Topic 5: Divine right and parliamentary authority Flashcards
Summary of the English Revolution
- Charles the first became king in 1625 after his father James the first died.
- Many historians believe that James have been a good king in regard to religion but he had caused tension with the parliament because he was an extravagant king who like to give money to his friends.
- Parliament would not let Charles make the mistakes his father had.
- Within 20 years of becoming king, Charles would be at war with his own country and would eventually have his head chopped the sequence of event is called the English revolution.
What were the main causes of the English revolution?
– Charles I believed that King derived the authority from God so should not have to justify the actions to any earthly authority such as parliament; this was known as the divine right of Kings.
– The King had favourites such as the Duke of Buckingham.
– Charles ruled without parliament from 1629.
– The king taxed everybody with ship money in 1637.
– Charles married a French catholic, Henrietta Maria.
– The church became more Catholic with the changes introduced by arch Bishop William Laud.
– A new prayer book in the 1637 upset the Scots so much they gathered an army.
– The Scots defeated Charles‘ Army, then invaded England.
– Puritans wrote critically and punished by the star chamber.
– The short parliament, April 1640, would not give Charles money to fight the Scots.
– Parliament worried that the Earl of Stafford would help Charles rule England with an Irish army.
The Civil War: who fought for whom?
The Civil War started in Nottingham in August 1642. Charles I declared war on Parliament and called on all the support us for help. However, not everyone was a loyal supporter of the king.
Cavaliers (Royalists)
– Wealthy landowners who did not want to lose their wealth.
– Mainly based in northern England.
– Those who are worried about the growing influence of parliament.
Roundheads (parliamentarians)
– Supported by middle-class and peasant workers.
– Mainly based in southern England and London.
– Mostly merchants who are not happy about the king taxes.
– Those who did not support Charles’ religious and political reforms.
Oliver Cromwell
– MP for Cornwall.
– Lead parliamentary forces with Thomas Fairfax.
– Create a new model Army.
– A Puritan.
What was the new model army and how did it come to be made?
The war had started with no clear winner at the battle of Edgehill, 1642. The king then tried to take London but failed and withdrew to Oxford. Both sides had fought using cavalry and infantry and used tactics that had been seen in many battles before.
Most parliamentarians did not want the full removal of the king. They simply wanted a removal of royal reforms. Cromwell on the other hand was angry about this and was committed to removing the king. He planned to do this by using his new model army.
He recruited men based on their ability rather than their privilege.
The army was disciplined and lived by a strict religious and moral code.
The men were not allowed to drink or swear.
The new model army was used for the first time at the Battle of Naseby 1645, where it was victorious over the King small army. This victory is considered a turning point in the war
Statistics
New model army: 14,000 men
Royalist army: 9000 men
Tactics
Approached slowly rather than charging.
Manoeuvered behind the royalist infantry and attacked from the rear.
Outcome
End of the King last great Army.
The new model army went onto capture Bristol and Oxford.
Timeline of the second Civil War
– 1647: Charles surrendered to the Scottish army which later handed them over to the new model army to go on trial for treason.
– However, while negotiating with parliament, Charles encouraged a Scottish army to invade England and make the English church Presbyterian.
– 1648: At the Battle of Preston the Scots fought the new model Army. The Scots were defeated and Charles confirmed that he could not be trusted.
– December 1648: 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.
– Many parliamentarians were not happy that Charles continued to challenge the authority of government and limit the development of democracy. This would go against him during his trial. 
The trial of Charles
In January 1649 King Charles I was put on trial, charged with treason. Of the 135 commissioners that were due to turn up, only 68 or present. There was a feeling that things had gone too far – most people had wanted to remove Royal reforms, not the king himself. One person who was sure the king had to go was Oliver Cromwell
On 27 January 1649 King Charles was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. The court president justified this by saying Charles had attacked the basic liberties of the country by refusing to call Parliament.
On 30 January 1649 the king was beheaded. Charles had to wait hours until they found an executioner who was willing to kill him. Furthermore, they needed to pass a law that stopped the monarch being installed on the king’s death.
Justifications for the Kings execution
Moral
The court heard that Charles had approved of the ill treatment of parliamentary forces during the war.
Religious
As far as the soldiers and Cromwell were concerned, the king’s defeat was a sign of God’s providence.
Political
There was a new sense of freedom as ordinary men could now have influence.
Economic
People wanted an end to the taxes they had to endure under Charles’ reign, such a ship money.
After the execution
After Charles I’s execution Oliver Cromwell became the leader of the Commonwealth. A ‘Commonwealth ‘is a term for a political community founded for the common good. The new Commonwealth would be a republic.
What was the impact on the commonwealth of the English revolution and Charles’ execution?
New ideas
- The Levellers were a politically radical group who spread the idea of voted for all men and a more equal society.
- The Diggers were similar to the Levellers but they campaigned for land reform.
- English society changed to become more equal and ordered because of Puritanism.
Religion
- 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 1290, were invited back to Britain.
- Religious radicalism developed.
Economy
- The Navigation Act stated that only English ships could arrive or leave England.
- The system of taxation wad reorganised to make it more efficient for everyone.
Politics
- Cromwell won wars against the Spanish and Dutch, restoring England’s reputation abroad.
- He appointed Major Generals to the 11n districts he created - they kept strict control over everyone.
In 1660 Charles’ son became king, as Charles II. There were limits to what he could do and parliament had much more power. In 1689 a law was passed completely limiting the powers of the king.
Restoration and revolution
1660 – Charles II takes throne
1685 – James II becomes king – Catholic and argued with Parliament
1688 – Glorious Revolution – Parliament invited William and Mary to become King and Queen
What were the bill of rights?
- Bill of Rights 1688 or 1689 put limits on the power of the king and gave power to Parliament.
- The Bill of Rights is an Act of the Parliament of England passed on 16 December 1689. It was a restatement in statutory form of the Declaration of Right presented by the Convention Parliament to William and Mary in March 1689, inviting them to become joint sovereigns of England. It lays down limits on the powers of the crown and sets out the rights of Parliament and rules for freedom of speech in Parliament, the requirement to regular elections to Parliament and the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution. It re-established the liberty of Protestants to have arms for their defence within the rule of law, and condemned James II of England for “causing several good subjects being Protestants to be disarmed at the same time when papists were both armed and employed contrary to law”.
- These ideas about rights reflected those of the political thinker John Locke and they quickly became popular in England. It also sets out—or, in the view of its drafters, restates—certain constitutional requirements of the Crown to seek the consent of the people, as represented in Parliament.
