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The death of Elizabeth I
She left a large debt for her successor, James I. -
James I
he was the king of Scotland, but when Elizabeth I died, he was her closest relative, so he had to claim the throne of England as well as Scotland. -
Charles I
very unpopular king with the people, he signed the petition of rights and didn’t follow its rules, he imposed lots of fees and fines on the English people to raise money after he dissolved parliament and refused to call them back in session. -
parliament
a branch that keeps the holds the king to only have a certain amount of power, they grant him money, and they are very strict about giving money to the king. -
Charles I dissolves parliament
because parliament wouldn’t grant him funds, he dissolved them often. -
Charles I calls parliament back to session
Charles I had to call parliament back at some point, which he did in 1628 -
Petition Of Rights
a document made by parliament for the king to sign which limits his power, saying that he can’t imprison subjects without a good cause, can’t modify taxes without the consent of parliament, can’t house soldiers in private houses, and can’t impose martial law in peaceful times. -
Autumn of 1641 laws
parliament passed more laws to limit royal power, and Charles was furious, so he tried to arrest the leaders of parliament, but they escaped and then people were rioting outside of the palace so Charles fled to northern England, where people were loyal to him, and this is what led to the English civil war. -
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English Civil War
From 1642 to 1649, supporters and opponents of King Charles fought the English Civil War. Those who remained loyal to Charles were called Royalists or Cavaliers. On the other side were Puritan supporters of Parliament. Because these men wore their hair short over their ears, Cavaliers called them Roundheads. -
Oliver Cromwell
the Puritans found a general who could win—Oliver Cromwell. In 1645, Cromwell’s New Model Army began defeating the Cavaliers, and the tide turned toward the Puritans. In 1647, they held the king prisoner. In 1649, Cromwell and the Puritans brought Charles to trial for treason against Parliament. They found him guilty and sentenced him to death. -
Charles I Executed
The execution of Charles was revolutionary. Kings had often been overthrown, killed in battle, or put to death in secret. Never before, however, had a reigning monarch faced a public trial and execution. -
Oliver Cromwell rules england
since the execution of Charles I, Cromwell now held the reins of power. In 1649, he abolished the monarchy and the House of Lords. He established a commonwealth, a republican form of government. In 1653, Cromwell sent home the remaining members of Parliament. Cromwell’s associate John Lambert drafted a constitution, the first written constitution of any modern European state. However, Cromwell eventually tore up the document and became a military dictator. -
Restoration
the reign of Charles II began. Because he restored the monarchy, the period of his rule is called the Restoration. -
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Charles II
He ruled England after the death of Oliver Cromwell. -
Habeas Corpus
corpus. Habeas corpus is Latin meaning “to have the body.” This 1679 law gave every prisoner the right to obtain a writ or document ordering that the prisoner be brought before a judge to specify the charges against the prisoner. The judge would decide whether the prisoner should be tried or set free. Because of the Habeas Corpus Act, a monarch could not put someone in jail simply for opposing the ruler. Also, prisoners could not be held indefinitely without trials. -
James II
In 1685, Charles II died, and James II became king. James soon offended his subjects by displaying his Catholicism. Violating English law, he appointed several Catholics to high office. When Parliament protested, James dissolved it. In 1688, James’s second wife gave birth to a son. English Protestants became terrified at the prospect of a line of Catholic kings. -
william and mary
James had an older daughter, Mary, who was Protestant. She was also the wife of William of Orange, a prince of the Netherlands. Seven members of Parliament invited William and Mary to overthrow James for the sake of Protestantism. -
Glorius revolution
Protestantism. When William led his army to London in 1688, James fled to France. This bloodless overthrow of King James II is called the Glorious Revolution. -
English bill of rights
To make clear the limits of royal power, Parliament drafted a Bill of Rights in 1689. This document listed many things that a ruler could not do:
• no suspending of Parliament’s laws
• no levying of taxes without a specific grant from Parliament
• no interfering with freedom of speech in Parliament
• no penalty for a citizen who petitions the king about grievances
