Charles i (1625)

Seven Steps to Limited Monarchy

By CarolineTravis

  • beginning of the English Civil War

    beginning of the English Civil War
    The English Civil War marked the breaking of tensions between Charles I's tyrannical attempts to rule without consent of Parliament and Parliament's view that the king should have to answer to them to properly rule. This war spans nine years of pitting supporters of Charles I against supporters of Parliament. image source:
    http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_I_with_M._de_St_Antoine_(1633);_Anthony_Van_Dyck.jpg

  • Charles I executed

    Charles I executed
    The beheading of Charles I demonstrated the king's complete loss of power and this point in England's government. A makeshift Rump Parliament had been established and set up a High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I for treason. He was found guilty and Parliament then temporarily abolished the monarchy, House of Lords, and the Anglican church. image source:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Contemporary_German_print_depicting_Charles_Is_beheading.jpg

  • Cromwell disbands Parliament

    Cromwell disbands Parliament
    Cromwell was one of the signatories of Charles I's death warrant and a member of the Rump Parliament. After Charles's execution, it looked as though tyrannical rule was over in England. However, Cromwell proved to be just as controlling as Charles I, and he disbanded the Parliament he had so fervently fought for. image source:
    http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oliver_Cromwell_coloured_drawing.png

  • James II takes the throne

    James II takes the throne
    James II was infamous for his unwilligness to compromise when his advisers disagreed. He repealed the Test Act and only appointed Catholics to office. He sought safety in an enlarged standing army and ordered Parliament prorogued. image source:
    http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_II_%26_VII.jpg

  • William of Orange invades England

    William of Orange invades England
    William of Orange, husband of James II's daughter Mary invaded England with a union of English Parliamentarians upon the birth of James II's son. This overthrow led to the passage of the Bill of Rights and Act of Toleration, which exluded Catholicism. image source:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:King_William_III_of_England,_(1650-1702)_(lighter).jpg

  • George I takes the throne

    George I takes the throne
    George I inherited the throne of Great Britain and Ireland as the first monarch of the House of Hanover, being Queen Anne's closest Protestant relative. His reign saw the diminishing of the powers of the monarchy and a transition to the cabinet system of government ruled by a prime minister. image source:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:King_George_I_by_Sir_Godfrey_Kneller,_Bt_(3).jpg

  • Robert Walpole becomes prime minister

    Robert Walpole becomes prime minister
    The position of "prime minister" had no official recognition at this time, but Robert Walpole's influence in Cabinet leads to his general acknowledgement as the first prime minister of England. image source:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Retuched_Painting_of_Robert_Walpole.jpg