Tudor-Stuart

The Declaration of Breda

(1660) document issued by the exiled King Charles II in Breda, the Netherlands, making certain promises in return for his restoration to the English throne, following the end of the Protectorate government. It expressed his desire for a general amnesty, liberty of conscience, an equitable settlement of land disputes, and full payment of arrears to the army. He left the specifics to Parliament.

The Battle of Boyne

(1690) was fought in Ireland between William III of Orange and James II in July 1690. It was the last time two crowned kings of England, Scotland and Ireland faced each other on the battlefield. James, a Roman Catholic, had been forced to abdicate in 1688 and, with the help of the French and the Irish, was attempting to win back his throne. William of Orange won a crushing victory, which secured the Protestant ascendancy in Ireland for generations. It retains huge symbolic importance in Northern Ireland.

Christopher Wren

(20 October 1632 - 25 February 1723) is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.[2] He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710.

The Putney Debates

1647, soldiers and officers of Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army, including civilian representation, held discussions on the constitution and future of England. Should they continue to negotiate a settlement with the defeated King Charles I? Should there even be a King or Lords? Should suffrage (a civil right to vote, known as the franchise) be limited to property-holders? Would democratic changes lead to anarchy? This historic event saw ordinary soldiers take on their generals to argue for greater democracy and provided a platform for 'common people' to make their voices heard. These debates, forced by the Levellers, paved the way for many of the civil liberties we value today.

The Barebones/Nominated Parliament

1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the installation of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector. It was an assembly entirely nominated by Oliver Cromwell and the Army's Council of Officers. It acquired its name from the nominee for the City of London, Praise-God Barebone. It replaced the Rump Parliament, but was itself dissolved within a few months.

Christopher Wren

1655. Soon after Charles II's flight into exile after the defeat at Worcester in 1651, his supporters began to plan a general rising in England. The schemes, taken up by the royalist conspiracy of the Sealed Knot, were soon known to Cromwell's government, which took vigorous counter-measures. On 8 March 1655 only 100 supporters turned up to a rendezvous at Marston Moor which was to have seized York, and even fewer near Morpeth for an attack on Newcastle upon Tyne. A small Wiltshire rising under John Penruddock, a local gentleman, got off the ground four days late, but never numbered more than a few hundred. The rebels held Salisbury for some hours, marched to Blandford, and then retreated into Devon, pursued by Commonwealth troops. At South Molton they were rounded up by a small cavalry force. Penruddock was executed at Exeter in May 1655. Cromwell's response to the disorders was to introduce the rule of the major-generals.

Penruddock's Rising

1655. Soon after Charles II's flight into exile after the defeat at Worcester in 1651, his supporters began to plan a general rising in England. The schemes, taken up by the royalist conspiracy of the Sealed Knot, were soon known to Cromwell's government, which took vigorous counter-measures. On 8 March 1655 only 100 supporters turned up to a rendezvous at Marston Moor which was to have seized York, and even fewer near Morpeth for an attack on Newcastle upon Tyne. A small Wiltshire rising under John Penruddock, a local gentleman, got off the ground four days late, but never numbered more than a few hundred. The rebels held Salisbury for some hours, marched to Blandford, and then retreated into Devon, pursued by Commonwealth troops. At South Molton they were rounded up by a small cavalry force. Penruddock was executed at Exeter in May 1655. Cromwell's response to the disorders was to introduce the rule of the major-generals.

The Corporation Act

1661 was designed to strengthen the power of Charles II and was part of the Restoration Settlement. The Act was designed to remove from town office anyone suspected of disloyalty. In the years leading to the Civil War and in the years of the Interregnum, many Royalists had been removed from office and replaced by those loyal to Parliament. The Corporation Act appointed commissioners who could remove anyone from office who refused the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, the oath against resisting the Crown or the declaration against the covenant. Royalists took over very manner posts in towns, thus extending royal influence throughout England.

Baronets

A baronet is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown. The practice of awarding baronetcies was originally introduced in England in the 1300s and was used by James I of England in 1611 in order to raise funds. A baronetcy is the only British hereditary honor, which is not a peerage. A baronet is addressed as sir like a knight but ranks above all knighthoods except for the Order of the Garter and in Scotland, the Order of the Thistle. However, the baronetage, as a class, are considered members of the gentry and rank above the knight age. A baronetcy does not confer nobility and is not a knighthood and the recipient does not receive an accolade.

Guy Fawkes

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth. Guy Fawkes is the name most associated with the 1605 Gunpowder Plot the attempt by Guy Fawkes and others to blow up the king, James I, and members of Parliament. But their assassination attempt was foiled the night before when Fawkes was discovered lurking in a cellar below the House of Lords next to 36 barrels of gunpowder.

The Solemn League and Covenant

An agreement made in 1643 between the English Parliament and the Scottish Covenanters during the English Civil War, by which the Scots would provide military aid in return for the establishment of a Presbyterian system in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Although the Scottish support proved crucial in the Parliamentary victory, the principal Presbyterian leaders were expelled from Parliament in 1647 and the covenant was never honored.

The New Model Army

An army created in 1645 by Oliver Cromwell to fight for the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War. Led by Thomas Fairfax, it was a disciplined and well-trained army, which later came to possess considerable political influence.

William Laud

Archbishop of Canterbury (1633-45) and religious adviser to King Charles I of Great Britain. His persecution of Puritans and other religious dissidents resulted in his trial and execution by the House of Commons.

The Forest Laws

England's forests had once provided the common people with a place to forage for food and firewood, and space for their animals to feed. But by the 1300s, a number of kings had claimed much of this valuable land as their own, preventing others from using it to their own advantage. Anyone seen to be misusing the land could face harsh punishments and fines.

The King James' Bible

English translation of the Bible published in 1611 under the auspices of King James I of England. Protestantism was reinstated as the official religion of England after the short reign of Mary I (1553-58), who had attempted to restore Roman Catholicism in the country. In 1604, soon after James's coronation as king of England, a conference of churchmen requested that the English Bible be revised because existing translations "were corrupt and not answerable to the truth of the original.

Quakers

Followed George Fox and refused to swear allegiance to the king. Two acts of Parliament made it particularly difficult for Friends. The first was the Quaker Act of 1662[9] which made it illegal to refuse to take the Oath of Allegiance to the Crown. Those refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown were not allowed to hold any secret meetings and as Friends believed it was wrong to take any 'superstitious' oath their freedom of religious expression was certainly compromised by this law.

Declaration of Indulgence

In 1662 Charles issued what is usually called "the first Declaration of Indulgence," announcing that he intended to ask the Cavalier Parliament to pass a measure to "enable him to exercise with a more universal satisfaction that power of dispensing which he conceived to be inherent in him." No such measure, however, was passed. (3) In 1672 Charles issued a Declaration of Indulgence for those with tender consciences and suspended the penal laws in ecclesiastical matters against Nonconformists. Both Protestants and Catholics made good use of this indulgence.

Jacobites

In British history, a supporter of the exiled Stuart king James II and his descendants after the Glorious Revolution. The political importance of the Jacobite movement extended from 1688 until at least the 1750s. The Jacobites, especially under William III and Queen Anne, could offer a feasible alternative title to the crown, and the exiled court in France was often frequented by disgruntled soldiers and politicians. After 1714 the Whigs' monopoly of power led many Tories into intrigues with the Jacobites.

Ship Money

It had always been the custom that in times of war, people living on the coast, would pay extra taxes for the defense of the coastline by naval ships. In 1634, Charles decided that 'ship money' should be paid all the time. One year later he demanded that people living inland should also pay 'ship money' without Parliamentary approval provoked fierce resistance, and was one of the grievances of the English propertied class in the lead-up to the English Civil War.

The Petition of Right:

It was written by Parliament as an objection to an overreach of authority by King Charles I. During his reign, English citizens saw this overreach of authority as a major infringement on their civil rights. The Petition of Right contained four main points: 1. No taxes could be levied without Parliament's consent. 2. No English subject could be imprisoned without cause--thus reinforcing the right of habeas corpus. 3. No quartering of soldiers in citizens homes. 4. No martial law may be used in peacetime. Each of these four points enumerated specific civil rights that Englishmen felt Charles I had breached throughout his reign. Although he'd never been that popular as the monarch, his abuse of power escalated to an intolerable level after Parliament refused to finance his unpopular foreign policies.

"No bishop, no king"

James I needed bishops so he could be king. He presided at the Hampton Court Conference in 1604 between the English bishops and the Puritans, who were demanding reforms of the Church. The Puritans demanded the modification of Episcopacy, but James declared "No bishops, no king" and supported the bishops. James believed the Apostolic Succession of bishops underpinned and supported the Divine Right of Kings.

The True Law of Monarchies

James I of England wrote the paper. It was printed by Robert Wade in Edinburgh in 1598. The document is significant as it laid out the ideology of the divine right of kings, which hadn't existed in Britain before. The ideology would go on to cause two civil wars and a revolution in the 17th century.

The Plague

Plague had been around in England for centuries but in 1665 the so-called Great Plague hit the country though it was Stuart London that took the worst of the plague. The plague was only finally brought under control in 1666 when the Great Fire of London burned down the areas most affected by plague - the city slums inhabited by the poor. Stuart England was never free from the plague but 1665 saw the worst.

William Prynne

Prynne was a Puritan and he was highly critical of the religious policies of Charles I. As a result he was branded on both cheeks with S L (seditious libeller). In 1637 Prynne, Henry Burton and John Bastwick had their ears cut off for writing pamphlets attacking the religious views of the William Laud, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Prynne was released from prison in 1640 and during the Civil War supported the Parliamentary army. In 1648 he was elected to the House of Commons. However, he was also critical of the policies of Oliver Cromwell and was imprisoned for his outspoken opposition to the decision to execute Charles I.

The Act of Indemnity, and Oblivion

The Act fulfilled the guarantee given in the Declaration of Breda, that reprisals against the establishment which had developed during the English Interregnum would be restricted to those who had officiated in the regicide of King Charles I. The act is often view from the perspective of those who were not pardoned and thus condemned to death. However the debate in Parliament continued almost every day for over two months and names were added and taken off the list of those who were not to be pardoned. Initially there were only seven on the list to be exempted, this number swelled to 20 ultimately who: "shall be excepted out of the Act of general Pardon and Oblivion, for and in respect only of such Pains, Penalties, and Forfeitures, (not extending to Life) as shall be thought fit to be inflicted on them by another Act, intended to be hereafter passed for that purpos". The lands of the Crown and the established Church were automatically restored, but lands of Royalists and other dissenters confiscated and sold during the Civil War and interregnum were left for private negotiation or litigation.

Monmouth's Rebellion

The Monmouth Rebellion took place between May and July of 1685. The Monmouth Rebellion is also known as The Revolt of the West. The rebellion was an attempt to overthrow King James II, who became King of England, Scotland and Ireland following the death of his brother Charles II. King James II was a Roman Catholic and some Protestants under his rule opposed his kingship and tried to displace him. Ultimately, the rebellion was not successful.

The Navigation Acts

The Navigation Acts were a series of Acts passed in the English Parliament in 1651- The reason for the First Navigation Act was to restrict Dutch shipping. , 1660- King Charles II was restored to the English throne. The 1651 Navigation Act was declared void. King Charles had other plans, he desperately needed money and so did England. He wanted profits to benefit the monarchy and England above everyone else. A Bill for the second 1660 Navigation Act was passed to close the loopholes of the first Act & 1663 The colonies represented a lucrative source of wealth and trade. The Navigation Acts were designed to regulate colonial trade and enabled England to collect duties (taxes) in the Colonies.

The Royal Society

The President, Council, and Fellows of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge commonly known as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society still in existence.[a]Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as "The Royal Society". The Society today acts as a scientific advisor to the British government, receiving a parliamentary grant-in-aid. The Society acts as the UK's Academy of Sciences, and funds research fellowships and scientific start-up companies.

The Rump

The Rump Parliament was the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason. The part of the Long Parliament in Britain that continued to sit after the forced exclusion of Presbyterian members in 1648. It voted for the trial that resulted in the execution of Charles I.

Regicides

The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a person of royalty. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial. More broadly, it can also refer to the killing of an emperor or any other reigning sovereign. King Charles I's execution on January 30th, 1649 and Mary, Queen of Scots' execution in 1587 are a good example of this type of killing.

Pride's Purge

The exclusion or arrest of about 140 members of parliament likely to vote against a trial of the captive Charles I by soldiers under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride (d.1658) in December 1648. Following the purge, the remaining members, known as the Rump Parliament, voted for the trial which resulted in Charles's execution

Battle of Edge Hill

The first pitched battle of the English Civil War (1642), fought at the village of Edgehill in the west Midlands. The Parliamentary army attempted to halt the Royalist army's march on London; the battle ended with no clear winner and with heavy losses on both sides. The closest the Royalist came to winning the war.

Drogheda

Was the Irish town slaughter of innocents during the Siege of Drogheda in 1649. Though Cromwell gave no specific orders that civilians were to be killed, he did order that anyone who bore arms be cut down, and as a result, many innocent people perished.

Eyam

a village in Derbyshire, was also badly affected by the Great Plague of 1665 even though the disease is most associated with its impact on London. The sacrifices made by the villages of Eyam may well have saved cities in northern England from the worst of the plague. The village is noted for an outbreak of bubonic plague, which occurred there in 1665, in which the villagers chose to isolate themselves rather than let the infection spread.

George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham

close friend of James I. In 1623 Villiers became the Duke of Buckingham. Later that year he persuaded the king to declare war on Spain. When James I died in 1625 his son Charles became king. He also greatly admired Buckingham and he continued to have influence over the monarchy. Buckingham was guilty of corruption and he used his official posts to enrich himself. Several attempts were made to get him dismissed, however, he continued to be protected by the king and in 1627 his main critic, Sir John Eliot, was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Buckingham's reputation was further damaged by the disastrous attempts to aid the Huguenots at La Rochelle in 1627. The following year George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, was assassinated while in Portsmouth by an army officer, John Felton.

The Court of High Commission

court instituted by the crown in the 16th century as a means to enforce the laws of the Reformation settlement and exercise control over the church. In its time it became a controversial instrument of repression, used against those who refused to acknowledge the authority of the Church of England. No jury, self incrimination, repressed acts of personal rule.

The Cabal

effective power in a royal council was shared by a group of men, a cabal, rather than dominated by a single "favourite". The term also serves as the acronym "C-A-B-A-L" for the names of the five Privy Councillors (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley-Cooper, and Lauderdale) who formed the council's Committee for Foreign Affairs. Through the Foreign Affairs committee and their own offices, the five members were able to direct government policy both at home and abroad. The notion of an organised group in government, as opposed to a single royal favourite holding clear power, was seen by many as a threat to the authority of the throne.

George Monck

first Duke of Albemarle, played a very important part in the Restoration Settlement that led to the return of Charles II to Great Britain. Monck was a career professional soldier who had fought on both sides during the English Civil War. However, by 1660, Monck believed that the country could best be served by the return of monarchy.

The Major Generals

from August 1655 - January 1657, was a period of direct military government during Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate. England was divided into 11 regions each governed by a Major-General who answered to the Lord Protector.

Quo Warranto proceedings

instituted by Edward I when he succeeded to the throne in 1272. Among other measures he instituted proceedings whereby his royal justices investigated the claim of every lord who claimed to have a franchise of a hundred court—a court leet—inquiring 'by what warrant' the lord made such a claim. The lord had to prove that such jurisdiction had been granted, usually by royal charter. However, Edward allowed lords to show that they had acquired the franchise by prescription 'from time immemorial'; in practice that they had exercised such jurisdiction since 1189, the accession of Richard I.

The Bill of Rights

is an English Act of the Parliament passed on the 16th December 1689. It was a re-statement of the Declaration of Right presented by Parliament to William and Mary in March 1688/89 inviting them to become joint sovereigns of England. It lays down limits on the powers of sovereign and sets out the rights of Parliament and rules for freedom of speech in Parliament, the requirement to regular elections to Parliament and the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution. It also re-established the liberty of Protestants to have arms for their defense within the rule of law. These ideas about rights reflected those of the political thinker John Locke and they quickly became popular in England. Sections of the Bill of Rights are still in effect and together with the Magna Carta and the Habeas Corpus Act form the basis of the uncodified British Constitution.

Richard Cromwell

lord protector of England; third son of Oliver Cromwell. He was the eldest who had nominated him as his successor. Although he had served in Parliament and on the council of state, Richard lacked the energy and experience to manage complicated affairs of state. Army and Parliament struggled for power, and the army forced Richard to dismiss Parliament on Apr.22, 1659. In May 1659 John Lambert, John Desborough and Charles Fleetwood forced him to retire from government. Parliament and the leaders of the army now began arguing amongst themselves about how England should be ruled. General George Monck, the officer in charge of the English army based in Scotland, decided to take action, and in 1659 he marched on London. After the Restoration Cromwell fled to France. He also lived in Geneva before returning to England in 1680.

The Levelers

radical supporters of Parliament in and around London. The Civil War had been waged in the name of Parliament and people: the Levelers demanded that real sovereignty should be transferred to the House of Commons (to the exclusion of king and lords); that manhood suffrage, a redistribution of seats, and annual or biennial sessions of Parliament should make that legislative body truly representative; and that government should be decentralized to local communities. They put forward a program of economic reform in the interests of small property holders.

The Nineteen Propositions

the English Lords and Commons sent a list of proposals to King Charles I of England, in York at the time. In what resembled a list of demands, the Long Parliament effectively sought a larger share of power in governance of the kingdom. Among the MPs' proposals was Parliamentary supervision of foreign policy and responsibility for the defense of the country, as well as making the King's ministers accountable to Parliament. Before the end of the month the King rejected the Propositions and in August the country descended into civil war.

The Instrument of Government

was a constitution of the Commonwealth of England, and gave membership to Scotland and Ireland. Drafted by Major-General John Lambert in 1653, it was the first sovereign codified and written constitution in England. At attempted to provide a legal basis for government after the parliamentary failures in the wake of the English Civil Wars. In effect, it legitimized the power of Oliver Cromwell and his generals.

The Popish Plot

was a fictitious conspiracy fabricated by Titus Oates that between 1678 and 1681 gripped the Kingdoms of England and Scotland in anti-Catholic hysteria. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the executions of at least 22 men and precipitated the Exclusion Bill Crisis. Eventually Oates' intricate web of accusations fell apart, leading to his arrest and conviction for perjury.

John Hamden

was an English politician who was one of the leading parliamentarians involved in challenging the authority of Charles I of England in the run-up to the English Civil War. He became a national figure when he stood trial in 1637 for his refusal to be taxed for ship money, and was one of the Five Members whose attempted unconstitutional arrest by King Charles I in the House of Commons of England in 1642 sparked the Civil War.

The Bishop's War

were conflicts, both political and military, which occurred in 1639 and 1640 centered on the nature of the governance of the Church of Scotland, and the rights and powers of the Crown. They constitute part of a larger political conflict across Scotland, England and Ireland, and are often considered a prelude to the English Civil Wars. They were so named due to the central conflict between Charles I, who favored an episcopal system of church government for Scotland (that is, with bishops), and the desire of much of the polity of Scotland for a presbyterian system of governance (without bishops).

The Arrest of the Five Members

were five members of the House of Commons whom Charles I attempted unsuccessfully to arrest for high treason on 4 January 1642. They were John Pym, John Hampden, Denzil Holles, William Strode, and Sir Arthur Hesilrige. The king never personally confronted them, they were not the only targets of the botched arrest, and were not working as an exclusive group either before, during, or after January 1642, but were nevertheless quickly and enduringly apotheosized as symbols of parliamentary privilege and of heroic resistance to the absolutist pretensions of the Stuart monarchy.