The English Civil War began as a power struggle between King Charles I and Parliament over their rights and authority. Charles believed in the divine right of kings and ruled without Parliament for 11 years, angering them. When he tried to arrest members of Parliament, the Civil War broke out between Royalist Cavaliers and Parliamentarian Roundheads. Oliver Cromwell emerged as the Roundheads' leader and eventually had Charles I executed after the Royalists were defeated. Cromwell then ruled England as a military dictator during the Commonwealth period until his death, imposing strict Puritan laws. This led to unrest and the restoration of Charles II to the throne in 1660, bringing the monarchy and Parliament to a new understanding.

1. The English Civil War

2. Revolutionary Philosophers: Thomas Hobbes
I. Thomas Hobbes
A. Defended absolutism
1. Stated that people have no right to question the leadership of a
country.
Thomas Hobbes defended absolutism and wrote that people
have no right to question the Leadership of a country.

3. Revolutionary Philosophers: John Locke
I. John Locke
A. Defender of revolution
1. Stated that if people were unhappy with their leaders, they have the
right to rebel and / or overthrow the government and establish a
new one.
2. Thomas Jefferson borrowed ideas for the U.S. Declaration of
Independence.
John Locke
Thomas Jefferson

4. James I
I. James I
A. When Elizabeth I died with no heir, the English throne passed to the
Stuarts, the ruling family of Scotland.
B. James VI of Scotland assumed the English throne, he became known
as James I.
1. Although James I was well educated, he knew very little about
English politics.
C. James promised to rule by English custom, but believed in the divine
right of kings, which is the belief that kings receive the right to rule
from God, rather than from the people.
400 years after the Magna Carta was
signed, King James I was ruling
England with absolute authority and
ignored Parliament’s requests for
power. He was basically pretending
that the Magna Carta didn’t exist.
Magna Carta

5. King James Version of the Bible
King James I forbade any interpretation of church doctrine different to his own and made
Sunday Church-going compulsory. Catholics were not allowed to celebrate Mass and he
refused to listen to Puritan demands for church reform.
James was an Anglican and worshiped the Church of England. He believed that people
should be able to read the Bible for themselves and he ordered a new English translation
(it was currently in a mixture of: Greek, Hebrew and Latin).
It became known as the Authorized King James Version and could be found in every
church in England. Produced by 47 scholars, it was first published in 1611 and is still used
all over the world today.

6. Parliament
I. Parliament
A. Parliament served as the representatives of the people.
B. Parliament wanted the monarchy to let them pass laws, which would
limit the power of an absolute monarch.
C. Parliament also wanted to challenge the idea of the Divine Rights of
Kings, which they believed was not valid.
D. Parliament did not agree with the way monarchy taxed the people.
Harmony between
the monarchy and
Parliament ended
with the Stuarts.

7. Puritans
I. Puritans
A. James I also clashed with dissenters, especially Puritans.
B. One of the major disagreements involved the demands of the Puritans,
who wanted to "purify" the Church of England of Catholic rituals and
ceremonies.
C. James began to persecute the Puritans for their beliefs.
1. As a result, some of the Puritans were forced to leave England.

8. Charles I
I. Charles I
A. When James I died, his son Charles, known as Charles I, inherited the
throne and became king of Great Britain and Ireland in 1625.
1. He decided to rule without a Parliament.
a. 1628 King Charles I asked for money from Parliament and was
turned down.
b. He began to oppress anyone who openly disagreed with him.
c. Taxed the middle class heavily.
d. Imprisoned people without trial.

9. Petition of Right
I. Petition of Right of 1628
A. Parliament reacted by passing the Petition of Right which granted
basic rights to the people in exchange for money for the King.
1. People were granted:
a. No taxes without consent of Parliament
b. No imprisonment without trial
c. No “quartering soldiers”
d. No martial law in time of peace
B. Like his father, he behaved like an absolute monarch.
1. Charles agreed to the petition at first, but later broke his word and
dismissed Parliament in 1629.
In 1629, Charles I locked
Parliament out of their
meeting place and refused to
let them back in for Eleven
Years! (They called it the
Eleven Years Tyranny.)

11. Charles I Struggles with Parliament
I. Charles I Struggles with Parliament
A. During 1640 and 1641, Charles also had many arguments with
Parliament over power and money.
B. Over time the fights between Parliament and Charles I got bigger
C. Charles summoned Parliament in 1640 because he needed funds.
D. On January 4, 1642, Charles I then burst into the House of Commons
with 400 soldiers to arrest five Members of Parliament he accused of
treason (trying to kill him).
1. All five members escaped and a few months later, a civil war broke
out.

12. Cavaliers
I. Cavaliers
A. On one side were supporters of Charles I, called Cavaliers (kav uh
LEERS).
B. They were the nobility, wealthy landowners, the Anglican Church,
and the Catholics.
The Cavaliers wore long, shoulder-length hair, often in curls, and were mostly rich Roman
Catholics or Anglicans.

13. Roundheads
I. Roundheads
A. On the other side were supporters of Parliament, called Roundheads.
1. Their men also often wore ‘lobster pot’ helmets to help protect their:
head, neck and face.
B. They were small landowners, town-dwelling manufacturers, and
Puritan clergy.
C. The Roundheads were led by a skilled general, Oliver Cromwell.
The Roundheads responded by creating a New Army of soldiers in 1645. They were well equipped
and wore new, red coats, the first ever army to wear a standard uniform.
The Roundheads wore their hair short to show their opposition to the monarchy. They were
mostly middle and lower class Calvinists or Puritans.

14. The English Civil War
I. English Civil War
A. The English Civil War as a period of time where major struggle
occurred in England between the people (represented by Parliament)
and the Monarch.
1. This issue actually started long ago with the signing of the Magna
Carta in 1215.

15. The English Civil War
I. English Civil War
A. The first major battle took place on October 23, 1642 at Edgehill, near
Birmingham
B. The fighting continued until 1646 when the king gave himself up to the
Scots.
C. The war had been very bloody, with an estimated 250,000 deaths.

16. Execution of King Charles I
I. Execution of King Charles I
A. Charles I and the Cavaliers are defeated.
1. The son of Charles I fled to France in exile.
B. Charles I was convicted of treason, murder, and tyranny and
beheaded.
The origin of the popular
nursery rhyme "Humpty
Dumpty," was rumored to
be about the beheading of
Charles I after the English
Civil War.
First time in modern
history when a national
leader was killed by his
own subjects.
Execution of Charles I:
Arrogant until the end, Charles I
asked for a coat to wear on that cold
morning so people wouldn’t mistake
his shivering from the cold as a sign
of fear. He also gave the signal to
the executioner for his own
beheading.

18. Commonwealth & Oliver Cromwell
I. Commonwealth & Oliver Cromwell
A. After Charles' execution, Parliament declared England a republic,
known as the Commonwealth.
1. It was ruled by a committee of Parliament until 1653 when Oliver
Cromwell, commander of the Roundheads, became the Lord
Protector of England.
2. He did away with Parliament and ruled as a military dictator.
3. Puritans gained a voice in the society of the Commonwealth.
Coat of Arms of the
Commonwealth of
England
Oliver Cromwell

19. Life in England Under Oliver Cromwell
Cromwell was a Puritan. He was a highly religious man who believed that everybody
should lead their lives according to what was written in the Bible. Pointless enjoyment was
frowned upon.
• Cromwell shut many inns and the theatres were all closed down.
• Most sports were banned. Boys caught playing football on a Sunday could be whipped
as a punishment.
• Swearing was punished by a fine, though those who kept swearing could be sent to
prison.
• Sunday became a very special day under the Puritans. Most forms of work were
banned.
• Women caught doing unnecessary work on the Holy Day could be put in the stocks.
Simply going for a Sunday walk (unless it was to church) could lead to a hefty fine.

20. Life in England Under Oliver Cromwell
• Make-up was banned. Puritan leaders and soldiers would roam the streets of towns
and scrub off any make-up found on unsuspecting women.
• Cromwell believed that women and girls should dress in a proper manner. Too
colourful dresses were banned. A Puritan lady wore a long black dress that covered her
almost from neck to toes. She wore a white apron and her hair was bunched up behind
a white head-dress. Puritan men wore black clothes and short hair.
• Cromwell banned Christmas. Cromwell wanted it returned to a religious celebration
where people thought about the birth of Jesus rather than ate and drank too much. In
London, soldiers were ordered to go round the streets and take, by force if necessary,
food being cooked for a Christmas celebration. The smell of a goose being cooked could
bring trouble. Traditional Christmas decorations like holly were banned.

22. The Death of Oliver Cromwell
I. The Death of Oliver Cromwell
A. When Oliver Cromwell died in September 1658.
1. His coffin was escorted by over 30,000 soldiers as it was taken to
Westminster Abbey where he was buried.
B. His son, Richard Cromwell, took over leadership of the country.
1. However, Richard was clearly not up to the task and in 1660 he quit.
C. People grew unhappy with the Puritan dictatorial style of government.
D. The Puritans lost control and the Commonwealth ended.
Oliver Cromwell’s Funeral
Oliver Cromwell’s Death
and Death Mask

23. Charles II: The Restoration
I. Charles II
A. Parliament invited Charles II, son of Charles I, who had been living in
France for the past fifteen years to become the new king in 1660.
1. This was known as the Restoration.
B. Although Charles II believed in absolutism, he avoided clashing with
Parliament.
1. Charles II worked in co-operation with a nominated Parliament to
govern the land and so ruled a much happier, democratic society.
C. Charles II became a popular king.

24. Strange… But True
One of Charles’ first orders was that Cromwell’s body should be dug up
and put on ‘trial’ as a traitor and regicide (someone who is responsible for
the execution/murder of a king or queen). Oliver Cromwell had been dead
for two years. Parliament had declared that Cromwell was a traitor and
ordered that his body be put on trial, found guilty and symbolically hanged
from the gallows at Tyburn (near Hyde Park, London). After it was taken
down, its head was cut off. What was left of his body remains a mystery,
but his head was put on display outside of Parliament in London for many
years. In 1960, Cromwell’s head was reburied.

26. Charles II: The Merry Monarch
I. The Merry Monarch
A. Charles II was even nicknamed the ‘Merry Monarch’ because he
changed many of the laws Cromwell had made to give people more
freedom to enjoy themselves.
B. Charles II was popular because he reopened theaters and taverns
and had a lively court.
1. He reestablished the Church of England, but encouraged toleration
of other Protestant groups.
C. The English court became a center of fashion as men began to wear
silks, velvets, large wigs and ate huge meals to display their power.

28. Parliament Limits the Power of the Monarchy
I. Parliament Limits the Power of the Monarchy
A. Parliament took steps to make sure Charles II and all future rulers
would accept limits on their power.
B. Charles was required to respect the Magna Carta, which was written
many years earlier and had given rights to the people.
C. He was also required to respect the Petition of Right.
II. Habeas Corpus Act of 1679
A. People had a right to know charges against them, right trial by jury,
and bail.

29. King James II
I. King James II
A. Charles II had no legitimate offspring and after he died in 1685, his
brother James II, inherited the throne.
B. James II was an arrogant and unpopular monarch.
1. He suspended laws on a whim.
2. He openly practiced his Catholic faith and tried to force people to
become Catholics.
3. He appointed Catholics important positions in the government and
the army.
C. Parliament did not like James and wanted to overthrow him.
D. King James II reigned for only three years before he was forced to
abdicate (give up his crown.)
In 1672, James II declared that he had
become a Roman Catholic . Parliament
became so angry with him that they passed
the Test Act which forced his resignation.

30. Glorious Revolution
I. Glorious Revolution
A. Parliament quickly offered the throne to Mary, the Protestant
daughter of James II by his first wife, and her husband William to
become rulers in 1688.
1. Mary [Protestant] did not like her father, James II [Catholic].
2. Mary’s husband, William of Orange, was a Dutch Protestant ruler.
B. When they accepted and brought a large army with them, James II
fled to France where he died on September 6, 1701.
C. This bloodless transfer of power was called the Glorious Revolution.
Because the change in monarchs
occurred without shots being fired,
this became known as the "Glorious
Revolution."

31. William of Orange & Mary
I. William of Orange & Mary
A. William and Mary were named joint monarchs on Feb. 13, 1689.
B. Before being crowned, William and Mary had to accept several acts of
Parliament, known as the English Bill of Rights.
C. The marriage between the joint monarchs had produced no children.
1. Anne, the Protestant princess and youngest daughter of James II,
became William and Mary's heir to the throne.
Mary left much of the business of the
kingdom to William. He was never
popular though because: his English
was poor, he had bad table manners
and he seemed to be more interested in
Holland than in England. Mary died in
1694 but William continued to reign
until he died on March 8, 1702.
William & Mary College in Virginia was
named after this English royal couple.
Mary was 12 years younger than her
husband. She was only 32 years old when
she died. It is said that William expressed
great and probably genuine sorrow at his
wife's death.

32. Dawn of a New Age in England
I. The Dawn of a New Age in England.
A. Parliament adopted democracy.
B. English Bill of Rights
1. It required the monarch to summon Parliament regularly.
2. It gave the House of Commons the “power of the purse.”
3. It restated the right of trial by jury and affirmed the principle of
habeas corpus.
a. Cruel and unusual punishment is against the English law.
* Model for the United States Bill of Rights.
4. It barred any Roman Catholic from the throne.
C. Toleration Act of 1689.
1. Granted religious freedom to all except Catholics.
Toleration Act of 1689

33. Democratic Gains in England
I. Democratic Gains in England
A. The emergence of political parties.
1. Tories (Conservatives)
a. Wealthy landowners in Parliament
2. Whigs (Liberals)
a. Represent the urban middle class
B. Democratic gains in England
1. Parliamentary rule supreme over monarchy.
Tories vs. Whigs

34. Define the Following Terms
Divine Right of Rule
Petition of Right
Charles I
Parliament
Thomas Hobbes
John Locke
Roundheads
Cavaliers
Oliver Cromwell
Charles II
Habeas Corpus Act of 1679
James II
Glorious Revolution
William and Mary
English Bill of Rights
Toleration Act of 1689
Tories
Whigs
Define the following terms by writing a complete sentence