Lecture 7

à Stuart Britain. Life under the Stuarts

Stuart Britain. Elizabeth I (Tudor) upon her death did not leave an heir to the English throne.
Thus, she was succeeded to the throne by her closest relative – James VI of Scotland – son of
Mary, Queen of Scots. Having taken the English crown James VI of Scotland became also James
I of England uniting England and Scotland under one crown. The Stuart period England starts
(1603-1714).

James I believed in the absolute power of the monarchy, and he had a rocky relationship with an
increasingly vociferous and demanding Parliament (the major issues that caused James and
Parliament to fall out were royal finances, royal favorites and the belief by James that he could
never be wrong). James I is known for ordering a new translation of the Bible (the Authorized
Version) which remains popular in England today. James I was a firm Protestant, and in 1604 he
expelled all Catholic priests from the island. This was one of the factors which led to the
Gunpowder Plot of 1605. A group of Catholic plotters planned to blow up Parliament when it
opened on November 5. However, an anonymous letter betrayed the plot and one of the plotters,
Guy Fawkes, was captured in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with enough gunpowder to
blow the place sky high. Most of the plotters were captured and executed. During James’ reign
radical Protestant groups called Puritans began to gain a sizeable following. Puritans wanted to
“purify” the church by pairing down church ritual, educating the clergy, and limiting the powers
of bishops. King James resisted this last. The powers of the church and king were too closely
linked. “No bishop, no king”, he said. The Puritans also favored thrift, education, and individual
initiative, therefore they found great support among the new middle class of merchants, the
powers in the Commons.

James was followed by his son – Charles I who is known for continuing his father’s acrimonious
relationship with Parliament, squabbling over the right to levy taxes. Parliament responded with
the Petition of the Right in 1628. It was the most dramatic assertion of the traditional rights of
the English people since the Magna Carta. Its basic premise was that no taxes of any kind could
be allowed without the permission of Parliament. Charles finally had enough, and in 1629 he
dissolved the Parliament and ruled without it for eleven years. Some of the ways he raised
money during this period were of dubious legality by the standards of the time.

There were more disagreements between the king and the parliament, and finally fighting began
between supporters of the king – Royalists (also known as Cavaliers) and supporters of
Parliament – Roundheads. This was known as the English Civil War. One of the main leaders of
the Roundheads was Oliver Cromwell – a Puritan general. The Cavaliers were defeated at the
battles of Marston Moor and then at Naseby. Charles escaped, but was later caught and
beheaded. His son, also called Charles, is believed to have escaped from Cromwell’s soldiers by
hiding in an oak tree.

After execution of Charles I the Interregnum (period without a monarch) started. Parliament
ruled without a king and without a House of Lords for 11 years (1649-1660) – years of the
Commonwealth. Ostensibly Parliament was in control, but the real power lay with Cromwell and
the army. Eventually the conflict between Cromwell and Parliament came to a head with
Cromwell calling himself Lord Protector and established the Protectorate (1653-1658). This was
essentially a monarchy by another name, with Cromwell at its head. His rule was a time of rigid
social and religious laws on radical Protestant lines (playing music, dancing, balls, etc. were
forbidden). After Oliver Cromwell’s death the title of lord Protector was taken by his son –
Robert Cromwell who, however, soon quit.
In 1660 Parliament offered to restore the monarchy id Charles (son of Charles I) would agree to
concessions for religious toleration and a general amnesty. Charles was not as hard-headed as his
father, and he agreed to the proposals. He returned to London on a wave of popular support to be
crowned Charles II. That was the Restoration.

The Restoration was notable for a relaxation of the strict Puritan morality of the previous
decades. Theatre, sports, and dancing were revived. Charles’ court was notable for its revelry
and licentiousness. While Charles was enjoying his new court (for which he was nicknamed
Merry Monarch), he was less than successful internationally. The English fought a losing naval
war with the Dutch, and England’s presence on the high seas had never been so low.

Charles’ brother became the next king, James II. He was a Catholic and tried to change some of
the laws against people who were not Protestants. The Duke of Monmouth tried to lead a revolt
against him, but lost at the battle of Sedgemoor in Somerset. James soon became unpopular,
however, and was replaced on the throne by William III (of Orange) and his wife Mary (Mary
was James’ daughter). James escaped to France and then raised an army in Ireland, where he was
supported by the Catholics. The Protestants in Ulster (part of Ireland) supported William of
Orange. James was finally defeated at the battle of the Boyne, a victory which is still celebrated
each year by marches through the streets of Ulster by the Protestant Orangemen. William of
Orange became the first King-in-Parliament (which means he was guided by Parliament). Under
the reign of William and Mary Parliament passed the 1689 Bill of Rights (according to which
Parliament became beyond question more powerful than the king) and 1701 Act of Settlement
that claimed that only a Protestant could inherit the crown. The accession of William III and
Mary to the throne became known as the Glorious Revolution as it happened without any blood
and battles.

William outlived Mary, and he was followed by the second daughter of James II, Queen Anne.
In 1707 the Act of Union brought together Scotland and England to form Great Britain. The
Union Jack was adopted as the new national flag, incorporating the crosses of St George
(England) and St Andrew (Scotland).

Anne had seventeen children, all of whom predeceased her, so on her death the throne went to
the Bavarian, George of Hanover.

Life under Stuarts. When James I came to the throne, he adopted a moderate Protestant
religious policy (religious revolution). Both the Catholic and Puritans were forbidden to practice
their religion. Many extreme Puritans left England, among them – the Pilgrim Fathers who on 16
September 1620 boarded Mayflower to sail to the New World where a colony was settled.

The reign of Charles II saw the Great Plague (1664-1666) and the Great Fire of London (1666).

Scientific revolution: the new mood was established at the very beginning of the century by
Francis Bacon, who argued that every scientific idea must be tested by experiment. In 1628
William Harvey discovered the circulation of blood and this led to great advances in medicine.
In 1666 Sir Isaac Newton began to study gravity, publishing his important discovery in 1684.
Newton was encouraged and financed by his friend, Edmund Halley, who is mostly remembered
for tracking a comet in 1682. There was a great interest in astronomy at the time and the Royal
Observatory at Greenwich was founded by Charles II, who supported scientific research,
including the recently-founded Royal Society. The greatest architect of the time, Christopher
Wren, who rebuilt much of London after the great fire of 1666, was also Professor of Astronomy
at Oxford.
As a result of rapid spread of literacy and the improvement in printing techniques, the first
newspapers appeared.