18 - England and Scotland (abridged)
Henry VIII of England
(r. 1509-1547) King of England; his desire to annul his first marriage led to a conflict with the pope, England's break with the Roman Catholic Church, and its embrace of Protestantism
Elizabeth I of England
(r. 1558-1603) Queen of England and Ireland; passed a religious settlement establishing a conservative Protestant Church of England; supported the Dutch Revolt and defended against the Spanish Armada
James I of England/James VI of Scotland
(r. 1603-1625) Stuart dynasty Scottish king who inherited the English throne upon the death of the childless Tudor queen Elizabeth I; aka James VI of Scotland
Charles I of England
(r. 1625-1649) king of England and Scotland whose power struggles with Parliament provoked the English Civil War; believed in the divine right of kings and absolutism; wanted to force his religious policies on Scottish Presbyterians and English Puritans; convicted of treason and beheaded
Charles II of England
(r. 1660-1685) restored the English monarchy after Oliver Cromwell's death
James II of England/James VII of Scotland
(r. 1685-1688) unpopular English king overthrown in the Glorious Revolution because of his Roman Catholicism and support for absolutism
William III and Mary II of England
(r. 1689-1702) Protestant monarchs who overthrew James II in the Glorious Revolution and signed the English Bill of Rights setting constitutional limits on the power of the English monarchy
English Bill of Rights
1689 document signed by William and Mary guaranteeing certain civil rights and frequent elections for Parliament; created a limited constitutional monarchy in which the monarchs shared their power with Parliament and the people
New Netherland/New York
Dutch colony along the Hudson River valley, including the port city of New Amsterdam; the English won control in 1667 and renamed it New York
First British empire
England before 1707; United Kingdom of Great Britain after 1707 (England, Scotland, Wales); had colonies in Ireland, North America, the Caribbean, and India during the 1500s-1700s; lost 13 American colonies in 1783
Commonwealth of England
English form of government after the execution of Charles I and abolition of the monarchy (1649-1660); a republic in name but, in reality, a Puritan military dictatorship under Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
English general and statesman who led parliamentary forces to victory in the English Civil War; called for the execution of Charles I; ruled the English Commonwealth as a military dictator (r. 1653-1658)
Parliament
English legislative assembly; consisted of the upper house hereditary aristocratic House of Lords and lower house county representatives of the House of Commons; main duty was to consult with kings and approve proposed taxes but progressively limited the power of the English monarchy, a process that culminated in the English Civil War
New England Colonies
North American Atlantic coast English settlements in the modern-day northeast United States; Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire
Southern Colonies
North American Atlantic coast English settlements of Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia
Middle Colonies
North American Atlantic coast settlements established by the Swedes (New Sweden/Delaware), Dutch (New Netherland/New York), and English (Pennsylvania and New Jersey)
Glorious Revolution
almost bloodless overthrow of James II in 1688 by his Protestant daughter Mary II and her husband, William III of Orange; resulted in affirmation of parliament as having basic sovereignty over the king in the English Bill of Rights
divine right of kings
belief that a monarch's authority comes directly from God as his appointed lieutenant
triangular trade
commerce linking Africa, the New World colonies, and Europe; European textiles, alcohol, guns, and other manufactured goods were traded for slaves carried to America who produced sugar and tobacco that was transported to Europe
absolutist monarchy
concept of government developed during rise of nation-states in western Europe during the 17th century; featured monarchs who passed laws without parliaments, appointed professionalized armies and bureaucracies, established state churches, imposed state economic policies
English Civil War
conflict from 1642 to 1660; featured religious disputes mixed with constitutional issues concerning the powers of the monarchy; ended with restoration of the monarchy in 1660
Tories
conservative English political party opposed to the Whigs; defenders of monarchy, rigid social hierarchy, and tradition
indentured servitude
contractual labor system in the colonies; labor services are sold to an employer for three to seven years, in exchange for their transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities; close to slavery except that it is voluntary
mercantilism
economic theory that sought a positive balance of trade through government-imposed limits to imports from other nations and stressed development of internal economies in order to improve tax revenues; popular during 17th and 18th centuries in Europe
Spanish Armada
fleet sent by Philip II of Spain that failed its mission of invading England in 1588; defeated by the terrible winds and English fire ships
constitutional monarchy
form of government in which the king retains his position as head of state, while the authority to tax and make new laws resides in an elected body; originated in England and the Netherlands with monarchs partially checked by significant legislative powers in parliaments
Whigs
liberal English political party that formed in opposition to absolute monarchy and the Roman Catholic Stuart kings; played a central role in overthrow of James II during the Glorious Revolution of 1688
Stuart Restoration
reestablishment of the monarchy under Charles II in 1660
Tudor dynasty
royal family of England (1485-1603): Henry VII; his son, Henry VIII; and his children Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I
Stuart dynasty
royal family of England, Wales, and Scotland (1603-1714): James I, Charles I, Charles II, James II, William and Mary, and Anne
Plymouth Colony
settlement established by English Puritan Separatist pilgrims in Massachusetts in 1620
Jamestown, Virginia
site of the first permanent English settlement in the Americas founded in 1607
Anglo-Dutch Wars
three primarily naval conflicts between England and the Netherlands in the mid-1600s over control over sea trade routes; England annexed the Dutch colony of New Netherland