AP World History: English AbsolutismPeriod 4

Buckingham Palace

Quotes from Prince Philip, Husband of Queen Elizabeth II

Reported by Deutsche Press Agentur (DPA), August, 1988.“In the event that I am reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus, in order to contribute something to solve overpopulation.”

Prince Philip, in his Foreward to If I Were an Animal; United Kingdom, Robin Clark Ltd., 1986.“I just wonder what it would be like to be reincarnated in an animal whose species had been so reduced in numbers than it was in danger of extinction. What would be its feelings toward the human species whose population explosion had denied it somewhere to exist.... I must confess that I am tempted to ask for reincarnation as a particularly deadly virus.”

I Early English Government

A) 1215 the Magna Carta was signed, limiting the rights of Kings.B) 1295 1st parliament (law-making body) met. Made decisions on

spending & taxesC) King Henry VIII created the Anglican Church 1536

II Queen Elizabeth IA) Daughter of King Henry VIII.

Ruled 1558-1603.B) Increased the power of the

British navy. Her navy defeated the Spanish Armada (fleet of ships on an attack mission) in 1588!

C) Gave aid to France & the Netherlands to keep Spain from gaining power.

III King Charles IA) Charles I believed in the divine right of kings and did not

want to listen to parliament. He refused to let Parliament even meet for 11 years! 1642 he tried to arrest 5 members of Parliament for daring to criticize him. Led to a civil war.- supporters of Charles I were called Cavaliers, due to their plumed hats- supporters of Parliament were called Roundheads, due to their short hair

B) Oliver Cromwell, a parliament member, convinced parliament to raise a professional army. He soon became its leader and led parliament to victory.

C) Charles I was executed in 1649.*He was the 1st English monarch ever executed! Sent a message that no king was above the law.

IV Oliver CromwellA) After the Civil War, Oliver Cromwell

refused to be named the new monarch. Instead, in 1653 he made himself “lord protector” of the new English Commonwealth.

B) Cromwell and Parliament were Puritan; they believed hard work is rewarded in heaven; entertainment is pointless. The English Revolution had led to the Puritan Revolution: Inns and theatres were shut, most sports were banned and swearing was fined.

Our Puritan HeritageDecades before the Puritans gained power in England,

Puritans (including the Pilgrims of the Mayflower) came to the Massachusetts Bay colony. As soon as they arrived they built schools, including Harvard in 1636.

Puritan ideas remain a part of American society, including the closing of liquor stores on Sundays and a conservative view of sex.

V The English RestorationA) Cromwell died 1658.B) 1660 Parliament asked

the exiled Charles II (son of Charles I) to return to England and bring back the monarchy.

C) Charles II reopened theatres and taverns.

D) He secretly had Catholic sympathies.

Charles II had Oliver Cromwell’s body dug up, put

on trial and symbolically hung!

VI The Glorious RevolutionA) Charles II’s brother, James II inherited the throne in 1685.B) James II practiced Catholicism openly. Parliament feared he would

restore the Catholic Church to England.C) 1688 parliament invited James II’s Protestant daughter Mary Stuart

and her Dutch husband William III to become rulers of England. D) When Mary and William III landed in England, James II fled to France.E) This bloodless revolution became known as the Glorious Revolution.

King James II

VII The English Bill of RightsA) Before they could be crowned, William and Mary had to accepted

the English Bill of Rights, that was passed by Parliament in 1689.B) The English Bill of Rights ensured the superiority of Parliament over

the monarchy.1. Required monarch to summon Parliament regularly2. Gave the House of Commons power over spending 3. Barred any Catholic from becoming monarch4. Monarch could no longer suspend laws 5. Renewed trial by jury6. Affirmed habeus corpus: no person can be held in prison without first

being charged with a specific crime

C) The Glorious Revolution created a limited monarchy, where Parliament limited the powers of the monarch.

How Similar are These?English Bill of Rights

• That the freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament…

• That the subjects which are Protestants may have arms for their defense suitable to their conditions and as allowed by law…

American Bill of Rights

• Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press… (1st Amendment)

• A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. (2nd Amendment)

Will William become the next King of England? Should he? What kind of power should he

have, if at all?

Focus Questions

1. How did absolutism in England differ from Spain, France, and Russia?2. Why do you think England returned to a monarchical system?3. How similar is the English Bill of Rights to our Bill of Rights?