18th Century Britain: Past Paper PDF

18th Century Britain  King James II and the Glorious Revolution How did king James II come to the throne of England?  King James II was the brother of king Charles II who had no legitimate sons for the throne of England. What was the relationshi...

18th Century Britain  King James II and the Glorious Revolution How did king James II come to the throne of England?  King James II was the brother of king Charles II who had no legitimate sons for the throne of England. What was the relationship between King James II and the glorious revolution? What was the objective of the glorious revolution?  The Glorious Revolution was basically a revolution to depose king James II from the throne of England. What were the causes of the glorious revolution? There were political and religious causes for this revolution. The political causes for the revolution: 1- There was a considerable friction between the monarchy and the British Parliament. 2- the king formally dissolved his Parliament and attempted to create a new Parliament that would support him unconditionally. The religious causes for the revolution: 1- King James II took the throne of England in 1685, during a time when relations between Catholics and Protestants were tense. 2- James, who was Catholic, supported the freedom of worship for Catholics and appointed Catholic officers to the army. 3- He also had a deep relationship with his catholic cousin Louis XIV (14) of France. 4- In 1687, King James II issued a Declaration of Indulgence, which suspended penal laws against Catholics and granted acceptance of some Protestant dissenters. 5- James’s daughter Mary, a Protestant, was the rightful heir to the throne until 1688 when James had a son, James Francis Edward Stuart, whom he announced would be raised Catholic. What were the causes of James II’s fall? 1- The birth of James’s son changed the line of succession, and many feared a Catholic dynasty in England. 2- The Whigs, the main group that opposed Catholic succession, were especially outraged. 3- The king’s elevation of Catholicism, his close relationship with France, his conflict with Parliament and uncertainty over who would succeed James on the English throne led to whispers of a revolt—and ultimately the fall of James II. What was the plan to depose king James II? The plan to depose king James II: In 1688, seven of King James’s peers wrote to the Dutch leader, William of Orange, telling him that if he invaded England, they would be on his side. William was already in the process of taking military action against England, and the letter served as an additional motive. On the other hand, king James II was preparing for a military attack to confront William but unfortunately his men became on the side of William. He tried to flee the country many times but he was captured. Later, he could flee to France where his Catholic cousin Louis XIV held the throne and where James eventually died in exile in 1701.  The Bill of Rights In January 1689, the now-famous Convention Parliament met. The convention parliament: is a parliament in the English history which assembled without formal summons by the sovereign. After significant pressure from William, Parliament agreed to a joint monarchy, with William as king and James’s daughter, Mary, as queen. The two new rulers accepted more restrictions from Parliament than any previous monarchs, causing an unprecedented shift in the distribution of power throughout the British realm.  The Bill of Rights and its Conditions The king and queen both signed the Declaration of Rights, which became known as the Bill of Rights. This document acknowledged several constitutional principles, including: 1- the right for regular Parliaments, free elections and freedom of speech in Parliament. 2- it forbids the monarchy from being Catholic.  Bloodless Revolution: While there was little bloodshed and violence in England, the revolution led to significant loss of life in Ireland and Scotland. Catholic historians typically refer to the Glorious Revolution as the “Revolution of 1688,” while Whig historians prefer the phrase “Bloodless Revolution.” The term “Glorious Revolution” was first coined by John Hampden in 1689. The results of the Glorious Revolution: 1- After this event, the monarchy in England would never hold absolute power again. 2- With the Bill of Rights, the king’s power was defined, written down and limited for the first time. 3- Parliament’s function and influence changed dramatically in the years following the revolution. 4- The event also had an impact on the 13 colonies in North America. The colonists were temporarily freed of strict, anti-Puritan laws after King James was overthrown. 5- When news of the revolution reached the Americans, several uprisings followed. 6- Since the Glorious Revolution, Parliament’s power in Britain has continued to increase, while the monarchy’s influence has waned.  Great Britain: from1707 (The confusion in which the inhabitants of Britain were living) The inhabitants of Britain - the island containing England, Wales and Scotland - live in a state of some confusion over their group identity. Their cars, travelling abroad, display the letters GB (for Great Britain). Their diplomats, at international conferences, sit behind the letters UK (for United Kingdom). Neither phrase is much used in ordinary conversation. The English, by far the majority within the United Kingdom, have a tendency to call their nation England - with notorious disregard for the sensibilities of the Welsh and the Scots, with whom they have been linked since 1536 and 1707 respectively. ** Wales was combined to England since the 16th century (1536) by king Henry VIII (8) who passed the laws in Wales Acts of Parliament aiming to fully incorporate Wales into the kingdom of England. ** The Act of Union in 1707 combined Scotland to England to become Great Britain (GB). ** The Act of Union in 1800 combined Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland) to Ireland to become United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (UK). Historically ‘United Kingdom' begins life in informal use during the 18th century to describe the newly combined nation of England and Scotland. It becomes official in 1800, in the Act of Union with Ireland, when the enlarged kingdom is called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The earlier Act of Union, of 1707, states merely that England and Scotland shall 'be united into one kingdom by the name of Great Britain'. Do you think there was any trials for combining Scotland with England before the act of 1707? Act of Union: 1707: The unity of Scotland and England has been under discussion for a considerable time, for James VI and I tries to achieve the union between Scotland and England after inheriting the English throne in 1603. But the idea meets with little favor until the early 18th century.  Causes of the Act of Union in 1707 The motivation in 1707 is largely economic for the Scots and political for the English. For Scotland, Scotland has recently suffered a disastrous failure in setting up a colony in 1698 in Darien, on the isthmus of Panama. The experiment fails, and in 1700, the loss is estimated to have cost £200,000 and some 2000 lives. So, Tax-free access to all English markets, both in Britain and in the developing colonies, seems commercially a rather more attractive option. For England, it engaged in lengthy wars with the French (who are sympathetic to the exiled Stuart dynasty), so it is attractive to remove the danger of any threat from the country's only land border. The union of the kingdoms creates an island realm. The Results of the Act of Union of 1707: 1- The Act of Union abolishes the Scottish parliament, giving the Scots instead a proportion of the seats at Westminster (forty-five in the commons, sixteen in the lords). 2- Scotland's legal system, radically different from English common law, is specifically safeguarded. The Georgian Era and the House of Hanover - James II who succeeded the throne after his brother Charles II ( who did not have legitimate children to rule) had two protestant daughters (Mary who get married from her protestant cousin William of Orange, and Anne who get married from the prince George of Denmark). James had also a son, James Francise, whom he announced would be raised Catholic. - After the deposition of James II in the Glorious Revolution, Mary and her husband William of Orange succeeded the throne of England in 1688. - Mary and William had no children. After Mary’s death in 1694, William reigned alone until his own death in 1702. - After the death of William, Anne (the second daughter of James II ) succeeded him to the throne. She reigned as Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1702 to 1707. After the Act of Union in 1707, she continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death in 1714. - Anne had no children. She was the last monarch of the House of Stuart. Queen Anne - Under the Act of Settlement 1701, which excluded all Catholics, she was succeeded by her second cousin George I of the House of Hanover. The Act of Settlement is an Act of the Parliament of England that was passed in 1701 to settle the succession to the English and Irish crowns on Protestants only. Anne was plagued by poor health throughout her life, and from her thirties she grew increasingly ill and obese. Despite 17 pregnancies and many children, tragically none of them survived to adulthood. She died without surviving issue and was the last monarch of the House of Stuart.  Queen Sophia of Hanover Sophia of Hanover (born 1630 – died June 8, 1714) was the Electress of Hanover by marriage to Elector Ernest Augustus, and later was the heiress to the thrones of England and Scotland (later Great Britain) and Ireland under the Act of Settlement 1701, due to being the granddaughter of James VI and I. As Sophia, (the granddaughter of king James I of England) Electress of Hanover, had died two months before Queen Anne's death in August 1, 1714, Sophia's eldest son George, Elector of Hanover, inherited the throne under the Act of Settlement of 1701. The succession to the throne has since been defined as, and comprised entirely of, her legitimate and Protestant descendants. Queen Sophia of Hanover What are The House of Stuart and The House of Hanover? The House of Stuart: was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The House of Hanover: whose members are known as Hanoverians is a German royal house that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. George I (1660-1727) George I: was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of Hanover from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He was the first British monarch of the House of Hanover. When George I (1660-1727) arrived in England, he couldn't speak a word of English, and the legend has it that he was mistakenly arrested while strolling around his palace's garden when questioned by his staff who weren't familiar with his appearance. The king's inability to communicate well with his government and subjects led him to appoint a de facto Prime Minister in the person of Robert Walpole (1676- 1745). This marked a turning point in British politics, as future monarchs were also to remain more passive figures, letting the reins of the government to the Prime Minister.  The Age of Walpole 1- Walpole holds high government office from 1715, as first lord of the treasury chancellor of the exchequer, until he resigns in 1717 on an issue of foreign policy. 2- Walpole manages to preserve the Whig control of parliament. 3- He develops a personal control over the British political system without any rival before or since. 4- He always rejects the term 'prime minister', but he is subsequently regarded as the first British politician to have held that office. 5- His success launches a political system of jobbery (improper use of public office/ use of the public office for private gain) and corruption which prevails in Britain for a century and more, until swept away by the Reform Act of 1832. During his time, he supported two main aims: -- to preserve the house of Hanover on the throne, against smoldering Jacobite opposition (the supporters of the exiled Stuart King James II), -- and to provide the prosperity which he believes will breed contentment with both Hanoverians and Whigs. The principal concern of his policy is: lower taxation, increased trade and peace abroad - excellent intentions which Walpole does much to achieve. Late in his administration, he fails to prevent Britain going to war with Spain in 1739. George II: was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Hanover and a prince- elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death in 1760. ** George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain, he was born and brought up in northern Germany. ** As king from 1727, George exercised little control over British domestic policy, which was largely controlled by the Parliament of Great Britain. ** As elector, he spent twelve summers in Hanover, where he had more direct control over government policy. ** He had a difficult relationship with his eldest son, Frederick, who supported the parliamentary opposition. ** During the War of the Austrian Succession, George participated at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743, and thus became the last British monarch to lead an army in battle. ** In 1745 supporters of the Catholic claimant to the British throne, James Francis Edward Stuart ("The Old Pretender"), led by James's son Charles Edward Stuart ("The Young Pretender“) attempted and failed to depose George in the last of the Jacobite rebellions. ** Frederick died unexpectedly in 1751, nine years before his father, so George II was ultimately succeeded by his grandson, George III. The War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48) included a conflict in Europe, North America and India. The military operations in North America are known as King George's War (1744–48). The immediate cause of the war was the death in 1740 of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy. His eldest daughter, Maria Theresa, assumed the throne but her succession was challenged by France, Prussia, Bavaria and Spain. Maria Theresa was supported by Britain, Hanover and the Dutch Republic.