England’s Reaction to Absolutism
and the Glorious Revolution
From Queen Elizabeth I to William of
Orange
Queen Elizabeth I
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Daughter of Henry VIII
Battle w/Parliament over
finances
 Protestant
No heirs (“Virgin Queen)
Cousin James inherits the
throne
James
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“Kings are justly called
gods, for that they exercise
a manner or resemblance
of divine power on earth.”
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Upset the Puritan controlled
Parliament by not ridding the
English church of Catholics
or making Puritan moral
reforms
Charles I
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Constantly at war with France & Spain
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Needed tons of $ to finance wars
Parliament would not grant him the $ until he
signed the Petition of Right
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Could not imprison subjects w/o due cause
Could not tax w/o Parliaments consent
No quartering
No martial law in times of peace
Charles I
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Charles signed, but ignored the document
In order to get his funding, Charles establishes fees
& fines
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Charles becomes extremely unpopular
Charles still needs more $$$$$
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Parliament opposes him
Mobs take to the streets
Charles flees London & gathers army of loyalists
English Civil War
1642-1649
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Cavaliers (Royalists) vs.
Roundheads (Puritans)
Oliver Cromwell
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Becomes general of the
Roundheads
Defeats Cavaliers, arrests
Charles, and tries him for
treason
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Charles is found guilty and
sentenced to death
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*first time a king is publicly
put on trial and executed
Oliver Cromwell
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Abolishes monarchy and establishes House of
Lords
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England is now a commonwealth and has the first
European constitution
Cromwell decides that he likes having power
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Tears up constitution
Makes himself military dictator
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Abolishes entertainment (theatre)
Tolerant to all religions besides Catholicism
Charles II
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Cromwell dies in 1658 and
the government collapses
The English want the
monarchy restored after
experiencing the military
dictator.
The son of Charles I,
Charles II, is restored to
the throne
The Restoration
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Sports & theatre restored
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Women are allowed to act on stage for the first time
The arts are promoted and flourish
We’ve got ourselves a “sticky wicket”

Who’s to rule?
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Charles had NO legitimate children
He had a brother James, but he was Catholic and since
England was mostly anti-Catholic, they were not happy
with him ruling.
James II
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James becomes king, but
flaunts his Catholicism
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Appoints Catholics to high
government positions,
despite a law that prohibited
Catholics from holding
office
Parliament protests James
actions and ends up
dissolving Parliament
Bye-Bye Dad!
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Many English feared a succession of Catholic kings
James II had a Protestant daughter who married
William of Orange, a Protestant prince from the
Netherlands
Parliament asks them to come to England with an
army to overthrow James in the name of
Protestantism
Glorious Revolution
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The army is never needed
James flees to France
This bloodless overthrowing of King James II is
called the Glorious Revolution
But not so fast…

In order to become king
William and Mary had to
agree to a Bill of Rights,
which limited the power of
the monarchy and
increased the power of
Parliament.
The English Bill of Rights