The King, Parliament and the Civil War
Disputes over taxation, religion and control of the army led to war between Charles I and Parliament. A disputed court tried and executed Charles in 1649. The monarchy returned in 1660, and later laws limited royal power.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Say what Parliament and the king each claimed the right to do
- Explain why executing a king in 1649 was different from killing one in a battle
- Name a limit on royal power set out in the 1689 Bill of Rights
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Tudor rulers had changed religious laws. Charles I became king in 1625 and claimed that kings received authority from God. This belief was called divine right. Parliament claimed the right to approve new taxes and share in lawmaking with the king. Charles dissolved Parliament in 1629 and governed without calling it again until 1640. Religious policies and demands for money caused distrust.
By 1642, disputes over religion, money and royal power had deepened. Parliament feared Charles would use an army against it and demanded control of the army. Charles resisted that demand. Negotiations did not settle the conflict, and fighting began in 1642. Parliament's armies, with Cromwell among their commanders, defeated Charles's forces. Further wars continued until 1651.
In 1649, a special court created by the remaining House of Commons tried Charles for treason. The army had excluded many MPs before this. Charles denied the court's authority to try him. The court sentenced him to death, and he was executed. Unlike a battle death, the trial claimed that a king could be held legally responsible. The court's authority was disputed.
England became a republic in 1649, with no monarch. Cromwell became Lord Protector in 1653 and governed using Parliament and military power. After he died in 1658, his son Richard could not hold power. Disputes among soldiers and politicians weakened the republic. In 1660 Parliament invited Charles II to become king. This return of the monarchy is called the Restoration.
Charles II later governed without calling Parliament from 1681 to 1685. In 1688 William of Orange invaded and James II fled. In 1689 Parliament offered William and Mary the crown. The Bill of Rights required Parliament's consent for raising taxes and keeping a standing army in peacetime. It strengthened limits on the monarchy, but did not give everyone a vote.
John Locke argued that government needed people's consent and should protect life, liberty and property. He rejected divine right as the basis of government. If rulers seriously violated people's rights, he argued that people could resist them. This challenged the claim that a king's authority came from God alone.
Disputes led to war and a contested trial of Charles I. The monarchy returned in 1660. The 1689 Bill of Rights later set limits on royal power.
This lesson, its questions, worked solutions and flashcards were written for this dataset. OpenStax history records were consulted for facts, without adapting their prose.
The readings and flashcards were written for this dataset, with OpenStax records consulted for facts. The linked social-contract video features Caroline Winterer and is provided through Khan Academy.
More to read
What returned in 1660?
The Restoration brought back England's monarchy. Charles II became king in 1660. His father, Charles I, had been executed in 1649.
Government had changed several times between these kings. England became a republic, and Cromwell later governed as Lord Protector. After Cromwell died, his son Richard could not hold power. Disputes among soldiers and politicians weakened the government before Parliament invited Charles II back.
Restoring a king did not settle every dispute about royal authority. Charles II later governed without calling Parliament from 1681 to 1685. Further conflict followed, and the Bill of Rights set out limits in 1689. These were separate stages, not one change completed in 1660.
Changing rulers and limiting powers
In 1688 William of Orange invaded England, and James II fled. Parliament offered William and Mary the crown in 1689. The change involved military action as well as political decisions.
The Bill of Rights restricted royal powers. Raising taxes and keeping a standing army in peacetime required Parliament's consent. These rules strengthened Parliament's position alongside the monarchy.
This settlement did not give everyone a vote. Voting rights remained restricted. A government with limits on its monarch is not necessarily a government in which all adults have an equal political voice. When studying this period, ask both what powers changed and who could take part.
Locke's argument about government
John Locke argued that government needed people's consent. Its duties included protecting life, liberty and property. In his argument, serious violations of people's rights could justify resistance to rulers.
Charles I's claim of divine right gave a different explanation of royal authority: kings received it from God. Comparing these claims helps explain a disagreement about what made government legitimate.
An argument about rights is also different from equal treatment in practice. Ideas about consent existed alongside slavery, colonial rule and restrictions on political participation. Historians compare what writers argued with the institutions and actions of their societies.
How parliamentary government differs
A parliament is a lawmaking body. In the United Kingdom's parliamentary system, the government must maintain the confidence of the House of Commons, the elected part of Parliament.
A presidential system separates the selection of the president from elections to the legislature. Remaining in office does not normally depend on the legislature's continuing confidence, although other rules can allow removal. Countries differ in how they select presidents and check their powers.
Britain's present arrangements developed over centuries. They did not appear fully formed after Charles I's execution or the Bill of Rights. The seventeenth-century conflicts explain part of that history, not every feature of the system today.
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