EnglishEnglish

Absolutism Absolutism

AbsolutismAbsolutism

a form of monarchical power that is unrestrained by any other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites

James James II Stuart (not a Tudor)

King of Scotland

Nephew of Elizabeth I

Son of Mary Stuart

Initially agreed to rule according to English law and customs

Kept Parliament involved

Until…divine right

Tensions with ParliamentTensions with Parliament

Disagreements about money Lavish lifestyle Wars Taxes

Disagreements about foreign policy

James’ solution dissolve Parliament

Religious TensionsReligious Tensions

The Puritans wanted: To “purify” the Church of England of Catholic

practices Simpler services More democratic church with no powerful bishops

James I rejected their demands

Chased them out of England

Charles Charles II• r. 1625-1649

• inherited the throne from his father, James I

• Like his father, he ruled as an absolute monarch– Bickered with Parliament

– Imprisoned enemies without trial

– Ran the nation into further debt

Charles Charles II vs. Parliament vs. Parliament

Debt from: Super-luxurious lifestyle War with France

Needed money called for Parliament to convene

Parliament refused to fork over any money until Charles I signed the Petition of Right

Petition of RightPetition of Right

1. No funds could be borrowed or raised through taxes & tariffs without the explicit approval of Parliament

Petition of RightPetition of Right

2. Habeas Corpus: No free person (Britain had slavery at this time) could be imprisoned without a reason

The DealThe Deal

Charles I signed the Petition, thereby agreeing to its terms (and getting his $$)

Did Charles have any intention of keeping his word?

Dissolution of ParliamentDissolution of Parliament

Charles immediately broke his word

To avoid a confrontation with Parliament, he dissolved it (would stay dissolved for 12 years)

Now on his own…with no funds from Parliament

Charles’ Budget CutsCharles’ Budget Cuts

Made peace with enemies (peace is cheaper than war)

Downsized government administration

Innovative tax increases

One goal in mind rule without Parliament

Charles Charles II and Religion and Religion

Charles persecuted the Puritans

Allowed the Archbishop of Canterbury (William Laud) to freely take any measures to stifle the Puritans

Puritans Under Charles Puritans Under Charles II

Forbidden to publish or preach

Scottish Puritans were forced to use the Church of England’s prayer books, rituals, hierarchy, etc

Rebellion occurred, thus forcing Charles to reconvene Parliament

Twelve Years to StewTwelve Years to Stew

Parliament - ready to show Charles no mercy

Refused Charles any money until he addressed a very long list of complaints

What do you think Charles did??

Buh-Bye ParliamentBuh-Bye Parliament

Charles I refused their demands and dismissed them (April–May 1640 - known as “The Short Parliament”)

Still, he was without money

Reconvened Parliament again, but this time agreed to their demands (would become the “Long Parliament” as it would remain until 1660)

Parliament’s DemandsParliament’s Demands

Illegal to raise taxes without Parliament okay

William Laud – impeached & executed

Charles’ centralized bureaucracy – abolished

Law that only Parliament could dismiss itself

Law that Parliament had to meet every 3 years

Rebellion in IrelandRebellion in Ireland

Religious radicals in Ireland rebelled

Charles I wanted funds for an army to go in

Parliament did not trust Charles I with an army

Proposal from radicals in Parliament – the army should be under Parliament’s control

One Angry KingOne Angry King

Charles not very happy about this

Stormed Parliament with his own army

Parliament issued Militia Ordinance which officially declared the army under Parliament’s control

The result????

The English Civil WarThe English Civil War

Cavaliers & RoundheadsCavaliers & Roundheads

Cavaliers = Supporters of King Charles I

Wealthy nobles

Wore plumed hats

Fashionably long hair

Well trained in dueling & warfare

Expected a quick win

Cavaliers & Cavaliers & RoundheadsRoundheads

Roundheads = Supporters of Parliament Divide within: Independents vs.

Presbyterians

Country gentry, town- dwelling manufacturers, & Puritan clergy

Called Roundheads b/c of their hair style

Underdogs

Leader – Oliver Cromwell

Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell

Puritan, gentry, military genius

Organized “New Model Army” into a skilled force

Defeated Cavaliers

Cromwell’s WorriesCromwell’s Worries

New religious sects = trouble (overturn social hierarchy) Quakers, Diggers, Ranters & Seekers – all promoted

“inner light” and equality Fear of potential skepticism, anarchy & debauchery

The King Independents purged Presbyterians in Parliament

(“The Rump Parliament”) Rump – created high court put Charles I on trial

The Execution of a KingThe Execution of a King

Found guilty

Sentenced to death as a “tyrant, traitor, murderer, and public enemy”

Life Under Puritan RuleLife Under Puritan Rule

After Charles I’s execution, Rump Parliament abolished : The monarchy The House of Lords The Church of England

Cromwell established a “Puritan Republic”

Religion Under CromwellReligion Under Cromwell

Allowed various Puritan sects to worship

Permitted Jews with needed skills to return

Catholics not permitted to worship publicly

Anglicans not permitted to use the Book of Common Prayer

Cromwell at WarCromwell at War

Re-conquered Scottish

Subdued Ireland crushed Irish rebellions massacred whole garrisons & their priests exiled Catholics to remote parts of Ireland

Laid foundation for a “Great Britain”

Waged naval war against the Dutch (1652-1654)

Wars = budget 2x that of Charles I

Life Under CromwellLife Under Cromwell

Increased property taxes & customs duties

1653: abolished Rump Parliament in coup – made himself “Lord Protector”

Censored the press

Forbade sports & closed theaters

Used spies to read mail & watch enemies

Cromwell’s DeathCromwell’s Death

Died in 1658

“There were none that cried but dogs.” – John Evelyn, Diarist

Buried in Westminster Abbey

1661: body exhumed – cut off head & displayed outside Westminster Hall for nearly 20 years!

End of the CommonwealthEnd of the Commonwealth

Puritans lost control of England

1660: New Anglican Parliament invited Charles II back as King

Charles II met with cheering crowds

Charles Charles IIII

Idolized Louis XIV

Religiously tolerant

Accepted Petition of Right

Not long until he tried to re-establish royal authority

Catastrophe StrikesCatastrophe Strikes

May 1665: Plague hits London

Over 30,000 dead by September

1666: The Great Fire of London – 3 days

Charles Charles IIII & Parliament & Parliament

Tensions over religion – P. concerned w/ successor (James II – openly Cath.)

P. passed the Test Act (1673) – all gov’t officials must take oath to Church of England & disavow Catholic doctrine

1678: P. explicitly denied throne to a Roman Catholic

Tories vs. WhigsTories vs. Whigs

Crisis over succession = 2 factions Tories supported:

strong hereditary monarchy restored ceremony of the Anglican church James II’s succession

Whigs advocated: Parliamentary supremacy Toleration of Protestant dissenters Opposition of Cath. monarch

James James IIII

Inherited the throne

Brother of Charles II

Flaunted his Catholic faith

Many feared he would restore Catholicism

William & MaryWilliam & Mary

Parliament invited James II’s Protestant daughter Mary II & her Dutch Protestant husband William of Orange to the throne

The Glorious RevolutionThe Glorious Revolution

William & Mary arrived with an army

No need – James II fled to France

Parliament set up a Limited Monarchy via a Bill of Rights (1689)

Also affirmed habeas corpus (no person could be held in prison without first being charged with a specific crime)

Radical concept in the Age of Absolutism…

Toleration Act Toleration Act

1689

All Protestants granted freedom of worship

Non-Anglicans still excluded from university

Catholics – no rights, but could worship privately

From Absolutism to ConstitutionalismFrom Absolutism to Constitutionalism

Constitutionalism: a system of government in which rulers share power with parliaments made up of elected officials

Locke & Hobbes: The Social Contract Political authority derives not from divine right but

from an implicit contract between citizens & their rulers

Thomas HobbesThomas Hobbes

1588-1679

Leviathan (1651)

Human nature = self-centered & driven by need for self-preservation

Pro-absolute monarchy + social contract (rulers derived their power from a contract in which absolute authority protects people’s rights)

John LockeJohn Locke

1632-1704

physician, secretary, & intellectual

Human nature = reasonable

Tabula Rasa – “Blank Slate”

All men created equal

Locke’s Social ContractLocke’s Social Contract

Between ruler & people (power w/ the people)

Gov’t is morally obliged to serve people, namely by protecting life, liberty & property

Favored Representative Democracy

Dutch RepublicDutch Republic

Power in the people via elected representatives

Each province appointed exec. officer (stadholder – often an Orange prince) carried out ceremonies managed military defense

William III took English throne – DR cont. w/o stadholders for several decades

Dutch Golden AgeDutch Golden Age

Europe’s financial capital (Bank of Amsterdam)

Dominated shipping industry

Imported from: Asia: spices, teas, silk Americas: tobacco & sugar England & Spain: wool

Best educated, most prosperous of 17th C.

Decline of Dutch Golden AgeDecline of Dutch Golden Age

Ongoing naval wars w/ Britain & land wars w/ France – drained wealth

Increasingly depended on alliances – esp. w/ England under the rule of Wm. & Mary

By end of 17th C. Golden Age = over