English Civil War Chapter Review: Answer Key
Role of Parliament

Parliament–
o an assembly of the nobility, clergy, and commons called together by the monarch as the
supreme legislative body
o Approved new taxes
o Passed laws proposed by monarch
Role of the Monrach:

During the 17th Century, the monarch had absolute power over the monarchy. This meant that the
monarch had complete control in all areas: economy, politics, foreign policy, defense, etc.
People

The Tudors
o Henry VIII: King of England from 1509 -1547. Father of Mary I (she was queen of England right
before Elizabeth I
o Elizabeth I: Queen of England from 1558 – 1603. She was the last member of the Tudor
dynasty to rule England.
 She called on parliament very rarely during her reign, and dealt with them fairly when
she did.
 England enjoyed a period of relative stability under her reign

The Stuarts
o James I [VI of Scotland) / James I England] inherited the throne of England after the death of
Elizabeth I; his ties to France and to Catholicism and his claim to Divine Rule did not endear him
to his new English subjects.
o Charles I, son of James I, had an extravagant lifestyle, and his unwillingness to compromise
with parliament led to the Civil War, and his eventual execution.

The Puritans were a very large and powerful dissenting Protestant sect; they were totally opposed to
the ceremonies and ornateness of the Anglican Church, which still bore a close resemblance to the
Catholic Church. For Puritans, the church and its services should be plain and simple. They wore dark
clothes and led very somber lives.

Oliver Cromwell was the leader of the "New Model Army" during the Civil War. He eventually lost
patience with the Rump Parliament after the execution of the lung. He used his soldiers to drive them
out of office, and locked the doors of parliament. The leaders of the army named him Lord Protector,
and he ruled England as military dictator for a decade.

Cavaliers/ Royalists: King’s (Charles I) supporters were called the Royalists or Cavaliers because they
were trained horsemen/cavalry.
Parliament’s troops (farmers & townspeople)
o Middle class militia

o
o
Mainly from Southern England
Many Puritans (called the Roundheads –b/c of hair cut)

Those who were supporters of Charles were called the “Tories”. This means they supported the
1. King &
2. The Anglican Church

Opponents of the monarchy became known as the “Whigs”
1. Those who wanted to strengthen the power of the parliament
2. Opposed Catholicism

Charles II: After Cromwell's death, parliament was recalled and decided to restore the monarchy and
the House of Lords. Charles I1 was invited to become the king (a very popular decision), but he
attempted to move England back to an absolute monarchy. This led to parliament passing the Test Act

James II: James II succeeded Charles II and was openly Catholic. The feeling against him was very strong.
His attempts to expand Divine Rule led to rebellions, and he was forced to abdicate.

William and Mary of Orange were James' Protestant daughter and her husband. They were invited
to accept the throne. Parliament chose the monarch for the first time, and a Bill of Rights was passed,
making it clear that parliament was the real power in England.
Comprehension Questions
1)
How did Elizabeth I deal with Parliament
o Elizabeth I was quite fair with parliament. She did not call on Parliament very often, and as a
result, did not ask for money as much (as some other monarchs). She did not She scolded
members of parliament when needed, but overall, she did not take advantage parliament.
England enjoyed a relative period of stability under her reign.
2) Describe the 3 issues that created conflict between James I & Parliament.
a. Religion: The demands of the Puritans
i. Puritans wanted the Anglican Church to be purified of Catholic rituals & ceremonies
ii. wanted local congregations to rule themselves instead of by a bishop or archbishop
appointed by the King/Queen
iii. Many Puritans were of the powerful merchant class who were members of parliament
iv. H of C sympathized with Puritan demands but James I refused to make changes
b. Money: James I constantly spent it! On his court & friends. England also owed money to banks
for its wars against Catholic Spain. James called parliament to new approve taxes. But
parliament refused unless James I addressed religious matters. James Often dissolved parliament
on the basis of his divine right of Kings
c. Foreign Policy: James I made Peace with Spain. Spain was a Catholic country! English people
felt James was not supportive of wars of religion
3) What limits did the Petition of Right put on the monarch’s power?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Not to collect forced loans
Not to levy taxes without consent of parliament
Not to imprison a person without cause
Not to house soldiers in private homes without the owner’s consent
Goal: to end the King’s arbitrary actions
4) How did Charles I try to rule/raise money without parliament? Be sure to EXPLAIN each one
a. Ship money b. Tunnage and poundage c. Billeting his soldiers d. Sold noble titles e. Court of Star Chamber –
5) Describe two actions taken by the Long Parliament
a. Demanded a trial of Charles’ chief ministers (were later guilty and executed)
b. Abolished the Courts of High commission & Star Chamber
c. Passed the Triennial Act
i. Stated that the king must call parliament at least once every 3 years
6) What problems did Cromwell face in trying to rule England? What are the Blue Laws?
a. England greatly divided after the civil war. The people were divided: Catholics vs. Protestant.
The parliament was also divided: Presbyterians, Anglicans & Puritans differed on the type of
gov’t England should have
b. Cromwell tried to run England via Strict Puritan rule
i. Blue Laws closed theatres, banned newspapers, & dancing
ii. Enforced laws against other forms of entertainment as well
c. Cromwell also tried to bring Scotland & Ireland under tight English control. He crushed the Scots,
and suppressed Catholic rebels in Ireland. He would then encourage Protestants to settle in
Ireland to replace Catholic landlords.
7)
Short, Long, Rump Parliament
The Short Parliament
a. Named as such b/c it only lasted for 3 weeks
b. Sympathized with Scots and Charles shut it down
The Long Parliament
c. Lasted 13 years
d. Charles needed them to approve taxation in order to win the war against the Scots
Rump Parliament:
a.
What was left of the long parliament after Colonel Prides purge: got rid of Charles I supporters
in parliament. The rump parliament was the last 5 years of the long parliament.
8) The Restoration
 Time period after Cromwell’s death when people did not want any more military rule as
imposed by Cromwell. New parliament wanted to restore the Monarchy and house of Lords.
They would ask Charles II to become king of England under a Constitutional Monarchy.
9) The Glorious Revolution:
 Marks the period of time when parliament had chosen the monarch, not by hereditary lines. In
1688 Parliament asks Mary & her husband, William of Orange to rule England. They say yes &
sign the Bill of Rights. William of Orange leads a revolution against his father-in-law. James II
abdicates his throne & his supporters flee the country for fear of persecution.
10) What is the Bill of Rights? What limits did the Bill of Rights place on Royal Power
The Bill of Rights outlined the limitations of the new King of England after the Glorious
Revolution. Limitations included:




Monarchs could not suspend any laws w/o consent of parliament
Monarch needed approval of parliament before it raised taxes & maintained an army,
Had to summon parliament frequently
Monarch could not interfere with elections