The Failure of Absolute Monarchy in England

(Part II)

The Civil Wars 1642 -1649

England split between the south-east (with London) which supported Parliament and the north, Wales and south-west which supported the king. Initially the Royalist forces were successful but a New Model Army, led by Oliver Cromwell, finally led the Parliamentary forces to victory. Charles I was captured and imprisoned. He nevertheless succeeded in starting a second Civil War.

Trial & Execution of Charles I

Captured a second time Charles was put on trial, accused of three crimes. They were being a :

- Tyrant (trying to rule alone as an absolute monarch)
- Murderer (going to war against his own people)
- Traitor ( asking for help to the Irish , French and Scots)

The king claimed he was above the law and refused to respond to the accusations. He was found guilty by the court and sentenced to death . The beheading took place in January 1649.

Cromwell's Commonwealth

For the next eleven years England was ruled by Cromwell and the army as a republic. Puritan laws were strictly enforced. Scotland and Ireland were conquered and the Navy strengthened.

The Restoration

The Commonwealth was an unhappy period which came to an end with the return of Charles II to the throne in 1660. Known as the 'Merry Monarch', Charles II re-opened the theatres and race courseswhich had been shut by the Puritans. He managed to avoid serious conflict with Parliament. It was during the Restoration that the last Plague (1665) and Fire (1666) swept London.

It was also in this period (1679) that Habeas Corpus became part of English written law.

The 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688

James II , younger brother of Charles II, became king in 1685. A Catholic, he became increasingly threatening towards Parliament and showed signs of wanting to become an absolute monarch like Louis XIV in France. When a baby son was born to James in 1688 the threat of a long Catholic dynasty was too much for Parliament to bear. James' Protestant daughter , Mary, and her husband, William of Orange (leader of the Netherlands) were invited to take the throne of England. James II escaped to France without a shot being fired.

The Bill of Rights 1689

It was now clear that Parliament could choose and dismiss a monarch with total freedom. William & Mary were invited to rule England but only on condition that they accept a Bill of Rights. This is a series of laws which clearly state the power of Parliament alone to make laws and impose taxes. The powers of the monarch were drastically reduced. Although it is not actually a constitution (Great Britain is one of the few countries in the world not to have a written constitution) these laws set up a constitutional form of monarchy in England , contrasting with the absolute monarchy of France and other parts of Europe at the time.