Parliament Limits the
English Monarchy
Chapter 5 Section 5
 How did the people
(especially in France)
view a government
under an absolute
ruler?
Monarchs Defy Parliament
 James I
 1603- becomes king of England,
already King James IV of Scotland
 Argues over money with
Parliament
 Puritans hoped he would
enact reforms to purify English
church of Catholic practices;
James refused
Monarchs Defy Parliament
 Charles I
 1625- becomes king of
England after his father’s
(James I) death
 Needed money from Parliament
to pay for war with Spain
and France
 Dissolved Parliament when
they did not agree to grant him money
 1628- Parliament agreed to grant
Charles money if he signed the Petition of Right
1628-Petition of Right
 1. Charles I would not imprison subjects
without due cause.
 2. He would not levy taxes without
Parliament’s consent.
 3. He would not house soldiers in private
homes.
 4. He would not impose martial law in
peacetime.
 Charles refused to follow the petition and
dissolved Parliament in 1629.
 Why was the
Petition of
Right
important even
though King
Charles I
ignored it?
English Civil War
 1641- Parliament passed laws to limit
royal power; Charles arrested leaders in
1642
 1642-1649- English Civil War
 Royalists (Cavaliers)- remained loyal to the
king
 Puritan supporters of Parliament
(Roundheads)- opposed the king
English Civil War
 1647-Oliver Cromwell and
the New Model Army
defeated Cavaliers and
held Charles I prisoner
 1649- Parliament brought
Charles to trial for treason
against Parliament;
found guilty and executed
 This was the first time a reigning monarch
faced public trial and execution.
Oliver Cromwell’s Rule
 1649- Cromwell took power
in England.
 Abolished monarchy and
the House of Lords and became a
military dictator.
 Passed laws that promoted Puritan
morality and abolished activities that
they thought sinful- i.e. theater, sporting
events, dancing, etc.
 Favored religious toleration for all
Christians except Catholics
 How was
Cromwell’s
rule similar to
an absolute
monarchy?
Restoration and
Revolution
 1658- Cromwell died;
English people sick of military
rule
 1659- Charles II voted
by Parliament to rule England;
monarchy restored
 1679- passed Habeas
Corpus Act
 Gave every prisoner the right
to obtain a writ or document ordering
that the prisoner be brought before a judge to
specify the charges
Restoration and
Revolution
 1685- James II becomes
king (Catholic)
 Violated English law
by appointing Catholics
to office
 Dissolved Parliament
when protest resulted
Glorious Revolution
 Parliament invited James’
daughter Mary and her
husband William of Orange
(prince of the Netherlands) to
overthrow James’ rule for the
sake of Protestantism.
 1688-Glorious Revolution
 William led army to London
and James fled to France
 Bloodless overthrow
Limits on Monarch’s
Power
 William and Mary vowed to recognize
Parliament as their partner in governing.
 England was now a constitutional
monarchy (laws limited the ruler’s
power).
Limits on Monarch’s
Power
 English Bill of Rights- lists what 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
 Cabinet System
 Acted in the ruler’s name but represented the majority party of
Parliament
 Prime minister- leader of the majority party in Parliamentsame system used today
 In what ways were
the English Bill of
Rights similar to the
United States’ Bill of
Rights?