Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

The Political Nation was the small elite of landowners and wealthy men who held real power in early Stuart England. They

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

Both James I and Charles I believed a king ruled by God's authority alone and owed Parliament no explanation. Their pers

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

Both James I and Charles I were chronically short of money. They tried various schemes to raise funds without asking Par

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

Three religious groups — Catholics, Puritans, and Arminians — each made different demands on the Stuart kings. Their com

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

James I and Charles I repeatedly clashed with Parliament across four main areas. Those areas were parliamentary privileg

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

By 1629, Charles I and Parliament had reached a complete breakdown in trust. Charles dissolved Parliament and chose to r

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

In early Stuart England, Protestants bitterly disagreed about how the Church should look and behave. These religious div

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

Charles I ruled without Parliament from 1629 to 1640. When he finally recalled Parliament, deep political divisions quic

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

Between 1642 and 1651, Charles I fought two civil wars against Parliament. Scotland and Ireland shaped both conflicts. C

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

The Civil War unleashed radical groups who demanded far more than Parliament had ever wanted. The Levellers pushed for p

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

After the Civil War ended in 1646, the victorious Parliament and its own Army fell into bitter dispute. They could not a

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

In January 1649, Parliament put King Charles I on trial and executed him. The people who organised this argued that a ki

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

When James I took the throne in 1603, he and his son Charles I both believed in royal absolutism — the idea that a king'

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

After executing Charles I in 1649, the new English Republic faced armed threats from Scotland and Ireland. Cromwell crus

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

After Charles I's execution in 1649, England tried to govern itself without a king. Politicians and religious radicals c

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

After abolishing the monarchy, Oliver Cromwell ruled England as Lord Protector. He tried to create stable, godly governm

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

Charles II became king in 1660, but he could not rule alone. He had to govern through Parliament and rely on powerful mi

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

After 1660, MPs and powerful landowners split into two loose groupings. The Court faction supported the king and his min

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

After 1660, England's restored monarchy faced fierce arguments about religion. Radical groups lost power, the official C

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

Parliament tried to ban Charles II's Catholic brother James from ever becoming king. When James became king anyway, he p

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

In 1688, leading English politicians invited the Dutch prince William of Orange to take the throne from the Catholic Kin

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

During the 1670s and 1680s, Britain's ruling class split into two rival political groups called Whigs and Tories. They d

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

After 1660, governments repeatedly tried to decide how much religious freedom different groups should have. Anglicans, P

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

After 1689, William III had to govern through Parliament and rely on ministers from rival political parties. This shifte

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

By 1702, a series of laws had permanently limited royal power and settled who could be king. Parliament now controlled t

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702

Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702

After the execution of Charles I in 1649, Britain entered a turbulent half-century of political and religious experiment

Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702