EXPLORATION AND TRADING COMPANIES

-        Spirit of adventure à travellers and explorers through the world

-        Drake à circumnavigation of the globe (1577-1580) à gold and silver from the Spanish treasure ships and unknown species from the lands explored

-        In the 1590s à companies for overseas trade sprang up

-        East India Company (the most important, it was to build the foundation of an Eastern empire)

-        Africa company

ENCLOSURE

During the reign of Henry VIII:

-        Upper class à enjoying great wealth

-        Poverty à widespread in the countryside due to famine, high prices and enclosure

-        Enclosure = serious unemployment

-        In 1601 à "Poor law", State responsible for looking after aged, infirm and orphaned children

-        Vagabondage and begging = crimes punishable

THE PURITANS

-        Puritanism sprang out à Protestantism = characteristic of English society

-        Puritans hostile to official Church authorities, censured the "superstitious" symbols of Catholicism retained in Anglicanism (statues, stained-glass windows, sacerdotal vestments) and ostentatious dress, hair styles, ceremonies and music 

THE STUARTS (1603-88)

JAMES STUART

-        On Elizabeth's death à Stuart's dynasty

-        James Stuart VI of Scotland (son of Mary Stuart, queen of Scots) à James I of England

-        Two countries were peacefully united under the same king

-        James I à serious, learned and pedantic, he applied the theory of absolute monarchy and believed in the divine rights of kings à King = not responsible to any earthly power

-        James I à rule without the help of Parliament (summoned only 3 times to raise money à power that only the Parliament held) à hostility towards the monarchy

THE GUNPOWDER PLOT

-        Great hostility from Catholics à hope the new king would have reinstated some of their rights

-        Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament (5^th of November in 1605), but discovered à new restrictions against Catholics à (anniversary of the plot = public thanksgiving day still celebrated)

CHARLES I

-        1635 à death of James I à throne to his son Charles I

-        Shared his father's conviction of being king by divine rights à no explanation for his conduction

-        Absolute monarchy à great hostility in Parliament

RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES AND THE PURITANS

During the reign of Charles I:

-        Society strongly affected by religious differences

-        Anglicans à religion of the Church of England

-        Catholics à distrusted and feared for their tendency to intrigue

-        Non-conformists and Dissenters à separated from Anglicanism à Puritans

-        Puritans à political importance increasing à elected to Parliament by landowners, emerging wealthy middle classes (businessmen and merchants) and those who disliked absolute monarchy à leaders of the opposition to the Crown

PETITION OF RIGHTS

-        In 1625 à Charles I imposed taxation without parliamentary consent

-        In 1628 à Petition of Rights:

-        No taxes should be levied without Parliament's approval 

-        No one should be imprisoned except on a formal and justifiable charge

-        King à rejected the Petition (divine rights were not subject to the restraint of law)

LONG PARLIAMENT

-        In 1640 à the king called the Parliament to raise money for a campaign against the Scots

-        Long Parliament à it sat intermittently for twenty years

-        The Commons (Puritans leaders) refused to grant the King's request, attached the Crown for unparliamentary taxation

-        Common = limit monarchic authority à House of Lords = sided with the King

-        In 1642 à Creation of a Parliamentary Army à Civil war

THE CIVIL WAR

During the war:

-        Catholic, gentry and aristocracy à Royalists

-        Professional and mercantile classes à side of the Parliament

-        Naseby, 1645 à the Parliamentary Army (under leadership of the Puritan Oliver Cromwell) broke Royalist's resistance

-        January 1649 à Charles I was executed

-        Revolution = abolition of monarchy, the House of Lords and the Anglican Church

-        Royal Family = Exile to the court of Louis XIV

CROMWELL AND THE COMMONWEALTH

-        A republic instituted in London with the name of "Commonwealth"

-        Cromwell à Lord Protector (for his military strength and remarkable personality)

-        In 1658, on his death à collapse of the Commonwealth

THE RESTORATION

-        In 1660 à monarchy restored

-        Charles II called back from France à promise to respect the conditions of the Parliament:

-        Re-establish the supremacy of the Anglican Church

-        Demand a vow of allegiance from Non-conformists and Catholics

-        Pardon all rebels except regicides

-        New king = enthusiastic welcome

CHARLES II

-        Charles II à fine mind à successfully manipulated domestic and foreign policies to his vantage

-        The two forces ranged into "Tories" (alliance between the Crown and the nobility) and "Whigs" (emerging industrial and commercial classes) = future Conservative and Liberal parties

LONDON DURING THE RESTORATION

During the reign of Charles II:

-        London = large town of about 300,000 inhabitants

-        In 1665 à plague which killed about a third of the population (mainly the poor who lived in the slums [= bassifondi] and could not afford to live the city)

-        In 1666 à Great Fire, destroyed the oldest sections of London (blessing in disguise = razed to the ground the worst slums rebuilt in brick and stone)

COLONIZATION AND COMMERCE

Throughout the 17^th century:

-        English colonization and commerce in India and the New World

-        London companies flourished on trade with America, West Indies, India and China à great profits à new class of merchant with power and wealth

JAMES II

-        In 1685 à death of Charles II, throne to his brother James II

-        James II à Catholic à main design = impose Catholic religion

-        In 1688 à "Bloodless revolution", king deposed without shedding blood