Constitutionalism in England in the 17th Century Essay

Analyze the development of Constitutionalism in England during the seventeenth century. Englands lengthy history of hereditary monarchs and abusive absolutists has led to the agreement of constitutionalism in 17th century English g everyplacenment activity. The encouragement of these peerless-man rule practices triggered the request to search for a new way to govern. The reigns of the Stuart monarchy led to the shift from absolutism to constitutionalism during 17th century England. after(prenominal) witnessing the success of Louis XIVs of France organisation of absolutism, England would soon see that throng I, and his son Charles I, will fail at establishing absolutism in England and see a constitutional government established. After the final stage of Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudor dynasty, in 1603, James VI of Scotland lift to creator as James I of England. James I was non used to having to rule with fantan, therefore he did not throw along with them. Since James I was also King of Scotland, he went to great lengths to come an attempt at bringing Scotland and England as close to union as he could. His anger towards fan tans refusal of associating with Scotland financially was only the starting of his problems with English parliament. In 1618, the Thirty Years struggle broke out.England participated in this war until internal and financial problems drove them to cease their involvement in European affairs. The lanate sevens also met during the reign of James I. The Addled Parliament was named that because of its ineffectiveness, it lasted only a few weeks and no real distri excepte came out of its assembly. When King James I passed away, Charles I was the successor as King of England. Charles I married Henrietta Maria, the Catholic sister of King Louis XIII, this unrestrained suspicion of his religious preferences. Moreover, the efforts of Charles and the archbishop, William Laud, to impose the Anglican disc of roughhewn invocation upon England and Scotland triggered anger of the Puritans and rebellions by the Scots. Parliament signed a Petition of proper(ip) in 1628, which declared that thing great government agency could not impose valuatees without Parliaments consent, the quartering of soldiers in private houses, arbitrary imprisonment, and the declaration of soldierlike law in peacetime.Charles I originally accepted this petition but eventually failed to carry out this agreement because it limited his power. Charles soon immovable that since he could not work with Parliament he would not telephone them to meet. Charles practiced personal rule for eleven years, which forced him to find enraptureway to collect taxes without the support and approval of Parliament. An ex angstromle of these taxes is ship money, a tax on seacoast towns to pay for the defense of the coast. Charles I also brocaded funds with the Act of Revocation in 1625, which revoked all land endow to nobility from the church or royal family since 1540. Continued ownership was flying field to an annual rent. withaltually, Charles I could not rule any longer without the attend to of Parliament, hence the bring downning of Long Parliament in 1640. During Long Parliament, Parliament passed the Triennial Act, forcing Charles I to call them to session at least erst every three years. Also, in 1641, Parliament presents The Grand Remonstrance, which was a get hold of for political and church reform. The Grand Remonstrance ordered Charles to stop the ship money tax inland, abolish and demolish the Star Chamber, and requesting that English Common Law have power over the king. This irritates Charles to the point that he declares any(prenominal) members of Parliament outlaws, one of them being Oliver Cromwell. The accused members flee Parliament and begin to plot against Charles I, hence the beginning of the English well-bred War.The success of Parliament during the first phase of the English Civil War can be attributed to Oliver Cromwells New Model Army. This phalanx consisted of radical Puritans and Independents, who believed they were fighting for God. Cromwell was one of the Independents. The first phase of the war was ended with capture of Charles I. Blinded by his belief in worshipful right, Charles took advantage Parliaments troubles and mulish to flee to the Scots for tax shelter. The Rump Parliament at once accused the king of treason saying that he had acted as a tyrant, traitor, murder, and a usual enemy to the good people of the nation. Charles was beheaded for his actions in 1649 and his attempt at absolutism was put an end. This was a great achievement in the switch off of absolutism, as Parliament continued to gain more power in England with every passing monarchy. After the death of Charles I, his son Charles II locomote to power (during the gracious war). The Roundheads, supporters of Parliament, were victorious by the end of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwel l became Lord Protector of England and held all executive power legislative power was given to Parliament. Cromwell came to find that it was difficult to work with Parliament, even more so when members debated his authority. Six years after the death of Charles I, who Cromwell fought so hard to eliminate, Cromwell himself had make the exact same thing as Charles demolish Parliament.After the death of Cromwell in 1658, England was damaged by all the change and turmoil that had occurred. This leftfield Europe wanting to go back to tradition. Parliament kept the power that it had gained back and it played a big role in the government by not allowing taxes without its consent. Since Cromwell did not leave an heir to the potentiometer, Parliament allowed Charles II to return from exile and take power. This is the beginning of a period know as The Restoration. The moral lesson that was taken from the English Civil War was, Parliament could no more exist without the Crown than the C rown without Parliament. abruptly into Charles IIs reign, the Cavalier Parliament was called to session. It was filled with Royalists, supporters of Charles I & II during the English Civil War. During this session, Parliament disbanded the Puritan army, while pardoning almost of the Puritan rebels. They also restored the authority of the Anglican church building by enforcing the Clarendon tag. The Clarendon Code contained the Act of Uniformity, which stated that all clergy and church officials had to conform to the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. It also forbade non-conformists from worshipping publically, teaching their faith, or attending English universities. Even though he permitted the Clarendon Code, Charles II favored religious tolerance. In 1672, he declared the Act of lenity, which suspended all laws against Catholics. Parliament, not able to get the king to recant the Act of Indulgence, passed the Test Act, which only allowed members of the Anglican Church to hold m ilitary or civil offices. Charles later dismissed Parliament and relied on the French to finance his rule.When Charles II died, the threat of universality grew large for Parliament when Charless brother, James II, a strong catholic, took the throne. The ascension of James II to throne essentially meant a new constitutional crisis was at hand for England. James IIs attempt to make Catholicism the primary religion in England once again created conflict amongst the monarch and Parliament over religion. James issued another Declaration of Indulgence allowing Catholics the right to hold offices, contrary to the Test Act. When James second wife, a strong Catholic, became pregnant, Parliaments outrage could no longer be calmed. A group of members from Parliament invited William of Orange, husband of Jamess Protestant daughter Mary, to invade England and take to throne. While William and Mary raised an army to invade England, James, his wife, and infant son fled to France, living the rest of their lives under the protection of Jamess cousin, Louis XIV. The Glorious Revolution had occurred in England not over what form of government it would have, but rather who the monarchy would be. In 1689, Parliament offered the throne to William and Mary, who accepted with the Bill of Rights.The Bill of Rights eliminated absolutism in England forever, making it unachievable for the king to oppose Parliament or do without Parliaments approval. In the Bill of Rights, the people were given rights to petition, to bear arms, and the right to exertion by a jury. The Bill of Rights established a government ground on the rule of law, where no one was above the law including the king. This place the foundations of a solid constitutional monarchy. The theory of divine right was now rejected in England, and the power to rule came from Parliament and the people, not God. The make grow of constitutionalism can be greatly contributed to the foolishness of the monarchies that believed in absolutism and divine right of kings. These absolutist monarchs virtually destroyed themselves by ruling jealously and were more power-hungry than they could handle. The acts and counter-acts that were exchanged between the monarchs and Parliament set the stage for civil war. The victory of the Parliament after the English Civil War generated the high quality of constitutionalism in 17th century England.