The Glorious Revolution

The Glorious Revolution

• The Causes of Civil War

  • Bad relationship between Charles I and the Parliament

  • Ireland exploded in rebellion against the Protestant English + Scottish settlers

• Charles I (Stuart)

  • Quarrelled with Parliament so badly, that he dissolved it

  • He only recalled it, when he needed money

  • Did not like Puritans (Protestants) and had married a French Catholic

  • Asked for Parliament’s help to put together an army, that’d face the Scottish rebels

  • In return for this, he had to agree, that the Parliament will meet once every 3 years

  • This made him dependent on the Parliament

  • Lost the Civil War against the Parliament

  • The only English King to be executed

• The Civil War (1641 – 1645)

  • London locked its gates against Charles I – he moved to Nottingham, where he formed an army to fight the MPs who opposed him

  • The Royalists

    • Controlled north + west

    • The army was unpaid = ran away, robbed, eventually lost their courage

  • The Parliament

    • Controlled east + southeast including London

    • “Roundheads” = parliamentarian soldiers

  • Royalist army was defeated at Naseby (1645)

• Oliver Cromwell

  • One of the commanders of the Parliamentarian Army, terribly puritan

  • Formed a very severe government = England is a republic

  • The army = the most powerful force in the country

  • Dissolved the Parliament

  • Became “Lord Protector”, very unpopular

  • He forbade people from celebrating Christmas and Easter, ruled through his army

  • Sent many Irish children to work as slaves in India = most of them died

  • After he died, his son was a poor leader = the republic was over

• Charles II (Stuart) was invited to return = England is a monarchy again

  • First political parties were formed: The Whigs (parliament.) and the Tories (royalists)

• James II (catholic)

• Mary II ([Stuart] +William II[Orange])

  • Married the protestant ruler of Holland: William the Orange

  • William invaded England (as a wish of the Parliament) but the crown was offered to Mary only

  • William would leave, unless he was made a king as well – Parliament did so

• The Glorious Revolution

  • William + Parliament overthrew James II and made William king: William II

  • Revolutionary was, that William was king not by inheritance, but by choice

  • Led to the restrictions of Catholic’s rights

• The Bill of Rights

  • An act of the Parliament

  • Restricted king’s authority and power:

    • He couldn’t raise taxes

    • Couldn’t keep army without parliaments agreement

• Famous aspects of Stuart period

  • Charles I was a passionate art collector – he owned over 1000 art pieces

  • Charles I was the only English king to be beheaded

  • The Stuarts were way less successful than the Tudors