1 England in the 17th Century – Part II Establishing a Constitutional Monarchy: From the Stuarts to the Hanoverians & Robert Walpole This presentation.

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England in the 17th Century – Part II

Establishing a Constitutional Monarchy: From the Stuarts to the Hanoverians & Robert Walpole

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From Absolutism to Constitutionalism And how does England do it???

- ongoing opposition between kings and Parliament

- bloody civil war- execution of a king- military dictatorship- son of executed king returned to throne- bloodless revolution, - finally constitutional monarchy!

The Triumph of Parliament!!!!

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The Restoration of the StuartsCharles II 1660-

1685– Fought for his

father during the Civil War

– Lived in exile in Holland and France

– Attempted failed revolution in 1651

– Invited to return in 1660: crowned on his birthday, 30 May 1660

Division of Power

King could:

choose his own ministers

decide foreign policycall Parliamentveto Parliament’s laws dismiss Parliament

Parliament could: impeach ministercould make lawscontrol of state

finances

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Religious Issues & Charles IICII = Moderate Religious

Toleration– BUT Puritans were punished

Parliament = Anglican Church & Book of Common Prayer ONLY– Clarendon Code, 1661 – all clergyman

MUST swear an oath to Anglicanism– Non-Anglicans = NO PUBLIC worship– Anglicans worried Charles II has

“Catholic tendencies”

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Religious Issues = Political ChangeTreaty of Dover - Secret agreement with

France (Louis XIV), 1670 – Charles would receive 200,000 pounds annually

from France in return for helping Catholics, fighting the Dutch, and pledging to convert to Catholicism

Declaration of Indulgence, 1672– Extends more religious toleration to the Puritans

and Catholics (remember many members of CII’s family are Catholic)

Parliament responds w/ Test Act 1672– Required all officials to take communion in the

Anglican Church and swear an oath against Catholicism

Parliament splits into two parties Whigs (suspicious of king, the French &

Catholics): primarily noblemen, but also merchant class, middle class

Tories (supporters of king): lesser aristocracy & gentry, often poorer classes as well

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1685: the beginning of the end of the StuartsCharles II had no legitimate

childrenJames II, Charles’ younger

brother was in line for the throne Parliament and Anglicans were

fearful– James II was openly Catholic BUT his

heirs at the time were two Protestant daughters: Mary and Anne

– Would he bring back Catholicism?

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James II, 1685 – 1688

Tried to repeal the Test Act

Appointed Roman Catholics and dissenteres to positions in the army, universities, & government

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Glorious Revolution, 1688June 1688, James’

wife gave birth to a son – baptized him Catholic

Members of Parliament and English society have a solution– Offer the throne

to James’ Protestant daughter Mary and her husband, William III of Orange

William and Mary– Arrive in

November 1688– James II fled to

France in December

– Husband and wife were crowned in April 1689

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William and MaryWilliam and Mary

ruled with tolerance

They led jointly between 1689 – 1694

Mary died of smallpox in 1694

William ruled alone from 1694-1702

Section 1 ends here

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Bill of Rights, 1689contractual relationship btw.

king & peopleenacted by Parliament it states:

no law may be suspended by king no taxes may be levied or army

maintained w/o consent of Parliament

no subject could be arrested & detained w/o legal process

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Additional Acts

Toleration Act, 1689: religious toleration (except for Unitarians and Catholics) BUT Test Act still holds for all officeholders

1701– Act of Settlement – no Catholic would ever

be allowed to inherit the English throne– Royal judges given life tenure – attempt to

create a stronger more independent judiciary that would uphold the rule of law

1707 Act of Union: – United Kingdom of Great Britain:

England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland

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Results of Glorious Revolution1. divine-right of kings no longer

valid2. freely elected Parliament3. increased strength of

Parliament4. foundation laid for

constitutional monarchy5. end of religious “persecution” in

England – not all religions have the same rights

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2 Responses to Revolution

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)– Leviathan, 1651 – supports idea

of absolute rule BECAUSE• humans = animalistic, “solitary,

poor, nasty, brutish, and short” THEREFORE

• the “commonwealth” must rely on a sovereign ruler and may not rebel

Let’s look at the frontispiece – What do you see?

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2 Responses to RevolutionJohn Locke (1632-1704)

– Two Treatises of Government - mutual agreement btw. government and governed•Gov’t. protects inalienable natural rights

(life, liberty, property) of individuals • Individuals act reasonably toward gov’t

BUT • if gov’t. breaks agreement, people should

rebel

– Who would make up the government? •The landed aristocracy

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The Last Stuart

Anne, Queen 1702-1714– Although she was born

19 children none of them survived SO

– It was determined that Sophia of Hanover and her heirs would be the successors to the English throne•Sophia was the

granddaughter of James I

The HanoveriansGeorge I, 1714-1727

– came to power at the end of the War of Spanish Succession

Treaty of Utrecht granted1.legitimacy to Hanoverian right to rule2.new territories: Gibraltar, Hudson’s

Bay, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland3.the right of asiento (English merchants

now allowed to ship African slaves into Spanish New World territories)

4.limited trade rights w/ Spanish colonies

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Triumph of the Whigs

Sir Robert Walpole, 1st English Prime Minister, 1721-1742 – refused to be

ennobled – Why?

– prized civil decorum in politics – Why?

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Rise of English DominanceSee UEQs #9 and create list

here:

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