Britain in Revolution 1625-1701 Intro PDF

Course Textbook Initial thoughts? Questions? Paper 1: Britain, 1625-1701: conflict, revolution and settlement Introduction Understanding the reasons why……. Britain by 1625: the Stuart dynasty  Importance of religous backdrop Nation virtually 100% Christian. Whilst other rel...

Course Textbook Initial thoughts? Questions? Paper 1: Britain, 1625-1701: conflict, revolution and settlement Introduction Understanding the reasons why……. Britain by 1625: the Stuart dynasty  Importance of religous backdrop Nation virtually 100% Christian. Whilst other religions such as Jews and Muslims existed in Britain, their numbers were incredibly small. 1. There had been a schism within the Christian faith that started in 1517. What was it caused by? Who was behind it? 2. What was the result? 3. What was the precedent that created? 4. How was that exploited in England in 1534? What was the result? 5. What happened over the following 25 years? 6. What became the dominant type of Christianity in England? Scotland? Ireland? 7. Why did it become such a divisive topic throughout Britain? What were the advantages vs disadvantages of having an alternative to Catholicism? Advantages Disadvantages  National state of play The constitutional systems of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom developed separately under English domination. The Kingdom of England conquered Wales in 1283, but it was only later through the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 that the country was brought completely under English law. While technically a separate state, the Kingdom of Ireland was ruled by the English monarchy. From 1603 to 1707, England and the Kingdom of Scotland shared the same monarch as part of the Union of the Crowns; however, each nation maintained separate governments.  The Union of the Crowns The Union of the Crowns (Scottish Gaelic: Aonadh nan Crùintean; Scots: Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas diplomacy) of the two separate realms under a single individual on 24 March 1603. 8  King James James VI and I (James Charles Stuart) was King of Scotland as James VI from 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns in 1603 until his death in 1625. He sponsored the translation of the Bible into English He was an advocate of a single parliament for England and Scotland. He tried to avoid involvement in religious wars, especially the Thirty Years' War that devastated much of Central Europe.  Divine Right What was it? Divine right of kings, in European history, a political doctrine in defense of monarchical absolutism, which asserted that kings derived their authority from God and could not therefore be held accountable for their actions by any earthly authority such as a parliament. James I & The Stuart Dynasty QUIZ 1. Why did the Tudor dynasty come to an end? 2. How did James VI of Scotland become King of England? 3. What was the status of Wales under James? 4. What type of Christian was James? 5. Who was James’s mother and what happened to her? 6. Why wasn’t that a problem for James to be King?  Ireland The Anglo-Normans had conquered swathes of Ireland in the late 12th century, bringing it under English rule. The lawmakers attempts to enshrine in law English cultural dominance backfired, and the Irish fought back In the 14th century, the effective area of English rule shrank markedly, and from then most of Ireland was held by native Gaelic chiefdoms., Except an area incl. Dublin on the East Coast known as The Pale, where many of the native Gaelic Irish had been expelled from various parts of the country (mainly the east and southeast) and replaced with English peasants and labourers.  Ireland Henry VIII of England declared himself "King of Ireland" by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542. The conquest involved assimilating the Gaelic nobility by way of "surrender and regrant"; the confiscation and colonisation ('plantation') of lands with settlers from Britain; imposing English law and language; banning Catholicism, dissolving the monasteries and making Anglican Protestantism the state religion. By 1603 the entire country was under English rule. The Flight of the Earls in 1607 largely completed the destruction of the Gaelic aristocracy and left the way open for the Plantation of Ulster, which established a large British Protestant population in the north. “3 Kingdoms” QUIZ 1. Which were the 3 Kingdoms? 2. When were they brought together under one monarch? 3. Did they all share the same parliament? 4. How did Ireland come to be ruled by the Monarch of England? 5. Why no mention of Wales? 6. How did England conquer Ireland? 7. What did this mean for Gallic language and culture? Importance of Legal System on society  RESEARCH: How had the English legal system evolved by 1625? What different types of law were there? What was the main difference to the Scottish Legal System?  Legal trends The law of Britain had started to become more punitive than restitutive under the Anglo Saxons and had continued to become more centralised under the Normans. New innovations such as the use of juries and the creation of the Assizes (Itinerant royal justices) and Common Law courts such as King’s Bench, Common Pleas, and Exchequer. By 1600 these were well-established, each dealing with different types of cases eg. Criminal vs civil, so that the system was balancing between the authority of the monarch, the growing power of parliament, and the courts. Also the legal profession had become more professionalised, with lawyers undergoing formal training at the Inns of Court in London.  GLOSSARY: Different types of Law English Common Law Common law, also known as case law, is a body of unwritten laws based on legal precedents established by the courts. Common law draws from institutionalized opinions and interpretations from judicial authorities and public juries. Statute Law Statute law is codified law, created by Parliament through legislation, and is applied uniformly to all relevant cases. Equity Law (Chancery) For dealing with matters like trusts, contracts and injunctions where common law remedies were insufficient or rigid. Canon Law Ecclesiastical (Church) Law  INTRO Political Hierarchy Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Following slide…  INTRO SELF-STUDY: Political Structure of the Realm Tier 4 Tier 5 Tier 6 RESEARCH: WHAT WAS THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENT IN 1625? Parliament Primarily represented the interest of the nobility , gentry, and certain towns Limited role in the function of government Principle areas of activity and influence were : The control of taxaction and raising of subsidies To draft and propose legislation To present petitions and grievances to the Monarch Monitoring of the King’s advisors Highlighting of religious concerns Foreign policy oversight A check of royal authority  RESEARCH: Spain How had English relations been with Spain in the preceding 50 years prior to 1625? what had happened? Who did James want his son Charles to marry? Why didn’t that work out? What was the result?  George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham Who was he? What was his relationship to the King? How was he involved in the nation’s politics in the early part of he 1620’s?