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British Studies > 3.3: Significant Historical Figures and Their Times 2 > Flashcards

3.3: Significant Historical Figures and Their Times 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Test practise questions:
Describe Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. What is she known for and why is she considered the best monarch England has ever had?

A

Elizabeth I reigned between 1558 – 1603. She is known as one of the best monarchs because she brought stability and prosperity to the country in a period now known as the Golden Age. She established
political stability, saved England from the Spanish Armada, supported the Arts, and instigated exploration into the New World.

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2
Q

Who had become the king of England as Elizabeth I’s successor? Reasons?

A

James VI/I had become king of England because he was a Protestant relative of Elizabeth I.
This indicated the start of the Stuart Dynasty
King James also commissioned the King James Bible
He was Protestant – hard line against Catholics.
During his reign, the Gunpowder Plot happened, on 5th of November 1605

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3
Q

What happened in 1603?

A

The Union of the Crowns happened.
* James VI of Scotland also becomes James I of England
* Start of the Stuart period
* Unification of the realms under one monarch
* Autonomous states with their own governments
* Personal union: they only share a monarch
* 1707: Acts of Union → Kingdom of Great Britain
* “What God hath conjoined let no man separate. Iam the husband and the whole isle is my lawful wife…”

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4
Q

What was released in 1707?

A

Acts of Union → Kingdom of Great Britain
* “What God hath conjoined let no man separate. I am the husband and the whole isle is my lawful wife…”

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5
Q

What (cultural) influences were present during the reign of James I?

A
  • The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 (Catholic revolutionaries attempted to assassinate King
    James I by blowing up the Houses of Parliament)
  • Guw Fawkes got caught with 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament
  • Nowadays, the fact that the king did not die is still celebrated on the 5th of November, Bonfire Night
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6
Q

How does the Gunpowder Plot nursery rhyme go?

A

Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot.
I know of no reason why the
Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot.

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7
Q

What was released in 1707 and what did it do?

A

The Acts of Union (May 1st, 1707), was a treaty that effected the union of England and Scotland under the name of Great Britain.
Wales was also a part of this; having been annexed a long time before this.

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8
Q

Society in the 17th Century?

A

Often called “not the best time to be alive”
* Political and social turmoil
* Civil War
* Regicide (= killing of a king)
* The Restoration
* The Glorious Revolution

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9
Q

Charles I

A
  • Successor of his father, James I
  • Reign: 1625 - 1642
  • Disliked king
  • Divine Right of Kings → Authoritarian Ruler
  • Too Catholic for the Protestants
  • Too Luxurious for the Puritans
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9
Q

Charles I vs Parliament pt 1

A
  • Charles I refused to compromise with Parliament
  • 1629: dissolved Parliament for 11 years
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10
Q

The dissolvation of Parliament by Charles I

A

“Some troublemakers in the House of Commons have been so rebellious and disrespectful to me and my authority that it’s
gone way too far—worse than anything before. So, I’ve decided to dissolve said parliament”

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11
Q

Charles I vs Parliament pt 2

A
  • Refused to compromise with Parliament
  • 1629: dissolved Parliament for 11 years
  • Bishops’ War; brief campaigns that were fought between Charles I and the Scots. The wars were the result of Charles’s endeavour to enforce Anglican observances in the Scottish Church and of the determination of the Scots to abolish episcopacy(gov of church by bishops). → needed money
  • 1642: Storming the House of Commons
    Attempted arrest of the Five Members by Charles I
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12
Q

When did the civil wars take place?

A

Form 1642-1649

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13
Q

Civil war: Both sides

A

Civil war: 1642 - 1649
Parties:
- Cavaliers (supported king Charles)
- Roundheads (supported Puritan Parliamentarians)
Terrible time: Multiple battles/massacres

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14
Q

Who was the leader of the Roundheads party in the Civil War?

A
  • Civil war: 1642 - 1649
    Leader: Oliver Cromwell
    Intensely religious (Puritan Protestant)
    Nickname: Old Ironsides
    Known for: Cruelly attacking the Catholics in Ireland; widely critisised for this
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15
Q

Controversial statue; reasons

A

Parliament Square; Oliver Cromwell.
Conversational because: Oliver Cromwell was a Puritan Protestant who was AGAINST the British crown/royalty (King Charles I) at the time. To keep such a statue at an important place as the Parliament Square is kind of double-sided.
Next to that, Cromwell’s crimes against the Catholic peoples (especially in Ireland) were heinous and extremely controversial.

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16
Q

The execution of Charles I

A

Happened in 1649
- Tried for high treason

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17
Q

The Commonwealth of England

A

(1649-1660)
* England as a republic for 11 years → military government
* Interregnum (Latin: between reigns)
* Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector
* Puritan Britain: Very strict, No fun!
NOTE : NOT THE SAME AS THE COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS (STATES THAT WERE FORMER COLONIES OF BRITAIN)

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18
Q

Outcome of the Civil War

A

Charles I: Dead
Charles II (Son): In exile in France
English monarchy replaced:
* Commonwealth of England (1649-1660)
* The Protectoreate (1653-1658): Under the rule of Oliver Cromwell (Lord Protector of the Commonwealth)

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19
Q

What indicated the start of the Commonwealth of England?

A

The end of the Civil war (a dispute between Puritan Protestants and The Catholic monarch of Great Britain at the time; Charles I. Supporters of the crown were called the Cavaliers, whereas the supporters of the Puritan Protestant leader: Oliver Cromwell were called Roundheads.)

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20
Q

When and what is the Restoration?

A
  • 1651 – Charles II tried to invade England
  • 1658 – Cromwell dies and his son (Richard) takes over
  • Charles II invited back to the throne!
    1660: Charles I’s bloodline is continued; his successor has received the crown!
21
Q

Charles II

A

King of Great Britain and Ireland
Nicknamed: The Merry Monarch
Reign; (1660-1685)
People liked hm for his jolly personality and the fun-loving society he restored (during the Puritan Protestant rule; The Protectoreate, this was frowned upon)

22
Q

The Great Plague

A

(1665-1666)
* The bubonic plague first appeared in England in the 14th century
* Came and went in waves
* First wave: killed 40-60% of the population of Europe.

THE GREAT PLAGUE (1665)
* Last outbreak of the bubonic plague in Britain
* May 43 deaths, June 6,137 deaths, July 17,036 deaths, August 31,159
deaths
* QUARTER of London’s population died

23
Q

The Great Fire of London

A

Happened in (1666) Gof forbid.
Duration: 2-6 September
Silver Linings:
- Got rid of the Plague
- Rebuilding of the city centre in stone

24
Who was Charles II's successor and why?
Charles II also known as the Merry Monarch, died without an heir. So, his brother James II became king. James II: - Catholic absolutist king - Led to the Glorious revolution
25
What happened in 1688?
The Glorious Revolution took place. In which, William III of Orange and Mary II were asked to rule by a group of nobles. James II's officers fled; James to France. Glorious, as there was no bloodshed involved. From then on, England was a constitutional monarchy.
26
Why is the Glorious Revolution called so?
The Glorious Revolution, which happened in 1688. In which William the III of Orange and his wife MAry II were asked to rule by a group of nobles. James II's officers fled, JAmes himself to France. It was called the Glorious Revolution because there was no bloodshed involved. England was, from then on, a constitutional monarchy.
27
What is a constitutional monarchy?
A system in which a king or queen's power is severely limited, because they act only on the advice of the politicians who form the govrnment.
28
What and when was introduced in the Bill of Rights?
The Bill of Rights was introduced in 1689. It was a documentation which stated: - Freedom to elect members of Parliament, without the king or queen's interference. - Freedom of speech in parliament - Freedom from Royal interference with the law - Freedom to petition the king
29
Summary on the events in the Acts of Union: Forming of the United Kingdom
1603: Union of the Crowns (James I of Scotland appointed king of England after Elizabeth I died, since she bore no heirs and he was the only Protestant relative of hers) - THis was a personal union, the two countries still operated seperately. 1707: Acts of Union - Meant a true *political* union between Scotland and England. New state name: Kingdom of Great Britain. - Dissolution of seperate parliaments and forming of a new (British) parliament. 1801: Acts of Union joins Ireland - Up till then: Personal union (King of England had been King of Ireland since 1542 with Henry VIII) New state name: The Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
30
Event in 1707
Acts of Union - Meant a true *political* union between Scotland and England. New state name: Kingdom of Great Britain. - Dissolution of seperate parliaments and forming of a new (British) parliament.
31
Event in 1801
Acts of Union joins Ireland - Up till then: Personal union (King of England had been King of Ireland since 1542 with Henry VIII) New state name: The Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
32
Keywords of Britain in the 18th and 20th century
- Industrialisation - Victorian Era - The Suffragette Movement
33
Define the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution (1760-1820) was a period in which the development of machinery leads to major changes in agriculture, industry, transportation, and social conditions, esp. in England
34
Name a few inventions that were done during the Industrial Revolution
IR: (1760-1820) - Steam engine: revolutionized transportation and manufacturing by providing a reliable source of power - Spinning Jenny: multi-spindle spinning frame that enabled the mass production of yarn. - Telegraph: Revolutionized long-distance communication with the transmission of coded signals over wires.
35
What factors contributed to the fact that the Industrial Revolution happened in Britain of all places?
- Agricultural Revolution - Economic and political stability -> Empire - Inventions (s.a. the steam engine): The Great Exhibition which pulled in tourism (supported the conomy) - Geology and geography; richness in coal in Britain
36
What were the two major consequences of the Industrial Revolution?
1. Living and working conditions 2. Child labour
37
Expand more on consequence 1 of the Industrial Revolution
Living and Working conditions: Rural society -> Move to the cities (urbanisation) - From farms to factories - Low wages and incredibly long hours - Terrible living conditions (small, unhygienic, illnesses)
38
Expand more on consequence 2 of the Industrial Revolution
Child Labour - Resulted in the Factory Act of 1833 Consequent Acts of Parliament - Limited hours children were allowed to wotk in factories - Raised the age of children allowed to work in factories - Start of compulsory education of children
39
Queen Victoria (Reigjn, information etc.)
Reign: 1837-1901 (63 years, second longest reigning queen) - Married Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha - 9 children (but hated being pregnant) - Albert died of typhoid fever in 1861 Nicknames: - "The Widow of Windsor" - Remained in mounring the rest of her life
40
Characteristics of the Victorian Era
- Stability and prosperity - Cultural expansion - Advances in industry - Scientific improvements - Building of railways - Development of the London Underground
41
Society of the Victorian Era
- Big differences between rich and poor - Laws, rights and voting rights did change for the better - Unions = social reform - Queen Victoria as a model for Victorian values: Christian with strong morals, hard worker, dutiful, precise,
42
The British Empire in the Victorian Era
- Already big when Victoria ascended (in 1837) - Victoria Became Empress of India (1876) - “The sun never sets on the British Empire” - End of Victoria’s reign: 1/5th of the earth’s surface was under British rule
43
What was the rule of Britain in India called?
The British Raj was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, lasting from 1858 to 1947. It is also called Crown rule in India, or direct rule in India. It ended because it gradually became less important for British economy
44
Why is Queen Victoria called the first modern monarch?
- The monarch’s power was reduced (due to the Bill of Rights) E.g., Queen can no longer select Prime Minster - Supposed to be non-partisan, above political parties - Example for her people; driven, hard-working, dutiful, prideful
45
Information on Women's Suffrage in Britain
- Over 60 years of campaigning led to women’s right to vote in Britain - Started out peacefully: campaigning Suffragists - Queen Victoria was against women’s right to vote; politicians didn’t want to offend her. - Multiple suffrage bills (law proposals!) were defeated/declined
46
Two sides of Womens' voting rights parties
Suffragists | Suffragettes * Suffragists: Members of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), led by Millicent Fawcett. Stood for peaceful, non-violent campaigns (petitions, lobbying), wanted gradual change through legal and democratic means. * Suffragettes: Members of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), founded by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903. Methods were aggressive and confrontational: protests, vandalism, arson. Wanted a revolution, instead of a small change.
47
Emmeline Pankhurst
- Founded the WSPU - Women’s Social and Political Union - Militant, direct-action tactics, jailed and released 11 times, force-fed
48
The Great War and Women's Suffrage
- Suffragettes stopped their campaign during the Great War (WWI) - British women worked in factories, as nurses, or for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. - Won over the public for their cause – showed the usefulness of women
49
Women's Suffrage: Success!
Representation of the People Act (1918) - Women 30+ were allowed to vote - Only if they owned some property (or their husband did) Representation of the People Act (1928) - Equalised voting rights for men and women - All women (and men) of 21+ were allowed to vote

British Studies (7 decks)

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