The English Revolution Parliament Limits the English Monarchy

The English Revolution

Parliament Limits the English Monarchy �Queen Elizabeth had frequent conflicts with Parliament The biggest obstacle to her becoming an absolute ruler was Parliament’s financial power �When Elizabeth died, the throne was passed to her cousin, James Stuart, who was already king of Scotland (these two countries were not united until 1707)

Charles I �When James died, King Charles I came to power �In 1628, Parliament refused to give Charles I money until he signed the Petition of Right The petition set forth the notion that the law was higher than the King ( he signed this but did not follow it) �In January 1642, Charles tried to arrest Parliament’s leaders Leaders escaped and Charles left the country but raised an army

English Civil War �Civil War lasted from 1642 -1649 �Charles’ supporters were called Royalist or Cavaliers vs. Puritans or Roundheads �Puritan supporters were called Roundheads and their leader was Oliver Cromwell �In 1649, the Puritans brought Charles to trial, found him guilty, and sentenced him to death

Oliver Cromwell �Established a commonwealth: republican form of government �He eventually became a dictator �Cromwell sought to reform society They abolished activities they found sinful such as theater, sporting events, and dancing

Restoration and the Glorious Revolution �In 1659, Parliament asked the older son of Charles I to rule England because they were sick of military rule �Charles II restored the monarchy, the period of his rule is called the Restoration �Habeas corpus is Latin meaning, “to have the body” Gave every prisoner the right to be brought before a judge to determine punishment A monarch could not put someone in jail for simply opposing the ruler Prisoners could not be held indefinitely without trial

Glorious Revolution �When Charles II died, James II came to power �England’s first political parties were the Whigs who opposed James and the Tories who supported him �James offended his subjects by flaunting his Catholicism �William and Mary’s bloodless overthrow of King James II is called the Glorious Revolution �England was now a constitutional monarchy, where laws limited the ruler’s power Laws limited the ruler’s power Parliament drafted a Bill of Rights to make the power of the King clear