England and the Anti-Absolutism Movement
While most of Europe was following the French model of establishing absolute monarchies, England’s gov’t in 1688 was a constitutional monarchy. This form of gov’t saw a Parliament having superiority over the English crown. This development was the result of incompetence of the part of the both the Stuart and Tudor families that had ruled England during the 16th and the early part of the 17th century.
The first instance of the monarchy giving power to Parliament occurred in 1529 when Henry VIII needed its support to help him force the papacy to annul his marriage. His daughter, Elizabeth I, made the mistake of not dealing with the Puritans (a protestant group that challenged the monarchy). Elizabeth, unlike her French counterpart, Louis XIV, never established religious unity in her country. Also, Elizabeth was forced to go to Parliament repeatedly for tax increases to finance wars against Spain. As time went on Parliament was more resistant to raising taxes. The English monarchy also failed to establish a standing army and therefore had to rely on the questionable loyalty of the English nobility.
James I
James I was also the king of Scotland and inherited the English throne when Elizabeth I died without an heir in 1603. At the time the English crown was in financial crisis and James did not help with his lavish spending practices. James was forced to go to the Parliament to increase taxes. James wanted an increase of 1 million pounds but Parliament only granted 200,000 pounds. James decided to renew old dues to raise the rest. Some of these long forgotten dues required people to pay the crown if they wanted their children to marry which angered the common people. He sold titles which angered the nobility and he sold monopolies which angered the merchant class. Despite alienating almost all of his subjects, James even developed a plan to force people to lend money to the crown or face a fine.
His public image would continue to alienate Parliament and the citizens of England during his 22 year reign. This alienation would escalate when James’ son, Charles, took the throne in 1625.
Charles I and the English Civil War
After taking the throne Charles continued to alienate Parliament with his stubborn personality and unwillingness to compromise. Parliament refused to raise taxes for Charles and debate spread on how much power Parliament and the monarchy should have. Because of it’s unwillingness to raise taxes Charles suspended Parliament for a period of time known as the Eleven Years of Tyranny. This period was the closest England would get to an absolute monarchy but Charles was forced to recall Parliament when he could no longer finance his war against Ireland and was desperate for more funds.
Once it was recalled Parliament, obviously angry and hostile refused to raise the taxes Charles needed. After two years, Charles was fed up with Parliament and attempted to use force. With 1500 horsemen, Charles stormed the House of Commons intent on arresting his major opponents. The raid went badly as most of the members of parliament escaped out the windows and gathered support for a civil war. For 6 years the Royalists (loyal to monarchy) fought the Roundheads (parliament supporters). Charles was captured in 1646 and for 3 years the Parliament tried to get him to compromise. He refused and Parliament felt they had no other choice but to charge him with treason. Charles was found guilty and beheaded on Jan. 30, 1649 thus ending the English Civil War.
The New Republic
Now that England no longer had a monarch, the country was ruled by a parliamentary republic from 1649 to 1658 under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell. The form of government was not that much different other than the fact that there was no monarch. Problems began to rise as parliamentarians saw they were divided on such issues as religion tolerance and the control of the military. The country was so divided that Cromwell was offered the crown in hopes unifying the country under his control but he refused. After Cromwell’s death his son, Richard, continued Oliver’s work but he was inexperienced and did not gain the respect or following of the English people.
People were fed up with disunity and invited Charles II, the son of the beheaded Charles I, to come back from France to take the throne. However, severe restrictions were placed upon his powers and he was not able to raise taxes or pass laws without Parliament approval. Charles accepted this role and ruled very effectively even though he was known to be pro-French and pro-Catholic.
The Glorious Revolution
After Charles II died, James I came to the throne in 1685. He immediately made it known that he wanted to restore the Catholic Church and the monarchy’s power in England. This immediately alienated the English people and prominent citizens began to oppose him. The solution devised was to invite the Dutch monarch, William of Orange to take the English throne. William had a claim to the English throne through his marriage to his wife, Mary. William invaded England with a large army and James fled without offering any resistance. This event where not a single shot was fired is known as the Glorious Revolution. William and Mary ruled jointly as constitutional monarchs. To ensure that no monarch would try to seize their power again, Parliament passed the Bill of Rights in 1689. The Bill of Rights outlined the powers and rights of the Parliament basically stating that the monarchy could not pass laws or raise taxes without the consent of the Parliament.
While other countries in Europe were developing absolute monarchies, England, by the end of the 17th century, had limited the powers of its monarchy in favour of a Parliament with supreme power.