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Contributor: Suzanne Riordan. Lesson ID: 13286
Parliament vs. the King, Catholics vs. Protestants, Anglicans vs. Puritans, Cavaliers vs. Roundheads, and Tories vs. Whigs. Need a guide through the many conflicts of the Stuart times? Here you go!
Every 5th of November, people throughout England celebrate a special day with fireworks, bonfires, and parades.
It's called Guy Fawkes Day.
Well, not really!
Our friends at Horrible Histories tell the story in the video below — not completely accurately, but close enough! (See if you can pick out the part that's made up.)
When Queen Elizabeth I died, King James of Scotland, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, became King of England.
It was the first time a single monarch ruled England and Scotland. This began the reign of the Stuart family in England, which lasted from 1603-1714.
These were the Stuart Monarchs.
There were many conflicts during these years, but most were related to two issues. We'll call them the two R's.
Rule: How much power should Parliament have, and how much should the king have?
Religion: Does the king or Parliament have the power to establish one religion for all the people?
Pay attention to how each monarch deals with these two issues! Take notes on it because you'll need that information for a later activity.
Start with a quick introduction to the Stuarts before looking at each one. Have a paper and pencil or pen handy to take notes while you watch the video below.
James I
King James is known for the following.
Promoting exploration and settlement of the New World. The Jamestown colony in Virginia was founded during his reign.
Commissioning a new translation of the Bible, now called the King James Bible.
His government breaking up the Gunpowder Plot, which would have killed both him and members of Parliament.
Think back to the opening video you watch about Guy Fawkes.
Catesby asked a stranger in an inn if he wanted to join the plot!
Francis Tresham was already part of the plotting group. Historians don't know for sure who wrote the letter that revealed the plot, but many suspect Tresham because he would naturally want to warn his brother-in-law, who was in Parliament.
Rule: He believed in his "divine right to rule" with no interference from Parliament!
Religion: He wanted everyone to go to the same church, the Church of England, and for everyone to support the church with taxes. And, as he commissioned the King James Bible, he wanted that to be the only Bible allowed.
Charles I
Charles I is known for the following.
Getting Parliament and many citizens angry with him started a civil war.
Being executed!
Charles became unpopular when he married a Catholic woman. He also got England involved in some wars, and Parliament refused to raise taxes to pay for them. He then strode into a Parliament meeting to make demands.
Watch a movie version of what happened next.
After this, a civil war broke out in England. It was a battle between Cavaliers (or Royalists) and Roundheads (or Parliamentarians), the people who supported the king and the people who supported Parliament.
Oliver Cromwell was a Puritan and the military leader of the Roundheads.
Puritanism started when some English Christians broke off from the Church of England. They believed the church was too similar to the Catholic Church. They wanted to get rid of all ceremonies that reminded them of Catholicism.
Watch the video below to help you remember who's who and what they were fighting for!
The Roundheads captured Charles II and killed him.
Cromwell then became the Lord Protector of England. There was no king for the next ten years, but, as Charles said in the video, "We'll be back!"
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England
Oliver Cromwell is known for the following.
His prejudice against Catholics and Church of England Protestants. He allowed only Puritans like himself to serve in Parliament.
His strict Puritanical views. This means he believed that many harmless things people enjoyed were wrong. He banned sports, entertainment, and even Christmas!
Another video explains what happened.
Cromwell died, and his supporters tried to put his son in charge of the country. That didn't work, however, because the people were tired of the Puritanical life and wanted their king back.
They brought Charles's son back to England from the Netherlands — where he went into hiding when his father was killed — and named him king. This is known as the Restoration.
Charles II
Charles II is known for the following.
Being a Merry Monarch. After years of Cromwell, the people were glad to have a ruler who enjoyed life.
Breeding the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel!
Leading England during a terrible plague and a great fire, and the rebuilding of London afterward.
Dissolving Parliament because they would not accept his brother, James the Duke of York (a Catholic), as his successor.
Watch this movie clip of King Charles dissolving Parliament.
Charles was not interested in establishing a state religion. He wanted there to be freedom of religion.
However, Parliament again tried establishing the Church of England as the official church. They passed an act against Catholics saying that all government officeholders had to be of the Anglican Church (Church of England established by Henry VIII). This was called the Test Act.
Charles didn't enforce these laws. He signed a treaty with the French (a Catholic nation) and named his brother, James (a Catholic), as his successor.
Parliament developed into two parties: Whigs and Tories. Whigs wanted to keep James from becoming King, and Tories supported Charles and his right to choose his successor.
After dissolving Parliament, Charles did not call it to meet again and ruled alone for the rest of his reign.
Right before he died, he converted to Catholicism.
James II
James II was Catholic and tried to bring the Catholic faith back to England.
Yes, time for more arguments over religion! When James had a son, the Whigs worried it would be the beginning of a Catholic dynasty.
James suspended Parliament and sought to rule by himself.
His opponents invited William of Orange to invade, and James fled. This is called the Revolution of 1688, the Glorious Revolution, or the Bloodless Revolution.
William was married to Mary, James' daughter, so they both had a right to the throne and decided to rule together.
William and Mary
William and Mary split their rule this way: William ruled when he was in England, but Mary had a big say in religious matters, and Mary ruled on her own when William was away.
The reign of William and Mary is known for the following.
Their ruling together, of course.
England established a Protestant monarchy. They made it illegal for an English king to be Catholic or to marry one.
Allowing the English Bill of Rights to be passed by Parliament. This limited the power of the monarchy and increased Parliament's power.
Anne
William and Mary had no children, so when they both died, Mary's sister, Anne, became queen. Anne is known for the following.
The 1707 Act of Union between Scotland and England that joined the two countries and formed Great Britain.
Having 18 children! Sadly, all of them died, and she was succeeded by George of Hanover (King George I).
Anne was a Church of England Protestant who helped pay poor clergy members more. She didn't have the problems with Parliament that many of her ancestors had!
English Citizens
Surely they were not all plotting to establish a state religion or overthrow the king!
Here's a hint: They found a way to escape all the turmoil over religion and rule!
They went to America!
Historians estimate that around 38,000 English citizens left England for America every year of the 1600s. That's almost 4 million people over 100 years!
If you're an American with English ancestry, it may be that someone from your family was part of that immigration!
Now that you know all about the time of the Stuarts, move on to the Got It? section and test your knowledge of all these kings and queens!
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