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Henry VIII of England was the first king to break ties with the Catholic Church and convert his nation to Protestantism, specifically the Anglican Branch. He broke ties because the Catholic Church disapproved of his divorce.
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Mary I is infamous for her bloody reign. She persecuted and excuted anyone who would not conform to the Catholic Church; more than 300 people burned at the stake. Despite opposition, she married the Catholic King of Spain, Phillip II.
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Elizabeth I took the throne after Bloody Mary, shocking the nation by immediately converting to Protestantism. She strategically used the Parliament to suite her needs without allowing them to have too much influence on her reign. She had much conflict with her half sister, Mary I.
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Outraged, Philip II sent his ships to attack England. However, because of the English's stragtegic manuvering of their ships, the Spanish were defeated.
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In this time, the English government became less popular with the people, starting on the path to a revolution.
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James I rules England and Scotland. He supported the Anglican church and did not allow reform from the Puritans in Parliament. He sold nobility when taxes were insufficient to fund his government. His relationship with his subjects deteriorated.
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After the Tudor dynasty, the Stuarts reigned. Their reign ended when Charles I was beheaded and Cromwell took charge.
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Charles I was not popluar with his sujects or with Parliament. Under him, Parliament was allotted less and less power. For 11 years, starting 1628, Charles completely ignored them.He was also head of the Anglican church. He was beheaded in the Revolution.
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To appease the Parliament, Carles agreed to the Petition of Rights, which secured ancient liberties.
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Before this, the English Parliament had no real power. For twenty years, the Parliament ensured its influence on the government by reconvening consistently. They created a balance of power by checking the king's power
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England was divided into the royalists (or Cavaliers), with the government's power, and Roundheads (Puritan-supporters who believed that the royal power should be curbed) under Oliver Cromwell's power.
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Although this time was not a constant war-revolution, it was a time when the English citizens tried to change their government, successful to some extent.
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The former English government was abolished after the Royalist Army was defeated by the New Model Army, and Charles I was handed over to Parliament.
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After being tried for treason, Charles I was beheaded by the "Rump Parliament" and the English citizens
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A pious Puritan, Oliver Cromwell, led the country under the title "lord protector" after Charles I was executed. Considered a "reluctant dictator," he ruled powerfully, and citizen discontent remained.
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After a civil war, Cromwell's dictatorchip, and a Revolution, monarchy is restored in England when Charles II comes to power.
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Charles II kept many of the same policies as Cromwell had. He was nicknamed the "Merry Monacrh." He tolerated Catholicsm.
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This act, based on the latin writ "habeas corpus," meaning "you shall have a body" protected individuals from arbitrary imprisonment, requiring a trial with a judge.
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Under Charles II's successor, James II, disconent heightened in England. James II opposed both of the political majority groups in Parliament. Dutch William of Orange easily overthrew James in 1688 and sparked a revolution. He took the throne in 1689, just after when Parliament had made several reforms.
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Parliament formalized a Bill of Rights, limiting aa ruler's power and influence and protecting citizens. They also passed the Toleration Acts, which gave freedom of worship to certain sects of Protestantism.
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In this time, because monarchs were unfamiliar with English customs and policies, they were reliant on others to rule. This gives others divisions of government more inlfuence.
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Through the Act of Union, the English and Scotish are united as a politically strategic measure against an impending war with France.
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Under this dynasty, the real power shifted to the Prime Minister, and a limited constutional monarchy was established.
