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Death of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I, Daughter of Henry VIII, passed away after a great reign full of religious change and English art. Unfortunately, military failures tarnished her reputation while queen. After her death, she was succeeded by King James I. -
Succession of James I
King James I originally ruled Scotland until Elizabeth’s death, at which point he took control of England and Ireland, giving him reign over the three kingdoms. A plot to murder him was foiled, named the Gunpowder plot, and was meant to induce greater religious tolerance. The King James translation of the Bible was authorized during his reign, and named after him. His reign ended in 1625. -
Succession of Charles I
Charles I took over as ruler of England, Scotland, and Ireland after King James’s death. Charles was perceived as an absolutionist, as his word was deemed law. His people greatly opposed him, as he leaned too far into Catholicism and his constant pushes for reform angered the other branches of Christianity present in England. -
Death of James I
James I's death marked the end of the Jacobethan era, a 22-year reign. After his desth, colonizing of the New World continued, and the King James Version of the Bible spread and remains prominent to this day. -
Triennial Act
This law ordered that the king summon parliament every three years. The less summoning a king did, the more power he had because parliament wouldn’t know what is going on. Therefore, this act was a way to reduce the power the king would have, and give a little more to parliament. -
English Civil War
The country of England was split into those who supported Charles I and those who supported Parliament. The first major battle was at Edge Hill. There was a lot of downtime in between battles because of lack of mobility and the winters were hard on both sides of the war. Cromwell, for Parliament, thought up his New Model Army and the New Model Army took out Charles’s army, ultimately winning the war. -
Execution of Charles I
After his failure in the English Civil war, he was captured by the Scottish. Charles then made an alliance with Scottish leaders, and was executed for treason. After his death, the monarchial system was abandoned in favor of a republic. -
End of the English Civil War
After the trials of Charles I and Charles II, Oliver Cromwell took over the UK and ruled as a dictator. The Parliamentarians, led by Oliver Cromwell, held a final victory over the Royalist forces at Worchester. -
Oliver Cromwell’s Rule
After he pushed for the execution of Charles I, England got rid of the king system temporarily. Oliver Cromwell became the head of the state, or the Lord Protector. He was very religious and was a Puritan. He made strict laws for the people of England, for example, if someone was caught walking around leisurely on a Sunday, not headed for church, they could be fined. By the end of his rule, which ended in his natural death, most of England hated his guts for his super strict laws. -
The Restoration
After being banished from England, Charles II meets up with General George Monck, and Monck agreed to restore Charles in exchange for a promise of religious toleration and amnesty for former enemies. Charles agreed to this and on May 25, he landed at Dover and a few days later he claimed the throne. -
The Rule of Charles II
Cromwell’s death led to an opening to rule, and Charles II, Charles I’s son, took it. Charles II then restored the monarchy system, as well as the Church of England. He had a secret treaty with Louis XIV of France, which established that Charles convert to Catholicism in exchange for money. Charles had no legitimate children, so after his death, his brother, James II took over the throne. -
The Rule of James II
James was the son of Charles I, and brother of Charles II, and was next in line for the throne after Charles II’s death. James wanted to increase Catholic presence in England, and once suspected of doing so, William III, his Protestant nephew, challenged him on the direction he was taking the country in. After James fled, he remained in France until his death, as an ally of King Louis XIV. -
Glorious Revolution
The revolution replaced the reigning king, James II, with his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange, who was Dutch. It established parliament over the crown, meaning the government now had more control over the country, and that helped set the building blocks for constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. However, the revolution also allowed the Dutch to invade England, although there wasn’t much bloodshed for England. -
Escape of James II
James II fled the country after the Glorious Revolution. James retreated to France, and was welcomed by King Louis XIV, and served in his court until death. -
Coronation of William and Mary
William and Mary (who were husband and wife) were crowned as co-rulers in 1689. William’s career as king held many disagreements with France’s Louis XIV, and thus led to many conflicts throughout his reign. Also, Mary was William’s first cousin, and that’s disgusting.
