'' The most high and absolute power in the realm consists in the parliament'', wrote an English stateman in 1560s. He was voicing a tradition that had rocks in Middle Ages. But in 1603, a monarch with far diffrent ideas took the throne of England. '' Kings are called gods'', declared James I, ''because sit upon gods throne on earth.'' Before long, James was a collision course with parliament.
In the 1600s, while louisXIV perfected royal absolutism in France, England developed in a diffrent direction.
The Tudors and Parliamet
From 1485 t0 1603, England was ruled by the Tudor dynasty. Although the Tudors believed in divine rights . When Henry VII broke with the Roman Catholic Church, he turned to parliament to legalise his action. Parliament approved supremacy, making the Monarch head of church in England.
Elizebeth I also consulted and controlled the parliament. Her advisers conveyed the queen's wishes to parliament and forbade discussion of certain subjects. Her skill in handling the parliament made '' Good Queen Bess'' a popular and successful ruler.
The Early Stuarts
Elizebeth died in 1603 without a direct heir. The throne passed her relatives the stuart. The stuart are neither as popular as the Tudors nor as skillful as in the dealing of the parliament. The first stuart monarch, James I, had agreed to rule according to English laws and custom . james repeatedly lashed the parliament over money and foreign policy. He needed funds to finance his lavish court and wage wars. When members wanted to discuss foreign policy before voting, James dissolved the parliament and collected taxes on his own. A positive result o the Kings dispute with the Puritans calls for a new translation of the bible. The king James version was released in 1611 and had a lasting influence on literature.
Parliament Responds
In 1625, Charls I inherited the throne. LIke his father, Charls behaved like an absolute monarch. He imprisoned his foes without trial and squeezed the nation for money. Before voting any funds, parliament insisted that Charles sign the petition right. It proibited the kIng from raising tax funds without the consent of the parliament. Charls did sign the petition but he dissolved the parliament for 11 years, he ruled without the parliament.
Long Parliament
The 1640 Prliament became known as the long parliament because it lasted up untill 1653. It action triggered the greatest political revolution in English history. Charls lashed back, h
e sent troops into the House of commons to arrest the radical leaders but some escaped through the window.
Execution Of a King
Eventually, the parliament set up a court to put the king on trial. It condemed him to death as ''a tyrant , traitor, murderer, and public enemy ''. On a cold January day, Charls I stood on a scaffold surronded by his foes. '' i am matryr of the people '', he declared. Showing no fear, the king told the executor that he himself would give him a sign to strike. After a brief prayer, he knelt down and placed his neck on the block. On the agreed signal, the executor severed the King's head with a single stroke. The execution sent shock throughout europe . In the past, kIngs had been assasinated in the battle field. But in the first time, a KIng had been executed. The execution sent a signal that in England no ruler alaim absolute power.
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