The Interregnum

(1649-1660)

The Interregnum

(1649-1660)

The “Interregnum” Period [1649-1660]

† The Commonwealth (1649-1653)

† The Protectorate (1654-1660)

Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell1653 - 16591653 - 1659

Commonwealth

• England’s government changed completely for the next 11 years

• House of Commons abolished House of Lords, outlawed monarchy

• Became commonwealth, government based on common good of all people

Foreign Issues

• Cromwell also had to deal with foreign issues

• Led military expeditions to Scotland, Ireland

• Economic policies led to war with Dutch over trade; also warred on Spain

Lord Protector

• 1653, Cromwell given title Lord Protector of England, Scotland, Ireland

• Skilled leader, but demanded complete obedience

• Clamped down on social life, closed theaters, limited other entertainment

England under Cromwell

Political: The Puritan Commonwealth [1649-1653]

† Cromwell rules with the Rump Parliament.

† Constitutional Republic

Created a constitution Instrument of Government

An executive [Cromwell]

A Council of State annually elected the committee of Parliament.

No monarch.

† Europe is appalled other nations don’t recognize it.

Political---Cromwell’s Army: The New Model

• His army had many “pikemen,” who he armed with sixteen-foot-long pikes, and, armed thus, they stood their ground during a cavalry attack

• Kept his army together after a charge• Allowed people to receive proper military training –

made them very disciplined• Allowed working class men to become officers• Army became known as the Parliamentary Army –

defeated the Scots and captured Charles I• Cromwell’s Army ruled England

Political: Cost of Wars and Army force Cromwell’s Hand

• 2.7 mil. Ł per year to run government, mostly to pay army

• Cromwell waged successful war against Dutch in 1651, but war with Spain produced few returns

• “Humble Petition and Advice”—new constitution, Cromwell king in all but name with right to name successor, 2d chamber added to legislature, 40 shilling freehold franchise restored.

• Most of Cromwell’s buddies went to upper chamber; lower chamber was a mess and C. prorogued it in 1658.

Cultural: Religion in Parliament

• Cromwell’s army was mainly composed of Puritans

• These Puritans were very strict, disciplined people, for Puritans believed in leading a very reserved life

• Cromwell and his army removed all the Presbyterian people from Parliament

• They hated most other Christian denominations, especially Catholics

Puritan soldiers wielding their sixteen-foot long pikes

Puritan Morality

• Cromwell and the Puritans wanted to improve England’s morality

• Abolished all “sinful” things – like theater

• Cromwell was tolerant of other religions despite his deep Puritan beliefs (EXCEPT CATHOLICS)

Political: Rebels within a Rebellion: Levellers

† John Lilburne was their leader.

† One of the first libertarians in the world.

† The Agreement of the People was their political manifesto.

Abolish corruption within the Parliament &judicial process.

Toleration ofreligious differences.

Laws written inthe vernacular.

Universal suffrage as a “natural right.”

The Levelers

, another group,

believed in

universal

suffrage

Economic: Rebels within a Rebellion: Diggers

† Agrarian “communists” led by Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard seen as the “true Levellers.”

† With Charles I gone, they felt that land should now be distributed to the poor.

† Food prices had reached record highs in the 1640s.

† They alarmed the Commonwealth government and angered the local landowners who wanted to claim confiscated aristocratic lands for themselves.

The Diggers wanted to

occupy and farm

common lands; they

were against private

ownership of land.

Social: During this time, Quakers, led by George Fox,

emerged as a religion

Economic: He limited Dutch trade, turning a former ally into an enemy

(Navigation Acts)

He gained Jamaica for the

British

Cromwell Dissolves the “Rump” Parliament in 1653

Political: Instrument of Government—Dec. 1653

• Cromwell—Lord Protector• Council of State to check Cromwell’s power• Single House legislature—had to have

property worth 200Ł to vote• Standing army of 30,000 written into

Contitution• By 1655, Cromwell was ruling alone.

The Protectorate [1653-1660]

† Political: Cromwell tears up the ineffective Constitution.

† Political: Dismisses the Rump Parliament and rules with the support of the military.

Declares martial law.

Military dictator.

† Social: Religious tolerance for all [esp. for Jews], except for Catholics.

† Social: Crushes a rebellion in Scotland.

† Social: Crushes a rebellion among the Catholics of Ireland kills 40% of all ethnic Irish!

Lord Protector• Political: Oliver Cromwell was rather dictatorial in his

rule – an absolute monarch• Political: Closed the House of Commons in 1655 when

they opposed him• Political: Ruled through 11 Major-Generals, who each

governed a district – were responsible for collecting taxes and imposing the Puritan morality on the entire nation

• Cultural: Banned MUSIC and DANCING• Social: People were required to go to Church on Sunday

– prosecuted Jews, Muslims, and Catholics• Political: People had to have property to vote

Cultural: Bans! Bans! More Bans!

• Cromwell banned:– Bear-baiting– Cock-fighting– Horse-racing– Wrestling– Betting and gambling– Ale houses– Theaters

• Placed a fine on cursing

A popular blood sport in England, bear-baiting involved chaining a bear to a stake and releasing dogs to attack the bear. Cromwell’s forbiddance of the sport was

almost kind, were it not for his own cruelty towards the people.

Social: Cromwell’s View on Catholics in Ireland

Social: Cromwell Bombards Ireland

'In the heat of action, I forbade them to spare any that were in arms in thetown, and, I think, that night they put to the sword about 2,000 men. Divers of theofficers and soldiers being fled over the Bridge into the other part of the Town,where about one hundred of them possessed St Peter's steeple [and two otherTowers]... I ordered the steeple of St Peter's to be fired where one of them washeard to say in the midst of the flames: 'God damn me, God confound me: I burn.I burn’ .... The next day, the other two Towers were summonsed…. When theysubmitted, their officers were knocked on the head, and every tenth man of thesoldiers killed, and the others shipped [as slaves] to the Barbadoes... The lastLord's Day before the storm, the Protestants were thrust out of the great churchcalled St Peter's and they had a public Mass there; and in this very place nearone thousand Catholics were put to the sword, fleeing thither for safety. I believeall the friars were knocked promiscuously on the head but two; the one of whichwas Fr Peter Taaff... whom the soldiers took and made an end of; the other wastaken in the round tower, under the repute of lieutenant, and when he understoodthat the officers in the Tower had no quarter, he confessed he was a friar; butthat did not save him.’

Cromwell Primary Source on Ireland

Social: Ireland• In August 1649, Cromwell and 12 000 soldiers arrived

at Ireland• For the next ten years, a third of the Irish population

was either killed by the soldiers or died of starvation• Catholic boys and girls were shipped to Barbados and

sold as slaves• Catholic land was given to Protestants, which led to

much strife, even to this very day. Protestants and Catholics in Ireland still break out into murderous riots.

Social: Cromwell and Ireland• In 1649 Cromwell came to Ireland, striking first at

Drogheda. • Drogheda is seen in Irish nationalist legend as anti-Irish

racism, but the garrison there was commanded by an English Catholic and largely under English officers, Royalists.

• Inflamed by an initial setback, Cromwell showed little mercy to the soldiers and priests, killing 2000 of them and having more shipped to Barbados.

• Cromwell may have believed he was taking revenge for 1641, although Drogheda had not been involved – it was within the English Pale.

Social: Ireland 1649• Government policy was to crush all Catholics. • Cromwell marched south. • Some surrendering garrisons were treated well, but

Wexford suffered 2000 casualties including 200 women and children in the marketplace.

• Cromwell dispossessed landowning Irish Catholics and shared their land amongst his soldiers and financiers.

• The transportation of those landowners to a barren province was known as ‘the curse of Cromwell’.

• Those left behind, tenants and labourers, still felt humiliated.

Social: Ireland August 1649• Such religious zeal was involved that the Catholic church

was swept aside. All Catholic estates were confiscated and their owners relocated, if they could prove they had not rebelled.

• Protestant clergymen and schoolmasters were sent over, and there were strenuous efforts to get the Irish into Protestant churches, although language was a barrier.

• However, many Protestant churchmen already in Ireland were reluctant to work within Cromwell’s framework. Cromwell’s regime did not last long, and more moderate people (including his son Henry) came to the fore.

• Catholic Political Cartoon on Oliver Cromwell

Irish Protestant Perspective of Oliver Cromwell Mural in Belfast

Cromwell—Lord Protector or King??

† England longs for an end to martial law!

† Cromwell dies in 1658 and his son, Richard, takes over, but is weak and lasts for only two years.

Political Cartoon on the rule of Oliver Cromwell

• In Leviathan, Hobbes described humans as being naturally selfish, fearful

• Hobbes argued that people needed all-powerful monarch to tell them how to live

• Views sparked controversy when England trying to find balance in government

Leviathan

• Cromwell, the king’s death, war troubled many English people

• One was Thomas Hobbes, Royalist who fled to France during Cromwell’s rule

• Hobbes wrote classic work of political science, Leviathan

Questions of Rule

A Defender of Absolutism

Interregnum• Latin for “between kings,” 1649-60• England became a “Protectorate” instead of a

commonwealth with Cromwell as “Lord Protector”

• Scotland & Ireland conquered (hence Ireland’s anti-Protestant attitude

• Oliver dies in 1658, his son Richard now Lord Protector

• Richard proves to be inept, so people overthrow him in 1660, ask for monarchy

Pepys: “Great joy all yesterday at London, and at night more bonfires that ever, and ringing of bells…every body seems to be very joyfull in the business…”

Hobbes’s ideas reflected the fact that many people were unhappy under Cromwell, especially when he dismissed Parliament to rule alone—like a king. Attitudes were changing so much that a return to monarchy became possible.

• 1658, Cromwell died; son took place; Richard Cromwell lacked father’s leadership abilities

• His government collapsed• Eventually Parliament reconvened,

voted to bring back monarchy—event known as the Restoration

The Restoration

The Monarchy Returns

• Spring 1660, Parliament invited son of Charles I to be new king

• Parliament laid out certain conditions which Charles accepted

• Was crowned as Charles II

• People shouted their good wishes

The New King

Charles II: Restoration King or Merry Charles II: Restoration King or Merry MonarchMonarch

1660 - 16851660 - 1685

Positive and Negative • Charles reopened theaters, flowering of English drama resulted• Habeas Corpus Act passed, guaranteeing someone accused of a crime had

right to appear in court to determine if should be held, released• 1665, bubonic plague returned; following year Great Fire of London• After fire, Charles supported public construction projects

The Reign of Charles II• Charles had to address many issues—conflict with Dutch continued;

religious tensions remained; role of Parliament still being developed• Charles supported religious toleration for Catholics, but Parliament

insisted on laws to strengthen the Church of England• Restoration years, mixture of positive, negative events

Political: An Agreement

• Charles II had to agree to Parliament’s requirements to be allowed to rule

• He could not be an absolute monarch• He had to pardon member of Parliament

and the army who had opposed his father

• Was required to share power• Had to reinstate the House of Lords

House of Lords Chamber, Westminster

Restoration• Cultural: During the Restoration,

Parliament strengthened the Church of England—only Anglicans could attend universities, serve in Parliament, be priests in Anglican Church

• Political: Parliament created Constitutional MonarchyConstitutional Monarchy based on Magna Carta & Petition of Right (Guaranteed rights of people & limited king)

King Charles II [r. 1660-1685]a Had charm, poise, &

political skills [unlike his father!].

a Cultural: Restored the theaters and reopened the pubs and brothels closed during the Restoration.

a Cultural: Favored religious toleration.

a Social: Had secret Catholic sympathies.

King Charles II [r. 1660-1685]

a 1661 “Cavalier” Parliament [filled with Royalists]: Political

Disbanded the Puritan army.

Pardoned most Puritan rebels.

Restored the authority of the Church of England.

a 1662 Clarendon Code [Act of Uniformity] Cultural

All clergy & church officials had to conform to the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.

It forbade “non-conformists” to worship publicly, teach their faith, or attend English universities.

The Merry Monarch…Political Changes

• Charles II was skilled at managing Parliament

• Thus the people elected a Royalist House of Commons

• The Whig and Tory parties developed, which led to a stronger system of checks and balances (neither party would be able to step too fair in either direction – the other party would stop them) Whig and Tory - Walter Dendy Sadler

circa 1875

…Makes His Mark• Did not forgive the judges and officials involved in his

fathers trial and eventual execution• Social: In 1672, he passed the Declaration of Indulgence,

which suspended all laws punishing Catholics• Political: The Writ of Habeas Corpus

– First codified in 1679 in the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679– Habeas Corpus is a writ that allows a prisoner to

question the terms of his or her detainment. That is, it prevents the wanton arrest and imprisonment of the people, for it gives them the right to question why they were indeed arrested

– Gave more proper rights to the people

King Charles II [r. 1660-1685]: Political

a 1673 Test Act Parliament excluded all but Anglicans from

civilian and military positions.[to the Anglican gentry, the Puritans were considered “radicals” and the Catholics were seen as “traitors!”]

Political: Charles II’s Foreign Policy1665 – 1667: Second Anglo-Dutch

War

a To Charles II, Louis XIV is an ideal ally against the Dutch.

a 1670 Treaty of Dover

Economic Policies• Charles’s reign was marked by a rise of colonization and trade in

India, the East Indies, and even America, where the British captured New York from the Dutch in 1664

• Also passed the very important English Navigation Laws, perhaps one of the world’s more important trade laws ever

The English Navigation Laws forbid all of England’s colonies from using their own boats to trade.

Furthermore, it had a monopoly on most exports, for they were not allowed to sell their products anywhere other than England.

They were a constant source of irritation between founder and colony.

Cultural: Great London Plague, 1665

The Great Plague• In 1665 the so-called Great Plague hit the country,

though it was Stuart London that took the worst of the plague.

• The plague was only finally brought under control in 1666 when the Great fire of London burned down the areas most affected by the Plague.

• London's population began to grow and many lived in squalor and poverty, the only people had to rid of rubbish was thrown out Into the streets.

• This led to it being a major breeding ground for the rats whose fleas carried the disease.

The Great Plague Cont.• A popular belief during the plague was that the disease

was caused by cats and dogs, it was not though.• The plague was caused by disease-carrying fleas

carried on the bodies of rats.• The first victims of the plague were found in the poor

districts of the city because of their cramped living conditions that they lived in.

• The poor could not avoid contact with either rats or someone who had the disease due to their horrible living conditions.

The Great Plague Cont.• Many of the wealthy citizens left London for safety in the

countryside. • No such option existed for those who lived in slums. • The poor were the worst hit by the plague.• Any family that had one member infected by the plague was

locked in their home for forty days and nights. – A red cross was painted on the door to warn others of the plight of those in

the house. – No one was allowed in except the “nurses” which were local women with

no training whatsoever but got paid to go visit the houses of plague victims to check on them and bring them food if they could afford to pay for it.

The Great Plague Cont.“Ring-a-ring of roses,A pocketful of posies,

Attischo, Attischo,We all fall down.

Causes:-first comment in the poem refers to red circular blotches found on

the skin-second line refers to the belief that the plague was spread by a cloud

of poisonous gas that was colorless, and if you carried around flowers and smelled them you would be safe

-The final symptom was a sneezing fit that was promptly followed by death

- Most people did not make it to the last stage because their bodies were too weak to handle it

Great London Plague, 1665

Effects of the Great PlagueDates DeathsJune 6-12 43

June 13-19 112

June 20-26 168

June 27-July 3 267

July 4-10 470

July 11-17 715

July 18-24 1089

July 25-31 1843

August 1-7 2010

August 8-14 3880

August 15-21 No record

August 22-28 4237

August 29-September 4 6102

September 5 – September 11 6978

September 12-September 18 6544

September 19-September 25 7165

September 26-October 2 5532

October 3-October 9 4929

October 10-October 16 4327

October 17-October 23 2665

October 24-October 30 1421

October 31-November 6 1031

November 7-November 13 1414

November 14-November 20 1050

November 21-November 27 657

November 28-December 4 333

December 5-December 11 210

December 12-December 18 243

December 19-December 25 281

December 26 – January 1 152

Samuel Pepys’ Diary Entries• Wrote detailed descriptions of the plague in

London in 1665.• Covers the beginning and spread of the plague

to its thriving fall season and finally its end in winter.

• The diaries were originally written for himself, but the entries are so well thought out that many believe he anticipated their publication.

Cultural: The Great Fire of London

• September 1666• One of the most famous incidents in Stuart

England• Stopped the Plague by burning down all

infected areas• Considered to have left a far greater mark on

England than the Plague

The Great Fire of London Cont.

• Started on Pudding Lane in a baker’s shop.• His maid forgot to turn the ovens off at the end of

the night• Sparks ignited the wooden house and the fire spread

quickly • The maid tried to escape, but did not survive and

became one of the few victims of the fire.

The Great Fire of London cont.

• Almost the entire city was made out of wood and it took little time for the fire to spread.

• The buildings so close together• Fire spread rapidly “a fireman’s nightmare”• The upper stories of the buildings overhung lower• Sun could not reach street because the smoke was so thick• Strong winds and dry weather allowed for the fire to grow and

spread with even more rapidity than anyone would have expected.

• The Lord Mayor dismissed the growing threat of the fire saying that a woman could pee on it and it would go out. Luckily, no women tried to do this.

The Great Fire of London Cont.

• Charles II fled London when the Great Plague had hit, but in September of 1666 he stayed to take charge of saving the city from the fire.

• He planned to create fire-breaks by knocking down sections of wooden building.

• This would stop the fire from feeding off of the wood that it needed to continue burning.

• He ordered that Navy rations be given to those that had fled the city.

The Great Fire of London cont.

• The heat was so great that the LEAD roof of St. Paul’s Cathedral MELTED!

• Many pigeons sacrificed their lives to protect their nests. Many said they saw the wing feathers catch on fire and the birds would plummet into the fire.

• There were only 4 human casualties, total, from the fire.

The Great Fire of London cont.

• The fire destroyed many of the filthy streets that were associated with the Great Plague

• The Fleet, an open sewer that flowed to the Thames river, was effectively boiled down by the fire and slums were burned down.

• The fire effectively rid London of the Plague• It was up to Sir Christopher Wren to make

plans to rebuild the city.

When on the morning of Tuesday 4th September (the third day of the Fire) the roof of the Cathedral caught fire, the lead on the roof together with the burning roof timbers fell crashing down upon the goods stored there, which simply added fuel to the flames.

Diary Entry from Samuel Pepys

“September 2: Jane [his maid] comes and tells us that she hears above 300 houses have been burned by the fire….poor people staying in their houses as long as till the very fire touched them, and then running into boats or clambering from one pair of stairs by the waterside, to another…

Diary Entry from Samuel Pepys

“I saw a fire as one entire arch of fire above a mile long: it made me weep to see it. The churches, houses are all on fire and flaming at once, and a horrid noise the flames made and the cracking of the houses.”

Primary Source• "The conflagration was so universal, and the people so

astonished, that from the beginning, I know not by what despondency or fate, they hardly stirred to quench it, so that there was nothing heard or seen but crying out and lamentation, running about like distracted creatures, without at all attempting to save even their goods. God grant mine eyes may never behold the like, who now saw above 10,000 houses all in one flame; the noise and cracking and thunder of the impetuous flames, the shrieking of women and children, the hurry of people, the fall of towers, houses and churches , was like an hideous storm.“- John Evelyn

By midnight on the Wednesday, with five sixths of the City destroyed, the fire was checked; and on the

following day it was decisively halted.

Fire’s Aftermath• 373 acres of the city DESTROYED• Burned:

–13,200 houses–84 churches–44 company halls

Good Effects

• Destroyed plague (Jokinen)

• London cleaner and safer (Jokinen)

• Fire safety taken more seriously (London Fire)

(Brown)

PlaguePlague

Bad Effects of the FireXENOPHOBIA

(“Great” World)

The fear of foreign objects or people taking over

(“Xenophobia”)

RELIGIOUS SUSPICION(“Great” World)

Roman Catholics, Protestants Dutch, and Frenchmen blamed for fire

(“Great” World)

City Destroyed

80% of London destroyed(Ross)

(“Great” AngliaCampus)

This is a painting of the fire. It shows the greatness of the fire, and how terrible it was.

WHAT DO WE DO NOW??• 100,000 people homeless (1/6th of London)• Citizens wanted a foreign scapegoat to blame• Even attacked foreign people (ex. The king’s

guard assaulted strangers for speaking poor English)

• Charles tried to convince the public the fire was an act of God (few believed that)

Immediate/ Long-term Effects of the Fire• 13,000 buildings

destroyed (“Great” Wikipedia)

• 65,000 people homeless (Schofield)

• Labor had to be supplied by migrant workers(Schofield)

• Rent of remaining houses increased (“Legacy”)

A map of the area destroyed by the Great Fire of London. The central white blob was the main part affected by the fire.

(“Map”).

People in Charge of Rebuilding Six people commissioned (Jokinen)

Their Plans

Un-clutter London Give it wider streets A grid street pattern (“Great” Britain Express).

(“Robert”)Robert Hooke was the chief surveyor (“Great” Wikipedia).

(“Christopher”)Christopher Wren rebuilt churches (Jokinen).

Hugh May architect (“Rebuilding”)Peter Mills Measured dimensions of properties (Cooper)Edward Jerman architect and measured dimensions of properties (Cooper).Roger Pratt architect (Wikipedia)

St. Paul’s Cathedral

(St. Paul’s)

Rebuilding London• Many proposals with sketch-plans were made• One by Richard Newcourt was later adopted for the laying-out

of our city Philadephia• City appointed commissioners to rebuild city (including

Christopher Wren who was one of the people to make a proposal with a sketch-plan)

• Started making regulations for the width of streets, height of buildings, materials used, etc.

• By end of 1670: 7,000 sites had been surveyed and 6,000 houses built

• 1676 all area of the fire had been rebuilt (with exception of a few sites and of parish churches)

Rebuilt London• 1676• Fewer houses (goes from 20%-39% fewer)• All houses had to be constructed of mostly brick, though some

timber was allowed in practice and the external walls were to be of differing thickness depending on the type of house

• The 4 types of house were all form plans which had existed before the Fire. The arrangement of the rooms inside them had not changed, neither had their shape except for some regulation of height.

• The houses were more sanitary and now lasted longer. • The great majority of buildings after the Fire had the same

functions as before.

Rebuilt London Cont.• The outside of the houses had only a few new

decorative ideas from France or Holland. • Livery companies like the Mercers and

Merchant Taylors rebuilt their halls with ornate stone doorways.

• Inside the panelling and painted decoration would reflect French taste in the more prestigious houses.

How Quickly they Rebuilt

9000 Houses rebuilt by 1671

(“Great” BBC)

50Years after half of the

churches rebuilt(Fisher)

1711St. Paul’s Cathedral completed

(Pearl)

St. Paul’s Cathedral (Baker)

Rebuilding Act

• Rebuilding Act (Fisher)•Different Legal Houses

•First Sort•Second Sort•Third Sort•Fourth Sort

(“Dutch/Belgian”)

Wren and St. Paul’s Cathedral• There were 51 parish

churches rebuilt under the general direction of Christopher Wren.

• Wren was principally concerned with St. Paul’s Cathedral. The 1st foundations at the east end were dug in 1675. The ruins in the west portico of Inigo Jones were regretfully removed by Wren in 1688.

• The Dome was completed in 1708 and the cathedral declared finished in 1711.

Restoration• BUT, there were problems:

–Economic/Social:Charles II needed more money than Parliament was willing to give; so he made a secretsecret agreement with Louis XIV of France to convert to Catholicism in exchange for money

–Political/Social:Charles II had no children; when he died, his openly-Catholic brother James IIJames II will be king (Parliament's worst fear!!)

What went Wrong?: The Exclusion Crisis

• By mid-1670s, a looming succession question. Charles had no legitimate children; his brother and heir James a zealous Catholic convert.

• Catholicism still seen as sinister, and associated with absolutism.

• 1678- revelation by Titus Oates of a (bogus) Popish Plot to murder Charles and put James on the throne.

• National panic- calls for James to be excluded from the succession.

• 3 new Parliaments, 1679-80, all exclusionist. • Charles refuses to give way. Political nation splits into

Tories (loyalists) and Whigs (exclusionists). Deadlock, and fear of new civil war. ‘41 is here again’.

Later in Charles’s reign the question of who would succeed him remained. His brother James was next in line, but he was a Catholic.

• James married to Catholic princess, whose Catholic son would outrank James’s Protestant daughters from first marriage

• 1685, Charles died, James crowned king

• Many wondered if another destructive war would follow

• James not popular; believed in right to rule as absolute monarch

• English did not tolerate that belief

Not Popular

• 1688, group of nobles invited James’s daughter Mary, husband William to become king, queen

• William and Mary both Protestants, lived in Netherlands

• James fled to France

• Parliament gave throne to William III, Mary II as joint rulers; transfer became known as the Glorious Revolution

Glorious Revolution

James II

Introducing James II• Born on 1633, James II was the son of Charles I

and Henrietta Maria• Charles II had numerous children but none

could have served as heirs, because they were all illegitimate

• During the Civil War, James II fled to France• He returned on the death of his brother Charles

II • James married twice and had many children

No civil war- why not?• Memories of 1642- people knew where it

might lead. • No certainty that James would ever become

king.• Whigs could not agree on an alternative • Charles kept his nerve, panic subsided.• When he died (Feb 85), James succeeded

without opposition.

Why did James II blow it? The Glorious Revolution

• James had a supportive Parliament, strong finances, able to double the size of the army to 20,000.

• BUT- provocative policies: James’s sense of a Catholic mission, and his political style- authoritarian, absolutist, arbitrary.

• aroused fears of popery and arbitrary rule. Royal pregnancy raised fears of Catholic succession.

King James II [r. 1685-1688]: Political

a Was a bigoted convert to Catholicism without any of Charles II’s shrewdness or ability to compromise.

a Alienated even the Tories.

a Provoked the revolution that Charles II had succeeded in avoiding!

Cultural Aspects of James’ Rule• James II was a strict Roman Catholic

and many resented him for trying to push this faith on his people

• James opposed the Test Act of 1673, which prevented Catholics and Dissenters from holding public office

• Protestants had wanted Charles I’s son, the Duke of Monmouth, to become King after Charles’ death and those rose in rebellion when James took the throne; however, this rebellion was easily oppressed.

Cultural Aspects of James’ Rule• James promoted Catholics

to high positions and appointed officials to enslave or torture Protestants

• The Declaration of Indulgence passed in 1687 granted tolerance to Catholics and other non- reformers; in response to this, many Tories and Whigs rose up against James. The Duke of

Monmouth

Political: King James II [r. 1685-

1688]a Introduced Catholics into theHigh Command of both thearmy and navy.

a Camped a standing army a fewmiles outside of London.

a Surrounded himself with Catholic advisors & attackedAnglican control of theuniversities.

a Claimed the power to suspend or dispense with Acts of Parliament.

a 1687 Declaration of Liberty of Conscience

He extended religious toleration without Parliament’s approval or support.

Two Treatises of Government (1689) by John Locke provided a theoretical justification for resistance to

James II.

Glorious RevolutionGlorious Revolution

• Bill of Rights central to England’s growth as Constitutional Monarchy, term for monarchy limited by law

• Document’s approval came after decades of dramatic changes in English government

• England had rejected concept of absolute monarch who ruled by divine right, for monarchy ruled by law

Constitutional Monarchy

• With Glorious Revolution, Parliament had essentially crowned new king, queen

• More important, a document William and Mary had to sign before taking throne—the English Bill of Rights

• Document prevented monarch from levying taxes without consent of Parliament, among other provisions

• U.S. Bill of Rights based on this document

Bill of Rights

Changes in Government

The Glorious ‘Revolution’ 1688

• 1688 ‘Revolution’. • William of Orange (husband of James

Protestant daughter Mary) led an army to intervene/invade at invitation of some Protestant aristocrats.

• James had the larger army (25,000 against William’s 14,000) but lost his nerve and fled.

• William made king; he and his wife Mary become joint king and queen.

Glorious Revolution• When in June of 1688, James II had a son, English Protestants

became frightened of the possible development of a Catholic dynasty

• Protestants then gathered behind William of Orange and his wife Mary, as a possible King

• In November of 1688, William landed his army at Torbay and marched unopposed to London

• James II fled to France and in his absence, Parliament met, denounced him as king, appointed William and Mary as joint monarchs

• A constitution was drafted and passed in order to put restraints on the Monarchy

William III and Mary IIWilliam III and Mary II

The “Glorious” Revolution: 1688

a Whig & Tory leaders offered the throne jointly to James II’s daughter Mary [raised a Protestant] & her husband, William of Orange.

He was a vigorous enemy of Louis XIV.

He was seen as a champion of the Protestant cause.

English Bill of Rights [1689]a Main provisions:

1. The King could not suspend the operation of laws.

2. The King could not interfere with the ordinary course of justice.

3. No taxes levied or standard army maintained in peacetime without Parliament’s consent.

4. Freedom of speech in Parliament.

5. Sessions of Parliament would be held frequently.

6. Subjects had the right of bail, petition, and freedom from excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishment.

7. The monarch must be a Protestant.

8. Freedom from arbitrary arrest.

9. Censorship of the press was dropped.

10.Religious toleration.

English Bill of Rights - 1689• The Bill of Rights was one of the most important documents ever created

in U.K. history• Englishmen possessed certain civil and political rights that could not be

taken away. These included: – freedom from royal interference with the law (the Sovereign was

forbidden to establish his own courts or to act as a judge himself) – freedom from taxation by royal prerogative, without agreement by

Parliament – freedom to petition the King – freedom from a peace-time standing army, without agreement by

Parliament – freedom [for Protestants] to bear arms for self-defense, as allowed by

law – freedom to elect members of Parliament without interference from

the Sovereign – the freedom of speech in Parliament, in that proceedings in

Parliament were not to be questioned in the courts or in any body outside Parliament itself (the basis of modern parliamentary privilege)

– freedom from cruel and unusual punishments, and excessive bail – freedom from fines and forfeitures without trial

English Bill of Rights Cont.- 1689

• Certain acts of James II were specifically named and declared illegal on this basis, and since he ran away, he had abdicated

• Roman Catholics could not be king or queen of England

• William and Mary were the successors of James.

• Succession should pass to the heirs of Mary, then Princess Anne of Demark, then to any heirs of William by a later marriage.

Consequences of 1688

• 1688 Settlement provides that the king must always be a Protestant (this is still in force)

• Said kings must rule by law, call regular Parliament, not keep a standing army in peace time.

• More important was the new political climate: now clear that any English king who went too far could and would be thrown out.

Political Changes Continued

• Established a Cabinet• Cabinet was a link b/w the majority

party in Parliament and the King• Became center of power and

policymaking– Still exists today– Leader of Cabinet = Prime Minister

The Joint Reign• The reign of William and Mary

was unique for usually the spouse of a King was simply a consort, bur Mary actually did share the throne with William

• Their rule was the only time this power was shared in England

• Parliament controlled their actions for the large part – they had to cooperative with Parliament to remain in power

• It even controlled their army

Social---Irish Policies: Penal Laws*After the Treaty of Limerick (1691), the Irish Parliament, filled with Protestant landowners and controlled from England, enacted a penal code that secured and enlarged the landlords' holdings and degraded and impoverished the Irish Catholics.

*As a result of these harsh laws:• Catholics could neither teach their children nor send them abroad;• persons of property could not enter into mixed marriages; • Catholic property was inherited equally among the sons unless one was a Protestant, in which case he

received all;• a Catholic could not inherit property if there was any Protestant heir;• a Catholic could not possess arms or a horse worth more than £5 ; • Catholics could not hold leases for more than 31 years,• and they could not make a profit greater than a third of their rent. • The hierarchy of the Catholic Church was banished or suppressed,• and Catholics could not hold seats in the Irish Parliament (1692), hold public office, vote (1727), or

practice law. • Cases against Catholics were tried without juries, and bounties were given to informers against them.

Irish Policies Continued: Penal Laws

*Under these restrictions many able Irishmen left the country, and regard for the law declined; even Protestants assisted their Catholic friends in evasion.

*In the latter half of the 18th cent., with the decline of religious fervor in England and the need for Irish aid in foreign wars, there was a general mitigation of the treatment of Catholics in Ireland, and the long process of Catholic Emancipation began.

AnneAnne

Anne, the last Stuart sovereign

She was the younger sister of Mary and had given up immediate succession to her brother in law, William.

Upon William’s death she became Queen. Although she had 17 children, none of them lived, so at her

death the crown went to a descendant of one of the daughters of Charles I

Queen Anne furniture was created during the reign of Anne. Her reign was also renowned for brilliant essayists, Addison and Steele; scientists, Newton and Bacon, poet, Alexander

Pope; architect, Christopher Wren and others

Anne the last Stuart sovereign

Troubled Anne• During her reign, union of the parliaments of Scotland and

England took place in 1707• In 1714 she became very ill• The true heir to the throne was James II’s son, James

Stuart, but he was despised by the Whigs because he was Catholic

• The Tories supported James Stuart, and for this reason, Anne’s Whig supporters went to her before her death and convinced her to fire all her Tory ministers

• She then nominated a German Protestant king, George of Hanover, strengthening the power of the Protestants and the Whig party

The Seesaw of King & Parliament:

1603-1689

1707 Act of Union

• Unifies Scotland & England• Ireland is a subject nation• Nation known as the United

Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland