James 1st (1603-1625)
Charles 1st (1625-1649)
The Commonwealth
Charles 2nd (1660-1685)
James 2nd (1685-1688)
James 1st (1603-1625)
What happened after queen Elizabeth’s death? (1603)
When Elizabeth died, the crown of England passed to James VI of Scotland who was the son of Mary Stuart and lord Darnley. He became King of England with the title of James I. The two countries remained separate, however with distinct Parliaments, until 1707. His reign marked the beginning of the Stuart (or Jacobean) period.
What were the relations between the Parliament and the Crown?
They grew worse.
While the Tudor monarchs (Henry VII-Henry VIII-Elizabeth 1st) had always realized that their strength came from Parliament and the people, James 1st believed that the king ruled by divine right; consequently the king summoned Parliament only when he needed money, since extraordinary expenses could not be met without Parliament’s consent.
To increase his revenues (income) James 1st thought to make arbitrary alterations without consulting Parliament.
In religious matters, too, the king disappointed the Puritans, who wanted a reform of doctrine and ritual in the direction of Protestantism, and the Catholics, who had hoped that James, son of a catholic queen, would help their cause. But James 1st decided to uphold (support) the Anglican religion, as established by law (1534 Act of Supremacy). So a group of Catholics with Jewish links planned the so called Gunpowder plot. The conspiracy was discovered and a number of Catholics were executed.
As a consequence of the tragical events, anticatholic laws became severer and restrictive measures were passed.
In 1620 a group of Protestants known as the Pilgrim Fathers sailed on board the Mayflower and landed in north America, founding New Plymouth.
We must remember that this was not the first New England Community, during the Elizabethan Age, important colonial settlements had already been made, such as the settlement in Virginia.
What was the Jacobean England like?
By the end of the century, Elizabeth’s “Merry England” began to decline. The mood of the country changed. The religious tolerance, social content and patriotic enthusiasm that had marked the Elizabeth’s reign were replaced by disappointment and disillusion. The clash between Catholics and Puritans created turmoil and dissent (confusion, anxiety), and the king ended by losing the favour and confidence of his subjects.
What was drama like in the Jacobean Age?
The new fashion of the time was the “masque” (from the French, and from the Italian “mascherata”) It consisted of a dumb tableaux on allegorical or mythical themes, accompanied by music and dance and made use of elaborate costumes. It was a courtly or aristocratic entertainment and was staged to celebrate a particular anniversary or to entertain the nobles during certain festivities and to give an idealized image of the English Court.
Among its innovative elements were the addition of perspective and the occasional presence of women.
Charles 1st (1625-1649)
Who succeeded James 1st to the throne of England?
James’ successor was Charles 1st.
Did the relations between the Parliament and the Crown improve?
No, they didn’t
Why?
He lowered the prestige of the monarchy abroad by unsuccessful military expeditions to France (to help the French Protestants) and to Spain (to recover his dominions in the Palatinate) in the years 1625-1630. The Army and the Navy had been neglected under James 1st and England could not challenge France and Spain together. The Parliament refused to grant the money, so Charles 1st tried to obtain money by illegal means or forced loans, but the funds were insufficient, so he was obliged to call a new Parliament.
Did the House of Commons accept to give him the money for the wars?
The Commons agreed to give the money necessary for the wars on condition that the king would accept to sign the Petition of Rights.
What was the Petition of Rights?
It was a document which ranked in importance with the Magna Charta (1215). One of the points stated that “no man had to pay any tax not approved by Parliament”.
Did the king accept to sign it?
He signed it in 1628, but he refused to summon a new Parliament until 1640, which sat for only one month (the Short Parliament) before being dismissed. During this period Charles 1st ruled the country as he wished, ignoring the privileges of the members of Parliament, dismissing judges who interpreted the law impartially, and removing any control on his actions.
Were there other kinds of problems?
Absolutely yes.
– Religious problems:
Though Charles 1st was not a Roman Catholic, he was in favour of the High Church, the section of the Anglican Church that gave more importance to liturgy than to the evangelical practice followed by the Low Church. This faction (High Church) tried to impose uniformity of worship. This policy enraged both the Puritans and the Presbyterians of Scotland.
– Law problems:
There was a quarrel between two conceptions of the Law.
Roman Law that regarded the king as “the source of the Law”, since the king was such by divine right and the judges were subject to the king and had to follow his directions.
English Common Law that was above the king and above his subjects, it was independent of the king’s will, only the high court of Parliament could alter. The English Common Law belonged to the English society. The king wouldn’t tolerate any forms of opposition, he considered the Parliament an opposition.
What did these difficulties lead to?
Owing to these difficulties Charles 1st was obliged to summon another Parliament (The Long Parliament) in 1640 where the Commons asked the king to give up control of all military, civil and religious affairs. The king refused and a Civil War broke in 1642.
Who were the two contestants?
The nobility, the clergy and a large part of the gentry sided with the king and were called Cavaliers (Royalists).
The city of London, wealthy merchants and the middle class were for Parliament and were called Parliamentarians. (Roundheads)
What was the end of the war?
For the first two years, the course of the war was uncertain, but thanks to Cromwell (he was an English soldier, puritan and a statesman who led the Parliamentarian forces in the Civil War and was lord Protector during the republican Commonwealth) and his Model Army (Ironsides), the king was defeated, imprisoned, condemned to death and executed (1649).
What were the distinctive traits of the Royalists and of the Parliamentarians in everyday life?
According to the fashion of the time the Royalists (or Anglicans, or Cavaliers) dressed in satin (raso) and velvet garments and wore elaborate plumed hats over their whigs of their natural curls. As a reaction to the destructions of the Civil war, the Royalists turned to the countryside.
The Puritans (or Parliamentarians, or Roundheads) dressed in a very simple way, ate frugal meals and wore their hair cut short. Modelling their reforms on Calvinist tradition
and on the Bible, the Puritans maintained that salvation came only through God’s grace. God elected or predestined a limited number of people to be saved and this is only out of His mercy. As a consequence of their beliefs, they began to declare war on sin regarding any forms of amusement as simply a waste of time. Dancing, Horse racing, cockfighting, bear-baiting were prohibited, banned organs in church, controlled the pubs and closed the theatres as improper places for honest people. They lived in town where was the capitalistic enterprise.
Which were the socio-economic changes during the Civil War?
Many country houses had been destroyed, trade had been damaged and there was industrial depression. The Parliament had to impose heavy taxation and fines and many Royalists had been forced to sell their lands, a situation which benefited above all London merchants, parliamentarians and army officers. On the other hand, many sons of aristocratic families went into business, investing their money, while the landowners who had been able to preserve their lands, sought new methods for improving their estates. Anyway, all these changes contributed to a more modern economic structure.
.