The Stuarts and the English Civil War Charles I

• After Elizabeth Tudor died, James I from the Stuart dynasty went to the throne. • When James I died in 1625, his son Charles I became king of England (1625-1649). Charles believed in the King’s divine absolute power. • The power went from aristocracy to the professional middle class. These two classes wanted the King to submit to the Parliament. • In fact, in 1628, Charles was forced to sign a Petition of Rights. It limited his power: he couldn’t impose any taxes without the Parliament’s authorisation. The Civil War

• But, when Parliament refused to give Charles money, he dissolved it, and from 1629 to 1640 he reigned alone. • Two factions were born: those who supported the King called Royalists or Cavaliers, and the Parlamentarians, or Roundheads, led by Oliver Cromwell, and a Civil War broke out. • The Parlamentarians were generally Puritan and were supported by gentry and artisans. • They were divided in a more conservative group and a more radical one (the Levellers). Cromwell’s Republic • After a series of battles, Oliver Cromwell took the power and arrested the King’s supporters in the Parliament. The members that remained, called Rump Parliament, condemned King Charles I to execution. • Cromwell founded a republic known as Commonwealth. In 1653 he made himself Lord Protector and ruled until 1658. Charles II

• In 1660, the Monarchy was restored: Charles I’s son was invited from France and became king Charles II. • However, the real power was given to the Parliament. • 2 political parties were founded: the Tories (more conservatives, similar to Royalists, supported Church and gentry), and the Whigs (urban middle classes). • Under Charles II, women and men had no inhibition and licentious behavior and were known as Libertines. • Under Charles II’s reign, in England there were 2 calamities: 1) The Great Fire of London in 1665 and 2) The plague of 1666. James II and the Glorious Revolution

• Charles II had good relationships with the Parliament. When he died, his brother James II, who was Catholic, became king. • He wanted to impose the Catholic religion and take the Parliament’s power. • So the Parliament invited James’s daughter, Mary, and her husband William of Orange, to come from Holland to England and take the throne. This was known as the Glorious Revolution, because there was no blood. The Laws and Queen Anne

• Mary and William reigned together with the Parliament. They signed important laws: 1) Bill of Rights – the king could not take decisions without the Parliament 2) Toleration Act – Protestant could profess their religion 3) Act of Settlement – only the Protestants could take the throne, so James II’s son was excluded.

When William died, he had no children, so Mary’s sister Anne became Queen. Under Queen Anne England fought a War of Spanish Succession against France. Summing up…

ØElizabeth Tudor àNo children (end of Tudor) Start of STUART DYNASTY: ØCharles I (vs. Parliament) à Dissolved Parliament

CIVIL WAR: Royalists vs. Parliamentarians ØOliver Cromwell’s Republic à dies in 1658 ØCharles II (Protestant) à Tories vs. Whigs ØJames II (Catholic)à Glorious Revolution ØMary + William of Orange ØQueen Anne