The Stuart dynasty reigned in England and Scotland from 1603 to 1714, a period which saw a flourishing Court culture, but also uproar and instability, plague, fire and war.
It was an age of intense religious debate and radical politics. Both contributed to a bloody Civil War in the mid-17th century between the Crown and Parliament, resulting in a parliamentary victory for Oliver Cromwell and the dramatic execution of King Charles I.
There was a short-term republic, the first time that the country had experienced such an event.
The Restoration of the Crown was soon followed by another "Glorious" Revolution. William and Mary of Orange ascended the throne as joint monarchs and defenders of Protestantism, followed by Queen Anne, the second of James II's daughters.
1603
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As Queen Elizabeth I of England’s nearest
relative, James I, the son of
Mary, Queen of Scots, succeeded to the throne of England at her death.
He became the first
Stuart king and he combined the
thrones of England and Scotland for
the first time.
He had problems with
Parliament throughout his reign because he believed in the divine right of kings to rule and in the subjection
of Parliament to the King’s will; he also insisted on strict conformity to
the Anglican Church which excluded
both Catholics and Puritans from government.
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1621
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A group of Puritans (a branch of extreme Protestants within the Anglican Church; they obeyed strict moral rules, believed spiritual life should become the focal point of all human existence, wanted to purify their Church from any traces of Catholicism), the Pilgrim Fathers, sailed to America on the Mayflower and founded New
Plymouth in Massachusetts - the New World provided a convenient ground for
unwanted religious and political agitators
and also a valuable market for English goods.
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1625
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When Charles I became king of England, he engaged in a struggle for power with Parliament, attempting
to obtain royal revenue, while Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which he believed was divinely ordained.
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1629-1640
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When Parliament refused to give him money, Charles I
responded by dissolving Parliament and reigned as an absolute sovereign causing great hostility.
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1642
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The conflict
between the King and Parliament
led to the Civil War. There were two factions: the Royalists or Cavaliers, who supported the King, and the Roundheads, the parliamentary faction led by Oliver
Cromwell, who were supported by the landed gentry, the mercantile classes
and Puritans.
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1647
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The King was made prisoner and Cromwell took control
of London and arrested more than 100
Members of Parliament loyal to the King.
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1649
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Charles I was executed, monarchy was abolished and
Cromwell established a republic known
as the “Commonwealth”. However it was
little more than a dictatorship, and Cromwell
made himself Lord Protector, a
position he held until his death in 1658.
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1660
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After a period of political uncertainty, the son of
the beheaded Charles I was invited to return from his exile in France and
became Charles II.
The restoration of monarchy was greeted with a sigh of relief by most
people, who had felt oppressed in their
everyday life by the strict rules of
the Puritan Commonwealth.
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1665
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London was struck by an outbreak of bubonic plague,
during which more than 100,000 people died.
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1666
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The so-called “Great
Fire of London” destroyed most of the city in four days.
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1673
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To reassert the predominance of the Church of
England, the Test Act was
passed, which excluded from public
offices those who refused to receive the communion according to the rites
of the Church of England - the Test Act, required all persons holding public office to receive the Sacrament according to the Anglican rite and expressly to deny the Roman doctrine of Transubstantiation.
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1685
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James II, Charles
II’s brother, came to the throne. He
had open Catholic sympathies and
wanted to impose Catholic religion
on a country which was largely Protestant. Thus Parliament made secret arrangements to depose him.
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1688
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James II was forced to abdicate leading to the event which became known as the Glorious Revolution because it was successful with minimal bloodshed. Parliament offered the throne
to William of Orange, who
reigned as William III, and his wife Mary, who were established as joint monarchs.
Their reign marked the beginning of the
transition from the personal rule of the Stuarts to the more Parliament-centred rule of the House of Hanover.
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1689
|
The Bill of
Rights established that the Crown
could not rule the country without Parliament; it weakened the power of the
monarch and Britain became a
constitutional monarchy.
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1689
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The Toleration
Act allowed more religious
freedom.
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1701
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The Act of Settlement
prohibited Catholics from inheriting the
British throne.
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1702
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Queen Anne, the Protestant daughter of James II, came to the throne.
Despite seventeen pregnancies,
Anne died without surviving children and she was the last monarch of the Stuarts.
Anne favoured moderate Tory politicians, who were more likely to
share her Anglican religious
views than their opponents, the Whigs.
Since the time of the Glorious
Revolution there had been a development of the two great parties which
would dominate English political
life for the next two hundred years: the Whigs represented the interests of the middle classes; the Tories represented the old aristocracy, they were loyal supporters
of the Crown and stricter in religious
matters.
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1707
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With the Act
of Union England, Wales and Scotland joined to form the united Kingdom of
Great Britain.
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