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James I becomes King of England
James I was a huge believer of divine right. He rarely summoned Parliament. He created impositions, new custom duties, to gain income so he would not have to go to Parliament. He rebuffs Puritans and declares his intentions to maintain and enhance Anglican episcopacy in the Hampton Court Confederacy. His court is a center of scandal and corruption. He is also sympathetic to Catholics which Protestant Parliament members do not like. James I begins the distrust of the monarch to rule by Parliament -
Charles I dissolves Parliament
Charles I dissolved Parliament and rules for 11 years without their aid/consent. He only reconvenes Parliament when he needs money for a war against Scotland. Parliament denies him the funds, so he dissolves them again. This causes Parliament to have even more distrust for the monarchy, and eventually leads to the English Civil War, which is caused by Parliament’s desire to rid themselves of Charles I. -
English Civil War
The English Civil War was fought between King Charles I forces called the Cavaliers and the Parliamentary forces called the Roundheads from 1642-1646. It is caused by Charles I continuously dissolving Parliament and denying citizens of their inalienable rights. The Roundheads win the war, they execute Charles I. This shows the power that Parliament has because they were able to get rid of a King they saw as corrupt. Their power continues to grow, thus limiting the monarchy. -
Parliament Passes the Test Act
This act requires all civil and military officials of the crown to swear an oath against the doctrine of transubstantiation. Essentially, it is an act against Roman Catholics. Although it was passed during the reign of Charles II, it was directed at James II. This limits the monarchy because both Charles I and James II are Catholic sympathizers, but Parliament now has the ability to pass an Act that prevents the Monarchs from acting with religious freedom. -
Birth of James II's Catholic son
After James II’s first wife dies, he remarries a Catholic. Although not happy, Parliament does not do anything because they have no heir. Once James II and his wife have a child, however, Parliament immediately jumps into action to remove James II from the throne before his Catholic son can become King. This limits the power because without the birth of James’s son, Parliament would not have taken measures to prevent a Catholic heir and limit the monarchy. -
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution was a response to King James II’s son James Edward Stuart, who would be raised Catholic because both his parents were Catholic. Parliament invited William of Orange, who was the husband of Mary, the eldest daughter of James II whom also was Protestant, to invade England. James sees that he will not win a fight against William’s army, so he flees to France without a fight. The whole world now knows that Parliament can remove Kings relatively easily as they have now done tw -
The English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights are written after the Glorious Revolution, and William and Mary must sign this bill in order to rule in England. The document severely limits the monarchs because now monarchs are subject to the law, must rule by consent of Parliament, and they cannot be Roman Catholics. Also, the English Bill of Rights guarantees civil liberties to privileged class citizens.
