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King James I Strikes
The king attempted to make some adjustments to the religious scene at that time. However his reform, relating to recreation on sundays, angered the puritans. In response, the clergy undermined his authority making it impossible for him to be the monarch that brought about absolute control. -
The Parliament and The Civil War
The parliament abolished courts that enforced royal policy and instead gave themselves more power. This could have been effective except the parliament itself was very divided with countless Protestant and Catholics in the mix. Their failure to agree was further pushed when King Charles wanted to invade Scotland but couldn't. In response, he attacked the Parliment trying to kill his enemies but they escaped. His attack on his own citizens further derailed the ultimate goal. -
Charles II
After the throne returned and the monarchy was restored, the chance of absolute control was greater than ever. However, due to him being secretly supportive of Protestants and Catholics, he was not able to force a single religion and instead allowed religious freedom. This resulted in some supporting him while others were against him. This resulted in a lack of control which made him fail to obtain power. -
Prides Purge
The forced removal of the Long Parliment, along with Charles I's rule, both contributed to the second civil war. Due to the turmoil, absolute monarchy at this time was not achieveable. -
Treaty of Dover
through the treaty of Dover, France and England came to an understanding. However, that understanding resulted in England pledging to turn Christian at some point. While this should have been beneficial to the rise of absolute power, it was the opposite because Charles issued a Declaration of Indulgences which no loyal Roman Catholic supported, hence disagreeing with the King in general. This resulted in them not accepting his authority fully making it hard for him to implement control. -
Glorious Revolution
James II attempted to repeal the Test Act but instead had to dissolve the parliament. During the recreation, he appointed a lot of Catholics to the higher positions. His attempt at creating a religiously acceptive environment, through the Declaration of Indulgence, also undermined his authority due to a lot of revolts from respected nobles and Anglican Bishops. -
Treatise of Civil Government Published
John Locke argued that absolute monarchy is bound to result in the end of civil government. He states that citizens would be forced to submit to higher powers with no chance of an appeal or fair justice in most matters. Due to its unsophisticated nature, he denounces the idea in his Treatise of Civil Government.
