Absolutism in England: Civil War and the Glorious Revolution

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1 Name: WHAP Absolutism in England: Civil War and the Glorious Revolution Directions: As you read the following document, please annotate, looking for key ideas, key terms, and key people involved in the event. You will only be eligible for full credit if it is clear that you annotated in EACH paragraph. The English Civil War ( ) The Civil War of England ( ) is one of the most remarkable and important events in the history of England. The monarchy and the popular will were in open conflict for the first time. During this war the King was defeated and then executed. The parties that contended were the Royalists and the Puritans. The former was on the side of the King. They were also called the Cavaliers. They consisted of the nobility and the gentry. The Catholics also sided with the Royalists in large numbers. Nature of Civil War The nature of this war was dual: it was a religious and a political war. The Puritans and the Parliament united against the King and condemned his interference in the religious affairs. Both the Parliament and the Puritans were dissatisfied, as the King did not care for the existence of either. The Parliament along with the Puritans combined to dispute the King s authority to lay down the law in Church and State. The main issue at stake was whether sovereignty resided in the King alone, or whether both the King and Parliament should share power. This discontentment broke out into an open struggle between the King, on the one hand, and the Parliament, on the other. This came to be known as the English Civil War or the Puritan Revolution. The Main Reasons for the War: Economic Problems The King desired to extract money by unreasonable means and the Parliament wanted to have full control over the State Exchequer. The Parliament passed the Triennial Act, which made it obligatory for the King to call the Parliament for a session thrice a year. Another clause in the Act stated that the parliament could be dissolved only with its own consent, not as per the whims of the King. The Tonnage and Poundage Act was passed in June Tonnage meant the tax levied upon each ton of wine coming in or going out of the Kingdom. Poundage was the tax levied upon every pound of dry goods. Although the tax was granted to the King (Charles I) for a year only, he continued to levy these custom duties well after the permitted duration. Religious Issues The English King followed the Anglican Church. Catholicism and Puritanism were the other faiths that existed in England at that time. Charles desired to convert his subjects to his own faith. At the same time the Puritans, who were in majority in the Parliament, desired to convert the nation to their faith. The King tried to give some concessions and amenities to the Catholics by appointing them in high positions. He appointed William Laud as the Archbishop of Canterbury and wanted the people to be guided by him. Due to this there was war with the Parliament. The Puritans were badly suppressed. This added to the growing unpopularity of Charles. Political Issues When the King visited Scotland to settle the Scottish issue, he had to accept the full Restoration of the Presbyterian system. The King also met some Scottish nobles, who did not want the struggle to continue longer. A plot was also framed by some of the King s friends to seize some of the

2 Presbyterian leaders. These issues aroused anti- Regal feelings, and the confidence in the King was also lost. An incident occurred in Ireland that once again created a rift between the King and the Parliament. A revolt broke out in which many Protestants were killed. The Irish rebels claimed that they were acting for the King. Crushing this rebellion became very difficult, The Parliament, meanwhile, debated the issue of no confidence in the King. The impeachment and execution of Strafford and the impeachment of Archbishop Laud caused by the Act of Attainder was responsible for the widening of the gap between the King and the Parliament. For this Act allowed the declaration of guilt and the imposition of punishment on an individual without a proper trial. The Royal Counselors, the Secretary of State and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal fled to save their lives. Charles I charged five parliament members with high treason, and sent armed forces to arrest them. The Parliament refused to hand them over. Charles planned to go personally to arrest the five Knights. But they received information of this in advance and fled. In 1642 AD the Parliament placed before the King a proposal known as "Nineteen Propositions." This ultimatum was delivered to the King on June 1, He refused to accept the terms of the proposal. The Immediate Cause of the War The parliament wanted the sole command of the military forces. This was contrary to English law and Charles I refused to agree to this enactment. As Charles would not surrender his control over the army, the rupture was complete. Charles raised his troops and set up his standard at Nottingham as a signal that the Civil War had began. Main Events of Civil War - Phase I ( ) At the foot of Edge Hill a heated battle was fought. In this battle, the Royalists gained a victory but they could not gain London. Again at Chalgrove Field, the parliamentary army was beaten and John Hampden, one of main rebels against the king was killed. The Royalist forces won on behalf of the Parliament at other places too. Oliver Cromwell, the leader of the parliamentary forces set up an association of eastern counties. They formed a new army "Ironsides." At the battle of Marston Moor the royal army suffered heavily. A self- denying ordinance was passed. By this members of Parliament resigned their commands in the army and were replaced by experienced soldiers. Cromwell retained command over this army. This army was the "New Model." Main Events of Civil War - Phase II ( ) King Charles I took the advantage of the confusion between the Parliament and the army. He refused the demands of both. Attempting to take advantage of the political turmoil, the Scots invaded England. They were routed at the battle of Preston (August 1648). The second Civil War made Cromwell an undisputed leader of the masses. Nobody dared to oppose Cromwell. Now the nation was at the mercy of Cromwell and his army. Charles I was punished for his incurable duplicity. After a formal trial in 1649 Charles I was accused of treason and was executed, on January 30, He was beheaded before the White Hall. Cromwell called the execution of Charles I as a Cruel necessity. However, the last words of Charles were: "For the people truly I desire their liberty and freedom as much as anybody whatsoever, but I must tell you their liberty and freedom consists in having that government, those laws by which their lives and their goods may be most their own. It is nothing appertaining to them. A subject and a sovereign are clearly different things."

3 Impact of the Civil War The people were stirred deeply due to the King s execution. Sympathy was aroused for this monarch and the entire monarchy. Besides this some even viewed Charles I as martyr. There was a total breakdown of the constitution. The Commonwealth was established. Oliver Cromwell now established army rule. This Commonwealth was to be administered by a Council consisting of 41 members, who were Puritan supporters of Oliver Cromwell. Historical Importance This Civil War has great historical importance. In this war the people of England i.e. the Parliament won. This proved that the ultimate power rests with the people. This marked the end of the concept of the Divine Rights of the King. Absolute monarchy ended in England. The Glorious Revolution The greatest landmark in the history of England is the Glorious Revolution of This revolution is called Glorious because it achieved its objective without any bloodshed. James II came to the throne of England in 1685, after Charles II his brother died. He desired to rule despotically and to re- establish the Roman Catholic religion in England. The common people did not like this. They rose in revolt. This struggle between the King and the Parliament ended in victory for the people (i.e. the representative of the people - the parliament). A constitutional monarchy was now established in England. All the power rested in the hands of people and they availed long cherished freedom. Modern rules were framed according to which the King ruled only as per the wishes and will of the people. The Main Reasons of Revolution of 1668 Religious Issues The efforts of James II to restore Catholicism in England bothered the English people. Re- instating - Catholicism in England was his dream and he was prepared to sacrifice even his throne for the sake of his religion. James II was a Roman Catholic and openly so. No one would have minded that. But the trouble with him was that he was not contented with himself being a Catholic. James II issued a statement on his accession to the throne in which he had promised to uphold the Church of England and to regard his own religion as a personal affair. The people at large felt gratified over it. But after the suppression of Argyll and Monmouth s rebellions he felt himself so strong that he foolishly thought of Catholicizing the whole nation. The Tory and the church party had espoused his cause in the beginning because they had trusted him and taken his early statement as true. But crafty as James II was, he did not prove true to his promise. He could not hope to count on the help of the Tories and the Church, if his religious designs were to be prejudiced and aggressive. He was thus playing into the hands of the Whigs. The Test Act was passed during the reign of Charles II. It required that every person who wanted to get civil or military posts must accept the Anglican Church and its principles. The Catholics were thus deprived of these privileges. The new King, James wanted to attach more importance to the Catholics and therefore he made fervent efforts to reject his act. He dissolved it. He dismissed his High Court Tory ministers, and surrounded himself with sycophants, chief among whom was the very clever, but utterly corrupt, Earl of Sutherland. He did not hesitate to announce his conversion to Catholicism in order to please the King. In place of the Earl of Clarendon, James gave the Lord Lieutenancy of Ireland to the Catholic Earl of Tyrconnell. Tyrconnell s instructions were to attack the Protestant ascendancy. First Declaration of Indulgence James II was a Roman Catholic and he treated his fellow religious believers most sympathetically by appointing them to high positions in the state and the army. Not only that James II invited the Pope of Rome to England and restored his old position officially on him. James II issued his first

4 "Declaration of Indulgence" in 1687 which he suspended wholesale the penal laws against the Roman Catholics. The result was that the Roman Catholics and other Dissenters began to worship openly. The Tories, who stood for the Church of England, were exasperated. The Whigs were unreconciliatory. They were scared that James II was supporting Catholicism under the religious toleration. Second Declaration of Indulgence In 1688, James II issued the Second Declaration of Indulgence. It was ordered that this declaration should be spread in every Church on two consecutive Sundays. Almost all priests opposed the reading of the Declaration. He condemned the seven bishops to be imprisoned in the London Tower who refused to obey King s orders and opposed James but they were set free by court amidst public rejoicing. This act made James II unpopular. James wanted to spread Catholicism in the universities also. For pushing the Catholics to high positions, James used many unfair means. For instance, the post of Head of Megdallan College of Oxford University was vacated and one James Parker, a Catholic was appointed. He even dismissed the vice- chancellor of Cambridge University because he had refused to accommodate a Catholic in the University. The Parliament could not tolerate this high- handedness of the monarch. Moreover the university people also disliked it. Army and Defense After the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth, James II did not agree to the disbanding of the army regiments. He failed to realize the feeling of the English people against the maintenance of the standing army. The Englishmen could not tolerate the standing army. This was against the interest and feeling of common Englishmen. The people developed negative sentiments for the King. James II made a mistake when he got the Duke of Monmouth executed after his defeat in the battle of Sedgmoor. It was a blunder on his part. It would have been better if the Duke had been kept in the Tower or allowed to escape overseas. The death of the Duke cleared the Whigs of any possible ill will of the people. The result was that the Whigs began to gain in strength and popularity and ultimately they were responsible for the overthrow of James in But for this unpolitical act of James II, the Whigs might not have got an opportunity to come into prominence and lead the opposition against James II. With a view to overawe the Londoners, he posted soldiers in the neighborhood of London. The King was actually trying to play the part of a bully. He should have known that Englishmen would not tolerate such an attitude. After the suppression of Monmouth s rebellion all his supporters were arrested and jailed. A special court was established to try them. Jeffrey was the Chief Justice. He was a notorious tyrant and barbarian who hanged about three hundred of them and transported some 800 to various countries, especially to West Indies, to work as slaves. Due to Jeffrey s cruel deeds, this court came to be known as Bloody Assizes. It was considered a crime against humanity and a great political blunder. A fierce wave of anger swept over the country and executions and imprisonment fanned to flame the smoldering fire of widespread unrest and discontent. Policy for Ireland and Scotland The appointment of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland turned all the Irish Protestants against the Stuart monarchy. In the same manner his policy towards Scotland of Presbyterian persecution turned most of the Scottish people against James II. The Birth of a Son - An Important Factor At that critical time, news came from the court announcing that James wife, Queen Mary of Modena, had given birth to a son. This was a bolt from the blue. The people thought that with a successor in James line of descent, there was no possibility of relief from the Catholic regime. The people hoped

5 that James II would die without a son and after his death, his daughter Mary, wife of William of Orange, Protestant King of Holland, would ascend the throne. They were prepared to put up with James II because they knew that he was not going to live long on account of his old age. They submitted to the tyranny of James II because they knew that it was bound to end sooner or later. Thereupon the nation tried to take a revolutionary step. The Whig and Tory leaders all united and they decided to invite William of Holland, the husband of Mary, the Protestant daughter of James II to come and ascend the throne of England. Events of the Glorious Revolution An incredibly smooth development of events led to the Glorious Revolution. The people of England decided to dethrone James and invited his son- in- law, William of Orange to occupy the throne of England. Though William was busy in a battle with France, he gladly accepted the invitation extended to him. He felt that it provided him an opportunity to combine the strength of England and Holland against France, the latter having an eye on Holland. The people of England sent an invitation to William and Mary to come over with an army "to save the Protestant religion and the constitutional liberties of England." They landed in England after some difficulty. James II might have been permitted to retain his throne even then if he had repented for whatever illegal things he had done in the past and if he had promised to rule according to the law of the land. However, his stubbornness lost him all his friends. His army went over to the other side and he fled to France in December 1688, after throwing into the Thames the Great Seal of the Realm. William s professional Army consisted of the English, the Dutch, the Swedes and the Germans. For some weeks, William did not get much encouragement. Gradually the nobility deserted James. The Council of Peers was busy making preparations to call a free Parliament. At this time news came that James had been captured at Faversham in Kent. He was brought back to London. But he managed to escape. He took off for his final fight to France. His enemies were too glad to get rid of him. The members of the attending parliament discussed the question of Kingship. Finally the attending parties decided that the Royal power should be vested in William and Mary, who thus became the rulers of England. In this way with the fleeing of James II without putting up a fight, the bloodless Glorious Revolution took place. The Revolution of 1688 was a unique Revolution, not only in the history of England but probably in the history of Europe. In this connection Macaulay observes: "The highest eulogy which can be pronounced on the Revolution of 1688 is this that this was our last Revolution. "It finally decided the great question whether the popular element which had, ever since the age of Fitz Walter and de Montfort, been found in the English policy should be suffered to develop itself freely and to become dominant. The strife between the two principles had been long, fierce and doubtful. It had lasted through four reigns. It had produced seditions, impeachments, rebellions, battles, sieges, proscription, and judicial massacres. Sometimes liberty, sometimes royalty, had seemed to be on the point of perishing." Nature of Glorious Revolution Although the reasons of this revolution were socio- political and religious, its nature was political. It was accomplished without bloodshed. Before the revolution of 1688, all- important political changes were brought in the wake of great bloodshed and excesses. England was compelled to pass through a great Civil War with it. Even the French Revolution of 1785 had the sacrifice of thousands of innocent people. However, in the case of Glorious Revolution in England nothing of the kind happened. In this regard Professor Trevelyan writes, "For many generations to come, the Revolution of 1688 was spoken of by our ancestors as the Glorious Revolution. Its glory did not consist in any deed of arms, in facts of heroism on the part of Englishmen nor in the fact that a whole nation proved itself stronger than their official King did. There was indeed a certain ignominy in the fact that a foreign King and army, however, friendly and welcome, had been

6 required to enable Englishmen to recover the liberties they had muddled away in their frantic faction feuds. The true glory of the revolution lay in the fact that it was bloodless, that there was no Civil War, no massacre, no proscription, and above all, that a settlement by consent was reached on the religious and political differences that had so long and so fiercely divided men and parties." Some other historians also support the views of Professor Trevelyan. For instance, according to well- known historian Burkey, the events of were, "a happy and Glorious Revolution. It was the good fortune of England that the transition from despotism to constitutional monarchy, was brought about without any bloodshed. But some historians do not give much importance to the revolution of For instance, according to Marriot, "It was essentially conservative in nature. It conserved most things of the past and was not a radical departure from the old order. It only made explicit, what was previously only implicit and thus did not introduced any radical changes." The historian further says, "It was not a democratic movement in any sense and the wisest among them benefited by it."