The Stuart Era: From Absolutism to Constitutional Monarchy (1603-1714)
THE STUART PERIOD: FROM ABSOLUTISM TO CONSTITUTIONAL MANARGHY (1603-1714)
There was a period of political upheaval and violence arising from tension between absolutist Stuart monarchy and Parliament.
The basic issues of this period are that people should be governed by the king or by the representatives of the people. The balance of economic power has now shifted from feudal aristocracy to the merchant and land-owning farmer classes that were represented by the House of Commons. This house demand political power.
From 1603 to 1625 we have the reign of James I
James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England forming a unity with the two kingdoms. He proclaims himself ‘King of Great Britain, France and Ireland’ although both parliaments would resist the unification until 1707. James I, belief in the divine right of rule results in disagreement with parliament over home and foreign policy.
He maintains a hierarchical Anglican Church with rural and ceremony in worship
. In 1605 The Gunpowder
Plot is discovered and this leads to legislation against Roman Chatholics.
In 1611 we find an Authorized Version of the Bible is published.
In 1618 the Royal crown interfere with traditional independence of the Presbyterian
Kirk in Scotland.
In 1620 Pilgrim Fathers sail to New England and puritan ethic continues to spread and puritans soon from a powerful group in Parliament.
In 1623 there was a plan to marry Prince Charles with the Spanish infant but finally ends in failure due to unacceptable Spanish conditions. They want to find a solution to the Rhineland problem. From 1625 to 1649 we have the reign of Charles I where we have an intransigent attitude from the king to the parliament that opened a conflict and caused the downfall of the monarchy. Charles married a French catholic princess called Henrietta Maria and together they created unease among puritans that was the dominant force in parliament.
In 1626 Charles is condemned by the house of Commons for collecting taxes without the permission of the parliament and in 1628 parliament dictated conditions to the king who regards this as an attack on his royal status.
These conditions included illegality of taxes not approved by Parliament and prohibition of imprisonment without trial.
In 1629 the king dissolved parliament and arrests some of the militant members. From 1629 to 1640 Charles rules without parliament relying on two key ministers: Earl of Strafford and Archbishop William.
In 1638 40000 scots sign the National Covenant rejecting the popish liturgy and pledging their allegiance to the Prebyterian religion
. On april of 1640 Charles summons short parliament in an effort to raise money for Bishops ‘Wars against the Scots but he found a negative.
On November 1640 After losing the war with the Scots, Charles called the Long parliament because he needed money to pay for peace, so the king is forced to sing hey acts for the parliament forming new legislation acts with no new taxes without parliamentary consent/ New parliament had to be called every 3 years/ Parliament could not be dissolved without its consent/ Parliament was the man legislative body.
From 1641 to 1642 Parliament impeached Strafford and Laud and ordered their execution.Charles is forced to flee the capital because he wanted to arrest five members of the Parliament unsuccessfully
.
From 1642 to 1649 we find the civil wars that were conflicts that take place in the three kingdoms. Parliamentarias from the first standing Army became a powerful political force characterized by discipline, democratic decision-making and bible reading sessions.
In 1649 Royalists lose power and Charles I was executed for making war against the parliament and the kingdom. After this, we have the Republic with the Commonwealth from 1649 to 1660. There was a revolution and the English and scotish monarchies, the house of lords, the Scottish parliament and the Anglican church were abolished forming new political institutions such as the Rump parliament and the council of state.
From 1653 to 1658 Oliver Cromwell rules as a virtual dictator with the title of lord protector and in 1657 he refused the crown so next year Oliver’s son Richard takes the title of Lors protector but Chales I’s son was proclaimed Charles II in Scotland
. From 1660 to 1685 we have the restoration of monarchy under the reign of Charles II that is invited by General George Monk to elections returning from the exile. The Anglican church was restored and Charles granted an amnesty to his father enemies except to the ones that wanted to kill his family.
In this period the house of lords was established and we find the origins of two parties inside the parliament that wanted to reconstruct the politic system.
Charles didn’t have children with his wife so his brother James was the next for being king. England was affected by the pay and because of the fire 1/3 of London was in ruins so was reconstructed.
From 1658 to 1688 we find the reign of James II
He was absolutist and catholic so for this reason the parliament said that he was not appropriate for the throne. The king had to be protestant and on the issue of executed James.
Jame’s procatholic measures incensed Whigs and Tories in Parliament.
On 1688, the Glorious revolution Parliament invited Jame’s daughter Mary and her housband William of orange to deliever the country from its unpopular ruler. The king fled to France
. From 1688 to 1702 we have the reign of William III and Mary II. In 1689 the Bill declaration of rights formed the foundations of Constitutional monarchy: Crown could not dispense or suspend laws made in parliament// Crown could not raise taxes through parliament// Crown must allowed elections to Paliament to be free and frequent// Crown could not raise a standing army without parliament consent// It was inconsistent with the safety and welfare of this protestant kingdom for the monarch to be papist or to be married to a papist (This law is still in Britain
)// Parliament declares James to have abdicated and offers the throne to William and Mary
In 1690 we have the Battle of the Boyne where James scaped to France because William and the Ulster Protestants defeated him and his Jacobite supporters.
Louis XIV recognizes James’s son as James III of England and James VIII of Scotland.
In 1701 The Act of Settlement established a Protestant succession and settled the crown on descendants of Sophia of Hanover, granddaughter of James I.
In 1707 an Act of Union unites the the Crown of England and Wales with the Crown of Scotland as the Crown of Great Britain. This union proposed by English parliament to curb the catholic jacobite threat, the main reason was that Scotland as an independent monarchy had the right to choose its own succession and kept its own legar system