled by James in personal union.
New Religion
In Scotland, James attempted to bring the Scottish Kirk “so near as can be” to the English church and to reestablish episcopacy. James returned in 1617 for the only time after his accession in England, in the hope of implementing Anglican ritual. James’s bishops forced his Five Articles of Perth through a General Assembly the following year, but the rulings were widely resisted. James left the church in Scotland divided at his death. He became obsessed with the threat posed by witches.
Charles I (1600-1649)
Monarch of the kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 until 1649. He was the second son of James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark. He became heir apparent to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland on the death of his elder brother. He was instructed by King James in every aspect of ruling a kingdom. He fought the armies of the English and Scottish parliaments in the English Civil War. He believed that kings were appointed by God to rule by divine right.
Civil War
The king was forced to call Parliament back into session to obtain funds for war. He faced military insurrection in Ireland in November 1641. In 1642, civil war broke out in England. The Royalists were defeated in 1646 by a coalition of Scots and the New Model Army. Oliver Cromwell defeated the Royalist invaders within a year, ending the Second Civil War. Charles was tried and executed for high treason. The monarchy was abolished, and the Commonwealth of England was declared.
Charles II (1630-1685)
The eldest surviving son of Charles I. He was king of England, Scotland from 1649 until his deposition in 1651, and Ireland from the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 until his death.
Test Act
In England, Scotland, and Ireland, any law that made a person’s eligibility for public office depend upon his profession of the established religion. Roman Catholics and Protestants were able to practice their religion unmolested. The form that the test took in England was to make the receiving of Holy Communion according to the rites of the Church of England a condition precedent to the acceptance of office. It was first embodied in legislation in 1661 and was expected to cover all public offices by the Test Act 1673.
Political Parties
The modern concept of political parties formed from the ashes of the Cavaliers and Roundheads. The Cavaliers evolved into the Tory Party, royalists intent on preserving the king’s authority, while the Roundheads transformed into the Whig Party, men of property dedicated to expanding trade abroad.
James II (1633-1701)
Stuart of England, Scotland &Ireland who in 1688 was overthrown in the ‘Glorious Revolution’ by William III. James converted to Catholicism and took a stand against a number of anti-Catholic moves. This didn’t impede his succession to the throne on Charles’ death 1685. Attempts to give equality to Roman Catholic and Protestant, led to conflict with parliament. 1689, James army in Ireland with French support.defeated by William at the Battle of the Boyne in1690.GLORIOUS REVOLUTION Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutchstadtholder William III, Prince of Orange