Chapter 16Part 4Absolutism

VConstitutionalism

James II 1685-88

Inherited the throne on the death of his brother Charles II

Was 55 years old and a recent convert to Catholicism

Had outlived his first wife and had two grown and married daughters:

Mary, who had married William of Orange

Anne, who had married the king of Denmark

First family and James…Anglican

James II tried to return England to Catholicism

He appointed Catholics to high positions in Government and universities

James II issued The Declaration of Indulgences: granting freedom of worship to Catholics

And demanded that the above be read at Anglican services on two successive Sundays

Then

James had married a Catholic His wife delivered a son 1688

(Catholic)

Parliament was not willing to go along

Forced James II to abdicate His son WOULD HAVE been

James III Was called the Old Pretender (will

try to invade England in 1715 and take power (unsuccessfully)

The Old Pretender

Will grow up, marry, have a son of his own

Would have been Charles III Charles was called the New

Pretender HE tried to retake the English

throne with the help of the Scots in 1745

Was also called Bonnie Prince Charlie

The Glorious Revolution

James II’s daughters were both Protestant

The older daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, were invited by Parliament to take the English throne

William and MaryCharles I (England) 1625-1649

William II …Mary Charles II James II

William III (Orange/England)……….Mary II

Holy Christmas! Charles I was the grandfather of BOTH William and Mary! Yikes! (I guess it’s not just the Hapsburgs!

William of Orange

Agreed IF he had the popular support of the English

And if he could bring Dutch troops with him…

Clearly, he was prepared to invade England and take power if necessary

Late 1688

William and Mary were declared joint sovereigns by Parliament

England as a Constitutional Monarchy

All Below constitute the English Constitution:

The English Bill of Rights (1689) The Petition of Right (1628) The Habeas Corpus Act (1679)

The English Bill of Rights:

King could not be Roman Catholic Laws could be made only by

Parliament No standing army in peacetime

without Parliament’s approval Taxation only with Parliament’s

approval Prohibited excessive bail and cruel

and unusual punishment

English Bill of Rights continued

Guaranteed the right to trial by jury, due process of law, reasonable bail

The right to bear arms (for Protestants)

Free elections to Parliament Parliament could only be dissolved

with its consent People have the right of petition

John Locke

Wrote his Second Treatise of Civil Government (1690)

Was the most notable defense of the Glorious Revolution

Locke said that the people create a government to protect their “natural Rights” of Life, Liberty, and Property

The Toleration Act 1689

Freedom to worship for Protestant nonconformists (like Puritans and Quakers) but not the right to hold office

Freedom to worship was NOT extended to Catholics, Unitarians

BUT they were usually left alone

1701 The Act of Settlement

If King William or his sister-in-law, Anne, died without children, the crown would pass to the granddaughter of James I (the electress dowager of Hanover) or to her heirs

The Stuarts were no longer in the line of Succession

When Anne died in 1714, crown went to George I (a Hanovarian)

1707 The Act of Union

United England and Scotland = Great Britain

Scots agreed to this to take advantage of English trade…it worked out well for them

Also, Scottish Presbyterians were worried that the Old and Young Pretenders might try to return and take the throne of Scotland

The Cabinet System (18th Century)

Leading ministers who were members of the House of Commons AND had the support of the majority of its members made policy and conducted the business of the country

The Prime Minister

Considered the leader of the government

A member of the majority party Generally the liaison between the

monarch and the House of commons

Robert Walpole

Though the title of PM was not jet used, he is considered to be the first PM

He led the Cabinet from 1721-42

Established the precedent that the cabinet was responsible to the House of Commons

The Hanoverians as Monarchs

George I 1714-27 usually presided over cabinet meetings (but did not speak English)

George II 1727-60 did not preside over Cabinet meetings and did not speak English

George III (grandson of II) tried to be a better English king but the role had been diminished as a result of the disinterest of Georges I & II

The United Provinces of the Netherlands

aka The Dutch Republic

First ½ of the 17th Century was the “Golden Age” of the Netherlands

Government was dominated by the Bourgeoisie

Their wealth and power limited the power of the state

The Government of the Dutch Republic

Was an organized CONFEDERATION of 7 provinces

Each province sent one representative to the ESTATES GENERAL

Holland and Zeeland were the richest and most influential of the provinces

The Government of the Dutch Republic

Each province and city was autonomous (self-governing)

Each province had an elected STATHOLDER (governor) and military leader

In times of crisis all 7 provinces would elect the same Statholder…usually from the House of Orange

Religious Toleration

Calvinism was dominant but was split between two factions:

Dutch Reformed: the majority and most powerful

Arminians: Calvinism without the belief in predestination

Religion

Arminians: most merchant class Enjoyed full civil rights after 1632

Catholics and Jews: full toleration but fewer rights

Religious toleration fostered trade and led to a cosmopolitan society

The Greatest Mercantile Nation of the 17th Century

Amsterdam became the banking and commercial center of Europe

Replaced Antwerp (dominant in the 16th C)

Amsterdam was the richest city in Europe

Population 100,000+ Banking dominance because of the

lower interest rates than English banks

The Dutch Few Natural Resources So it relied on commerce

Had the world’s largest fleet dedicated to trade

Was a hub of European trade due to its many outstanding ports

Little government interference with free enterprise

Industries

Fishing: the cornerstone of the Dutch economy

Major Industries: Woolens, furniture, sugar refining, tobacco cutting, brewing, pottery, glass, printing, paper making, weapons manufacturing, ship building

DEIC and DWIC: Corporate ventures of private individuals and the state

DEIC

Challenged the Portuguese in the East including South Africa, Sri Lanka, and parts of Indonesia

DWIC traded exclusively with Latin America and Africa

Foreign Policy

Participated in the Thirty Years’ War against the Hapsburgs

1670’s wars with England and France

Significant economic decline resulted

Middle Class Values

Even the wealthy had middle class values

Wealth was fairly evenly divided

The poor in the Netherlands were not as poor as that class in the rest of Europe BUT

Hard times and the end of the Golden Age due to the costly wars: 30 Years’, the Dutch Devolution, 2nd Dutch War, 4 separate Anglo-Dutch Wars

Sweden

Sweden was a world power Controlled much of the Baltic region

Gustavus Adolphus

Reorganized the government

The Riksdag: an assembly of nobles, clergy, townsmen, and peasants SUPPOSEDLY had the highest legislative authority

BUT the real power was with the monarchy and nobility

Swedish Government

The Nobles had the dominant role in the military and bureaucracy

The central government was divided into 5 departments, each controlled by a noble

Focused on trade rather than building a huge military