Part 2 : Challenging royal authority Flashcards
what was sixteenth century society like?
- centered around the church
function of monasteries in the sixteenth century
- places of learning and culture
- offered medical treatment and sometimes acted as refuges for the poor or homeless
the public’s religious worries
- people were so worried about going to hell that they paid the church indulgences to be forgiven for their sins and to help them get to heaven
what was the reformation?
- a religious movement in the 1500s that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church because of their wealth and their influence in society
who were the reformation’s ideas fuelled by?
- the writings of martin luther in 1517
- he translated the bible into german and criticised the church for selling indulgences
what was the act of supremacy?
- henry made himself head of the church of england in 1534 with the act of supremacy
- he did this with the help of his adviser, thomas cromwell
- cromwell was a blacksmith’s son who was well travelled
- he helped henry divorce catherine of aragon and increase his wealth
why did king henry VIII support the reformation?
- henry saw the pope as a competing power - he wanted the people of england to listen to him only
- henry wanted a divorce from catherine of aragon but the pope would not allow it
- if henry was in charge of the church itself, he would not need to pay the pope taxes
what did thomas cromwell promise?
- to make henry VIII the richest king in europe and to do it he would take the wealth from the monasteries
the church’s wealth
- the church had an annual income of more than £200 000 which meant that it earned nearly double that of the king and henry wanted this wealth
what happened to monasteries in 1536?
- small monasteries with an annual income of less than £200 were shut down in 1536
what was set up by cromwell to evaluate monasteries?
- valor ecclesiasticus - he had reports written about how the monasteries were spending their money
- if they were not being run properly, they were shut down
- those writing the reports were encouraged to make the monasteries sound worse than they were, making it easier to close them
why were people unhappy about henry’s changes?
- rising prices
- changes to religion
- landowners lost influence
- cromwell’s power
prices rising after henry’s changes
- prices continued to rise under henry
- his advisers were blamed
who lost influence after henry viii’s changes?
- those who had been supporters of catherine of aragon fell out of favour after the divorce
what were religious conflicts after henry viii’s changes?
- many people wanted the monasteries back, with the pope as the head of the church
growing dislike towards cromwell
- cromwell was hated by landowners who resented his influence; he was blamed for the changes to the church
who were angry about the changes to the church and what happened as a result of it?
- devout christians who were angry about the changes to the church
- rebellion broke out in yorkshire called the pilgrimage of grace
what were the demands of the devout christians who were angry about the changes to the church (the pilgrimage of grace)?
- to restore the monasteries because of their importance within the community
- to recognise the pope as the head of the church
- dismiss cromwell and other ministers who were giving the king poor advice
how did the pilgrimage of grace marchers march?
- carried a banner showing the five wounds of christ
what was the pilgrimage of grace uprising about?
- religion and against the king’s advisers, who were seen to be corrupting it
who was the leader of the pilgrimage of grace?
- the rebels had found a leader in a lawyer called Robert Aske
- he was able to put the case together to show that the pilgrims weren’t against the king himself and had no intention of challenging royal authority
what were the actions of the pilgrimage of grace rebels?
- they captured key locations throughout october 1536
- started in lincoln with lord hussey who had supported catherine of aragon - he wanted a removal of tax in peacetime
- the town of york and pontefract castle were captured, they had been held by lord darcy but he surrendered and joined the pilgrims
- by the end of october, they had control of most of england north of chesire and lincolnshire
- 27th october - duke of norfolk met the pilgrims at doncaster bridge - he had an army of 8000 men and Aske had 30,000
state some key locations captured by the pilgrimage of grace rebels.
- lincoln
- town of york and pontefract castle
- most of england north of chesire and lincolnshire
how big was the duke of norfolk’s army compared to Aske’s army?
- 8000 - duke of norfolk
- 30,000 - robert aske, leader of the pilgrimage of grace
who had been selected by the king to negotiate with the pigrims and why?
- the duke of norfolk
- he was a catholic
- he was a strong critic of cromwell
what did the duke of norfolk agree to do?
- take the new list of demands from the pilgrims to henry
- they were the same as before but they added that a parliament must meet in york to provide better representation for the north
when were the pilgrim’s list of demands presented to the king?
- december 1536
- robert aske spent the christmas holiday with henry at his palace
- henry reassured asks that he was taking their demands seriously
what did henry begin to do after the pilgrim’s list of demands were presented to him?
- he started to strengthen his garrison in the north
what was attacked by the rebels in january 1537?
- castles in hull, beverly and scarborough
what did henry do after the pilgrims attack on castles in 1537?
- he cancelled the pardons and sent Norfolk north where another rebellion was taking place in Carlisle
- the rebels surrendered
- several hanged
- rebellion was over
what were the categories of the different types of impacts of the pilgrimage of grace?
- religious
- economic
- political
what were the religious impacts of the pilgrimage of grace?
- failed to stop the dissolution of the monasteries
- in 1539 many larger monasteries were dissolved
what were the economic impacts of the pilgrimage of grace?
- the economy improved with the money from the monasteries and henry was able to develop the royal navy
- landowners bought the monastery land
what were the political impacts of the pilgrimage of grace?
- cromwell had darcy, hussey and aske killed
- henry strengthened the council of the north
- no more rebellions took place during henry’s reign
- cromwell eventually fell out of henry’s favour and was executed in 1540
who became king in 1625?
- charles I
- after his father James I died
what would happen to charles, within 20 years of becoming king?
- charles would be at war with his own country and would eventually have his head chopped off
what did charles I believe?
- charles I believed that kings derived their authority from God, so should not have to justify their actions to any earthly authority such as a parliament known as the divine right of kings
did the king have favourites?
- yes
- such as the duke of birmingham
how did charles rule?
- without parliament from 1629
what did king charles tax everyone with?
ship money in 1637
who did charles marry?
a french catholic, henrietta maria
religion of the church under charles
- became more catholic with the changes introduced by archbishop william laud
what was introduced in 1637?
- a new prayer book
- upset the Scots so much they gathered an army
the Scots v Charles’ Army
- the Scots defeated Charles’ army and then invaded England
Puritans under Charles
- wrote critically
- were punished by the Star Chamber
What did the Short Parliament do in April 1640?
- they wouldn’t give Charles money to fight the Scots
what were Parliament worried about?
that the Earl of Strafford would help Charles rule England with an Irish army
what were Laudian reforms?
- reforms introduced by William Laud
- imposed a new prayer book in Scotland
what happened after the Laudian reforms?
- some Presbyterians in Scotland joined together and signed an agreement called a covenant in 1638
what did the covenant state?
- that the Presbyterians would not accept the changes
- those who signed the agreement and their supporters became known as the Covenanters
summary of the causes of the english revolution
- parliament did not trust king charles I due to his religious links and his attempts to rule the country without consulting parliament on matters of finance, religion and foreign policy
government causes of the english revolution
- charles ruled without parliament from 1629
- the short parliament, april 1640, would not give charles money to fight the scots
- parliament worried that the earl of strafford would help charles rule england with an irish army
religion causes of the english revolution
- charles married a french catholic, henrietta maria
- the church became more catholic with the changes introduced by archbishop william laud
- new prayer book in 1637 upset the scots so much so that they gathered an army
- puritans wrote critically and were punished by the star chamber
war causes of the english revolution
- the scots defeated charles’ army, and then invaded england
economic causes of the english revolution
- the king taxed everybody with ship money in 1637
- the short parliament would not give charles the money to fight the scots in april 1640
role of the individual causes of the english revolution
- charles I believed that kings derived their authority from God, so they should not have to justify their actions to any earthly authority such as parliament - known as the divine right of kings
- king had favourites
- ruled without parliament from 1629
- taxed everyone with ship money in 1637
- he married a french catholic, henrietta maria
who were king charles’ favourites?
such as the Duke of Buckingham
when did the civil war begin?
in nottingham in august 1642
how did the civil war begin?
charles I declared war on parliament and called on all of his supporters for help
did everyone support the king?
no, not everyone was a loyal supporter of the king
who were the cavaliers?
- the royalists
- wealthy landowners who did not want to lose their wealth
where were the cavaliers based?
mainly based in northern england
what were the cavaliers worried about?
- the growing influence of parliament
who were the roundheads?
- parliamentarians
- mostly merchants who were not happy about the king’s taxes
who were the roundheads supported by?
middle-class and peasant workers
where were the roundheads based?
in southern england and london
what did the roundheads not support?
charles’ religious and political reforms
who was oliver cromwell?
- the MP for cornwall
- a puritan
what did oliver cromwell lead?
he led parliamentary forces with thomas fairfax
what did oliver cromwell create?
a new model army
when and where did the war start and who was winning?
- 1642
- battle of edgehill
- war started with no clear winner
describe what happened in the battle of edgehill
- started with no clear winner
- the king then tried to take london but failed and withdrew to oxford
- both sides fought using cavalry and infantry and used tactics that had been seen in many battles before
what was the aim of the parliamentarians?
- most did not want the full removal of the king but simply a removal of royal reforms
- however, cromwell was angry about this and was committed to removing the king
how did cromwell plan on removing the king?
using his new model army
what was different about the new model army?
- he recruited men based on their ability rather than their privilege
- army was disciplined and lived by a strict religious and moral code
- the men were not allowed to drink or swear
when was the new model army used for the first time?
- at the battle of naseby in 1645
- emerged victorious over the king’s smaller army
what was considered a turning point in the civil war?
- the victory of the new model army at the battle of naseby
when was the battle of naseby?
1645
how many men did the new model army have compared to the royalist army?
- NMA : 14,000 men
- RA : 9,000 men
tactics of the new model army
- approached slowly rather than charging
- manoeuvred behind the royalist infantry and attacked from the rear
outcome of the civil war
- end of the king’s last great army
- the new model army went on to capture bristol and oxford
what happened in 1647?
- second civil war
- 1647 - charles surrendered to the scottish army which later handed him over to the new model army to go on trial for treason
- however, when negotiating with parliament, charles encouraged a scottish army to invade england and make the english church presbyterian
when in the second civil war did the scots fight the NMA?
- 1648
- at the battle of preston
- scots were defeated and charles confirmed that he couldn’t be trusted as he encouraged the scottish army to invade england
december 1648 : the second civil war
- the regiment of thomas pride surrounded parliament
- they refused entry to those who supported the king (pride’s purge)
- charles would be tried with no one to support him
why were parliamentarians not happy at the end of the second civil war which went against him in his trial?
- they weren’t happy that charles continued to challenge his authority of government and limit the development of democracy
- this would go against him in his trial
when was king charles I put on trial?
january 1649
what was king charles I charged with?
treason
how many commissioners were present at the trial and what did this show?
- of the 135 commissioners that were due to turn up only 68 were present
- there was a feeling that things had gone too far as most people had wanted to remove royal reforms but not the king himself
- only oliver cromwell was sure the king had to go
what happened in king charles I’s trial?
- 27th january 1649 he was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death
- the court president justified that by saying charles had attacked the basic liberties of the country by refusing to call parliament
- 30th january 1649 he was beheaded
were people in support of king charles I’s execution?
- charles had to wait hours until they found an executioner who was willing to kill him
what law needed to be passed before the king’s death?
they needed to pass a law that stopped a new monarch being installed on the king’s death
what were the moral justifications for the king’s execution?
the court heard that charles had approved of the ill-treatment of parliamentary forces during the war
what were the political justifications for the king’s execution?
there was a new sense of freedom as ordinary men could now have influence
what were economic justifications for the king’s execution?
people wanted an end to the taxes they had to endure during charles’ reign such as ship money
what were religious justifications for the king’s execution?
as far as the soldiers and cromwell was concerned, the king’s defeat was a sign of God’s providence
what happened after charles I’s execution?
- oliver cromwell became the leader of the commonwealth
what is the commonwealth?
a term for a political community founded for the common good
what would the new commonwealth be?
a republic
what impact did the english revolution and the execution of charles have on new ideas of the commonwealth?
- the levellers were a politically radical group who spread the idea of votes for all men and a more equal society
- the diggers were similar to the levellers but they campaigned for land reform
- english society had changed to become more equal and ordered due to puritanism
what impact did the english revolution and the execution of charles have on religion of the commonwealth?
- cromwell was a puritan and wanted society to reflect his beliefs
- however people were free to worship however they liked
- jews, who had been banished from england in 1290 were invited back into britain
- religious radicalism developed
what impact did the english revolution and the execution of charles have on economy of the commonwealth?
- the navigation act of 1651 stated that only english ships could arrive at or leave england
- system of taxation reorganised to make it more efficient for everyone
when was the navigation act?
1651
what impact did the english revolution and the execution of charles have on the politics of the commonwealth?
- cromwell won against spanish and dutch which restored england’s reputation abroad
- he appointed major generals to the 11 districts he created and they kept strict control over everyone
what happened in 1660?
charles’ son became king as charles II
what powers did king charles II have?
- there were limits to what he could do
- parliament had much more power
what happened in 1689?
a law was passed which completely limited the powers of the king
how did people see cromwell in the 1660s?
- during the restoration of the monarchy under charles II many saw him as the devil
how did historians view cromwell in the 19th century?
- were kinder
- when britain was moving more towards a democracy and parliament was more important
britain during the 17th century
had become very powerful
what did britain do during the 17th century?
took over other parts of the world including large parts of north america
what happened during the 1760s-70s?
the people of america became unhappy about being part of the british empire
how did britain use north america?
- as a colony to grow crops
- used NA as a penal colony
what crops did britain use north america to grow?
cotton, tobacco and sugar
how many british convicts were sent to colonial america?
50,000 convicts
by the early 1700s how many separate english colonies were there in north america?
13
how many british settlers were there in north america by 1775?
2.5 million
how did the british settlers become wealthy in north america?
by dealing in slaves
what were the long term causes of the american revolution?
- the americans resented paying for the british army’s presence in north america
- the navigation acts meant that the colonists could only trade with britain and not other countries
- colonists disagreed with the land boundaries that the british had agreed with the native americans
what did the navigation acts mean for the colonists?
- enforced in mid-1600s but still in force
- meant that colonists could only trade with britain and not other countries
what were the medium-term causes of the american revolution?
- the americans were ruled from britain yet they had no representatives in british parliament
- stamp tax was very unpopular
- they were unhappy about paying taxes without having a say in them
what was stamp tax?
a tax on all documents including newspapers
what slogan did the colonists of north america use at their unhappiness of paying taxes without having a say in them?
‘no taxation without representation!’
when was the boston massacre?
1770
1770 boston massacre
the british army shot and killed some anti-British colonists
when was the boston tea party?
1773
1773 boston tea party
colonists poured british tea into the harbour in protest at the tea tax imposed by the british
when was the lexington incident?
1775
1775 lexington incident
british soldiers were fired on when they tried to seize some gunpowder which was the start of the american revolution
what were the short term causes of the american revolution?
- 1770 boston massacre
- 1773 boston tea party
- 1775 lexington incident which was the start of the american revolution
where did the americans meet to decide what to do about the british?
in congress
who was the leader of the american army?
george washington
when was the declaration of independence issued, where and what did it state?
- 1776
- philadelphia
- stated that 13 colonies were free and that all control from britain had ended
how many years of fighting followed after the declaration of independence in order to achieve it?
seven years
what happened in yorktown?
the decisive battle of war
when did the decisive battle of war in yorktown occur?
in 1781
describe the decisive battle of war in yorktown.
- americans had 3000 extra men and they had the support of the french
- the french had secured the waters around yorktown so that the british could not get their supplies in from the sea
- british troops moved onto a peninsula as they awaited supplies
- george washington attacked the british and the british were forced to surrender
what had challenged british royal authority?
a group who had a clear cause for the development of democracy
what did the american revolution mean was set up for america?
their own system of government with a constitution, congress and a president which still exists today
despite the declaration of independence stating that ‘all men are created equal’….
- poor people did not get the vote in america
- slavery still existed
- native americans were still discriminated against
by the early twentieth century, what had america developed into?
the most powerful country in the world
after the american revolution, what relations worsened?
- relations between france and britain
- due to the french support of the americans
what became the most important colony to the british after the american revolution?
india - named the ‘jewel in the crown’
which group did britain have to deal with after the american revolution?
its growing working-class population who might like the idea of overthrowing authority
what did the american revolution inspire in the world?
- the french revolution and the execution of king louis XVI
- inspired the working class in britain and other countries to demand voting rights and better representation
