English Civil War: Crash Course European History #14

Summary

This Crash Course episode explores 17th-century European absolutism's impact on Britain, focusing on King James I's and his son Charles I's attempts to consolidate power. It discusses religious tensions, the rise of Parliament, and the English Civil War, leading to Charles I's execution. The episode also covers Oliver Cromwell's rule, the Restoration under Charles II, and the Glorious Revolution, which established parliamentary sovereignty and influenced Enlightenment thought.

Takeaways

• 👑 James I of England believed in the Divine Right of kings, aspiring to unite and rule over Wales, England, Scotland, and Ireland as one cohesive kingdom.
• 🏴󠁧󠁳󠁮󠁧󠁡󠁿 The diverse religious, ethnic, and economic backgrounds of the British Isles led to significant disagreements among Calvinists, Catholics, and Anglicans.
• 🤔 James I's attempt to enforce English laws and Anglicanism across his kingdoms and his efforts to marry into European royalty to maintain peace only exacerbated divisions.
• 👑 Charles I, son of James I, also believed in the divine right of kings and faced opposition from various social classes, including the gentry and merchant classes.
• 📜 The Petition of Right in 1628 was a significant check on the king's power, stating that the King couldn't raise taxes without parliament's permission.
• 🔄 Charles I's decision to stop calling parliament into session was a move towards absolutism and led to increased tensions with Parliament.
• 💔 The English Civil War (1642-1646) was fought between the Royalists (Cavaliers) and the Parliamentarians (Roundheads), ending with the execution of Charles I.
• 🗽 The period also saw the effects of the Little Ice Age and the Bubonic plague, which led to widespread death and resistance to Charles I's policies.
• 🏰 Oliver Cromwell emerged as a powerful figure during this time, leading the New Model Army and eventually ruling as a dictatorial figure after the war.
• 👑 Charles II was summoned back to the throne in 1660, marking the beginning of the Restoration era, which was a period of creativity but also further tragedy.
• 📜 The Glorious Revolution of 1688 saw the end of the Stuart dynasty's absolutist rule in England, with the introduction of the Bill of Rights to ensure parliamentary sovereignty.

Q & A

What was King James I's view on the Divine Right of kings?

King James I believed in the Divine Right of kings to have absolute power, similar to the French Catholic belief in absolutism.

Why did King James VI of Scotland become King James I of England?

King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England after the death of the childless Queen Elizabeth I in 1603.

What was King James I's plan to unite his kingdoms?

King James I aimed to unite his holdings in Wales, England, Scotland, and Ireland into a more cohesive whole by taking the title of King of Great Britain and promoting English laws and Anglicanism across all his kingdoms.

How did the religious diversity in the British Isles impact King James I's rule?

The religious diversity, including Calvinists (Presbyterians in Scotland), Catholics, and Anglicans, led to significant disagreements and challenges to King James I's efforts to promote Anglicanism.

Who was Henrietta Maria and how did her marriage to Charles impact divisions in England?

Henrietta Maria was the Catholic sister of France’s Louis XIII. Her marriage to Charles, son of James I, furthered divisions because she refused to convert to Anglicanism and became a target for opponents from various factions.

What was the Petition of Right and why was it significant?

The Petition of Right was an agreement by Charles I in 1628 that the King couldn't raise taxes without parliament’s permission, signifying a check on the monarch's power.

How did Charles I's approach to governance lead to the English Civil War?

Charles I's belief in the divine right of kings and his attempt to rule without parliament, including stopping the parliamentary sessions, led to the English Civil War between the Cavaliers (loyal to the king) and the Roundheads (loyal to Parliament).

Who was Oliver Cromwell and what was his role in the English Civil War?

Oliver Cromwell was the leader of the Parliamentary forces' New Model Army. He played a key role in capturing and executing Charles I, leading to the establishment of the English republic.

What were the challenges faced by Oliver Cromwell during his rule as Lord Protector?

Oliver Cromwell faced challenges in maintaining unity within his New Model Army and government, as well as dealing with religious factions and dissenters, despite his efforts to establish a stable Puritan regime.

Why was Charles II summoned to the throne in 1660?

Charles II was summoned to the throne in 1660 after the period of the English republic and the rule of Oliver Cromwell ended, with the aim of restoring a monarchy that would be more aligned with parliamentary interests.

What was the significance of the 'Restoration' period under Charles II?

The 'Restoration' period under Charles II marked a time of creativity, discovery, and a return to cultural and artistic prosperity, but also continued religious and political tensions, culminating in further outbreaks of plague and the Great Fire of London.

How did the Glorious Revolution of 1688-1689 change the course of English history?

The Glorious Revolution led to the overthrow of James II and the installation of William III and Mary II as monarchs who agreed to rule under a Bill of Rights, establishing a constitutional monarchy and limiting the powers of the king.

What were the key ideas presented by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke that influenced the political climate of the time?

Thomas Hobbes advocated for an absolutist government in his book 'Leviathan', arguing that it provided stability and protection, while John Locke, in his 'Two Treatises of Government', argued for a government that protected natural rights and freedoms, aligning more with the principles of the Glorious Revolution.

Outlines

00:00

👑 Absolutism and the English Reaction

This paragraph discusses the rise of absolutism in the 17th century and its influence on King James VI of Scotland, who became King James I of England. James I was inspired by the French model of absolute monarchy and attempted to implement similar policies in Britain, aiming to unite his territories under one rule and promote Anglicanism. However, the diverse religious, ethnic, and economic landscape of Britain, including the presence of Calvinists, Catholics, and Anglicans, as well as the strong regional identities, made this a challenging endeavor. James I's efforts to enforce English laws and Anglican practices across his kingdoms were met with resistance, particularly from the Scottish Presbyterians. His son, Charles I, continued to believe in the divine right of kings and faced opposition from various social classes, including the gentry and the merchant classes, who favored a more powerful English Parliament. Charles I's reign was marked by conflict with Parliament, culminating in the English Civil War, where forces loyal to the king (Cavaliers) fought against those loyal to Parliament (Roundheads). The war ended with the execution of Charles I and the establishment of a republic under Oliver Cromwell, who initially united the religious factions but later faced internal divisions and resistance.

05:05

🌍 The Impact of War and Disease

Paragraph 2 delves into the devastating effects of war and disease on England during the 17th century. The English Civil War and the subsequent rule of Oliver Cromwell were marked by significant social upheaval and natural disasters. The 'Little Ice Age' led to widespread famine, and diseases like the bubonic plague took a heavy toll on the population, particularly in London. The political instability and the inability to pay more taxes for Charles I's wars further exacerbated the resistance to his absolutist rule. The period saw a significant portion of the British population die, more than in both World War I and II combined. After Cromwell's death, the return of Charles II to the throne marked a period of restoration and relative stability, but it was also a time of further tragedy, including another outbreak of plague and the Great Fire of London. Charles II's reign began a period of creativity and discovery, but it was also marred by ongoing religious tensions and the Test Act of 1673, which excluded non-Anglicans from government positions.

10:06

📜 The Glorious Revolution and Enlightenment Thought

The final paragraph explores the political and intellectual shifts that led to the Glorious Revolution. It discusses the role of women during this period, who took on various roles, including as spies and soldiers, reflecting the broader societal changes occurring at the time. The paragraph highlights the contributions of Aphra Behn, a playwright and intelligence gatherer, whose work reflects the literary and cultural shifts of the Restoration period. The Glorious Revolution itself was a response to the absolutist tendencies of James II and was marked by the invitation of William III and Mary II to rule under a Bill of Rights, which limited the power of the monarchy and established certain rights for individuals. The paragraph also touches on the philosophical debates of the time, contrasting the views of Thomas Hobbes, who advocated for absolutism, with those of John Locke, who argued for a government based on the consent of the governed and the protection of natural rights. Locke's ideas are presented as foundational to classical liberalism and the concept of human rights, emphasizing the importance of political theory in shaping the course of history.

Keywords

💡Absolutism

Absolutism refers to a form of government where the monarch holds absolute power and authority. In the context of the video, it is highlighted by King James I's belief in the Divine Right of kings to have absolute power, which was a significant theme during the seventeenth century. The video discusses how this concept was challenged in England, leading to significant political conflict and eventually the English Civil War.

💡Divine Right of Kings

The Divine Right of Kings is a political and religious doctrine that asserts that a monarch derives their right to rule directly from the will of God, and therefore is not accountable to their subjects. The video mentions King James I's aspiration to this doctrine to justify his absolute power, which was a point of contention in the British Isles, leading to resistance and the eventual rise of constitutional ideas.

💡Puritans

Puritans were a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to 'purify' the Church of England of remaining Roman Catholic practices. In the video, Puritans are depicted as opposing the Anglican Church's rituals and the authority of figures like William Laud, the Archbishop of Canterbury, which contributed to the broader religious conflicts of the era.

💡English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political disputes between the Parliamentarians ('Roundheads') and the Royalists ('Cavaliers') from 1642 to 1651. The video explains how this war was a direct result of the struggle between King Charles I's belief in absolutism and the Parliament's desire for more power, culminating in the execution of Charles I and a period of republican rule.

💡Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was a military and political leader during the English Civil War and later the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The video describes how Cromwell led the Parliamentary forces to victory, established a republic, and ruled with an iron fist, illustrating the ongoing struggle for power in the wake of the civil war.

💡Restoration

The Restoration refers to the period in British history when the monarchy was re-established after the interregnum of 1649-1660. The video discusses the Restoration under King Charles II, which marked a return to cultural and political stability but also continued religious and political tensions, as seen in the recurring outbreaks of plague and the Great Fire of London.

💡Glorious Revolution

The Glorious Revolution was the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians and the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange in 1688. The video highlights this event as a pivotal moment where the concept of constitutional monarchy was solidified, leading to the Bill of Rights and a clear limitation on the monarch's powers.

💡Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights is an Act of the Parliament of England that sets out certain basic civil rights and clarifies who the next monarch will be. The video explains how the Bill of Rights was a direct response to the perceived absolutist tendencies of James II, and it laid the groundwork for the constitutional monarchy in Britain.

💡Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher who is known for his work 'Leviathan,' where he argues for strong central authority to avoid a 'state of nature' that he describes as 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.' The video contrasts Hobbes's absolutist views with those of John Locke, showing the philosophical debates that were occurring during this period of political upheaval.

💡John Locke

John Locke was an English philosopher whose ideas had a profound influence on the development of the concept of natural rights and the idea of government based on consent of the governed. The video presents Locke's theories as foundational to the Glorious Revolution and the establishment of constitutional government, emphasizing the idea that individuals have rights that government is meant to protect.

Highlights

Absolutism was a significant concept in 17th-century Europe, influencing both France and England.

King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England, bringing ideas of divine right of kings.

The British Isles' inhabitants, including Protestant reformers, were skeptical of absolutism.

James I aimed to unite Britain under one king and one set of laws, promoting Anglicanism.

Religious, ethnic, and economic diversity in Britain posed challenges to James I's unification efforts.

Henrietta Maria, a Catholic, married Charles, James I's son, but her refusal to convert deepened divisions.

Charles I believed in the divine right of kings and faced opposition from various social classes.

The Petition of Right in 1628 limited Charles I's ability to raise taxes without parliamentary consent.

Charles I's cessation of parliament sessions led to increased tensions and a perceived absolutist stance.

Puritans resisted Anglican orthodoxy under Archbishop William Laud, leading to persecution and defiance.

Scottish Presbyterians' resistance to Anglican Prayer Book led to riots and eventually an invasion of England.

Charles I called Parliament back after a decade, seeking support for war, but faced further opposition.

The English Civil War (1642-1646) saw Cavaliers loyal to the king against Roundheads loyal to Parliament.

Oliver Cromwell led the New Model Army, executing Charles I and establishing a republic.

The 'Little Ice Age' and the bubonic plague exacerbated social and economic tensions in Britain.

Cromwell's rule as a de facto military dictatorship was marked by internal strife and external conflicts.

Charles II's restoration to the throne in 1660 began an era of creativity but also further tragedy.

The Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666 highlighted religious and political divisions.

The Test Act of 1673 excluded non-Anglicans from government positions, reflecting ongoing religious tensions.

The Glorious Revolution of 1688 saw James II replaced by William III and Mary, establishing a Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights marked a significant shift towards constitutional monarchy and parliamentary power.

Political theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke influenced the Glorious Revolution and Enlightenment thought.

The concept of human rights as articulated by Locke has had a profound impact on Western political philosophy.

Transcripts

Hi I’m John Green and this is Crash Course European History.

And as we saw last week, Absolutism was in the air during the seventeenth century, but

not just in France.

Across the English Channel, King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England

after the death of the childless Elizabeth in 1603, and he found himself thinking, “You

know, I might not agree with everything those French Catholics believe, but they are onto

something when it comes to the Divine Right of kings to have absolute power.”

The inhabitants of the British Isles, however, weren’t so sure.

In fact, Protestant reformers were imagining a different idea of government.

That’s right, my friends.

The constitutions are coming.

[Intro] So, when he inherited the British throne,

James aspired to unite his holdings in Wales, England, Scotland, and Ireland into a more

cohesive whole, but of course those regions, despite their geographic proximity, contain

quite a lot of religious, ethnic, and economic diversity.

Religiously, Calvinists (called Presbyterians in Scotland), Catholics, and Anglicans had

big disagreements.

Also, if you’ve ever been to a Scottish bar and accidentally said how much you’re

enjoying your visit to England, you will know that Scottish people are not English.

True story by the way.

The entire bar went quiet all at once.

It was really uncomfortable.

And then I tried to fill that silence by saying, “well, you have the same money.”

Which also didn’t go over great.

James thought he could solve these problems by taking the title of King of Great Britain--one

place, one king.

He also had his officials institute English laws across all his kingdoms and promote adherence

to Anglicanism.

And he sought to keep the peace among Europe’s great families by marrying his son, Charles

to Henrietta Maria, the Catholic sister of France’s Louis XIII,

but that only ended up furthering divisions, because Henrietta Maria refused to convert

and became a target for opponents from various factions.

Henrietta Maria’s husband, James’s son Charles came to the throne in 1625, and he

too firmly believed in the divine right of kings.

Because, you know, of course he did.

He was backed by the nobility and about half of the gentry, or wealthy landowners, below

the nobility.

But other members of the gentry opposed the idea of absolutist monarchical power, including

the other half of the gentry, many less powerful farmers, and much of the merchant classes,

who tended to live in cities.

These groups had no titles or ancient claims to land, but they were driving much of Britain’s

economy, and they felt the elected English Parliament should have more power.

Because of course, that would mean that they had more power.

In 1628, Charles bowed to that parliamentary strength by agreeing to the Petition of Right,

which said that the King couldn’t raise taxes without parliament’s permission.

But then he was, like, I think I might have found a loophole, and he basically ghosted

them.

He simply stopped calling parliament back into session, which of course infuriated Parliament

and also felt like a rather blatant absolutist move from a King who’d just agreed to a

check on his power.

Meanwhile, Puritans, who objected to the pomp of Anglicanism with its statues and stained

glass and incense, resisted the archbishop of Canterbury, named William Laud, who was

attempting to bring the Puritans back to Anglican orthodoxy.

Puritan critics were tortured, put into the stocks, whipped, and had their faces mutilated,

as were members of the upper classes who disapproved of the king and his administration.

Then Laud stirred up defiance among the Presbyterians in Scotland, whom he aimed to restore to Anglicanism.

He pushed them to adopt a new version of the Prayer Book of the Anglican Church; and resistance

to that was literally riotous.

Young women hurled the new prayer books during religious services and provoked the congregation

to join them.

In fact, the Presbyterian Scots were eventually so enraged that they invaded England.

In reaction, after more than a decade of refusing to summon Parliament, Charles was like, “oh

uh, Parliament, can you come back, please.

I need your support in declaring war.”

Like many a ruler, Charles I thought that warfare, which he undertook on numerous occasions,

would make Parliament rally around him and allow him to raise taxes.

But that was a big mistake.

Instead, the representatives instead responded by removing Laud from power, decreeing that

Parliament must meet at least every three years, and putting additional roadblocks in

Charles’ way.

When Charles called on soldiers to arrest the members of Parliament who had thwarted

his demands, outright civil war erupted.

Between 1642 and 1646 those loyal to the king, called Cavaliers, faced off against those

loyal to Parliament, called Roundheads (because of their short haircuts).

Parliamentary forces raised the New Model Army, led by Oliver Cromwell.

And this new army saw opposing religious sects let go of their differences, which allowed

them ultimately to capture Charles I, and then execute him in 1649.

We also have to remember that during these years, the little ice age was taking its toll.

Many people died from famine; furthermore, between 1625 and 1636 the bubonic plague killed

some 45,000 people in London alone.

Amid successive bad weather, entire villages disappeared as their inhabitants either died

of illness or starvation, or else abandoned their communities in search of food.

And all of this enhanced the resistance and criticism of those who found it impossible

to pay more taxes so that Charles could realize his absolutist dreams and fight his wars.

A higher percentage of Britain’s population died in this period than during both World

War I and II combined.

But with the war ended, and Charles defeated, England was now a republic, although not quite

like contemporary Republics, since it was ruled by the increasingly dictatorial Oliver

Cromwell.

Although come to think of it, that does make it like some contemporary republics.

Cromwell was still the head of the New Model Army.

But without a shared enemy in the King, all those varying sects and religious factions

went back to squabbling with each other until Cromwell wiped out those in the New Model

Army who objected to the policies of his Puritan regime.

Cromwell’s army crushed the Catholics in Ireland, whom it was suspected favored a restored

monarchy, but even so, Cromwell could not keep his army or government unified, despite

building a very impressive network of spies.

In 1658, after less than a decade in power, Cromwell died, and as Civil War once more

seemed inevitable, in 1660, Parliament summoned Charles II to the throne.

Did the center of the World just open?

Is there a wig in there?

Am I going to have to put that on, Stan?

So this was the time in English history that the wigs that I, at least, associate with

English history, and fancy British people started to be a thing.

What purpose did they serve?

Well, then as now, they were a way of concealing hair loss, but also people liked to cut their

hair short to minimize the risk of lice.

So now I’m worried that this wig Stan gave me has lice, and we’re gonna move on with

the video.

So Charles II was summoned to be the English King.

And you might be wondering why someone who’d seen his father executed for being King Charles

I would want to become King Charles II, but humans are moths that fly toward the light

of power, my friends, and Charles II thought he could be a better king.

In some ways he was; his reign began the so-called “Restoration”--a time of creativity and

discovery, and also further tragedy.

In 1665, another outbreak of plague quickly killed some thirty thousand people; the next

year, fire broke out in London destroying more than 10,000 buildings, including many

churches and businesses.

The Monument to the Great Fire of London encapsulates just how thoroughly religious disagreements

shaped every facet of human life.

Even when memorializing the dead, the monument’s inscribers couldn’t help but make it sectarian,

writing, “Here by permission of heaven, hell broke

loose upon this Protestant city…

The most dreadful Burning of this City, begun and carried on by treachery and malic of the

Popish faction.”

Now of course that wasn’t true.

The fire started in a bakery run by an Anglican.

Charles II, meanwhile, had a Catholic mother in Henrietta Maria, and was seen to be gravitating

toward what that monument called “The Pope-ish faction.”

He loosened restrictions on Catholics and other dissenters, a move Parliament responded

to with the Test Act of 1673, which excluded all those who weren’t loyal to the Anglican

Church from government positions.

So just for a quick recap: James I tried to unite all of Great Britain and Ireland under

own absolutist crown before dying in 1625; his son Charles I ended being up on the losing

side of the English Civil War and was separated from his head in 1649, at which point Britain

technically became a republic that more closely resembled a military dictatorship, which eventually

failed leading in 1660 to Charles II becoming king.

Charles II had at least twelve children, but none with his wife, so his rightful heir was

his brother James, a Catholic, who would eventually become king, but only for a few years.

But before we get there, let’s go to the Thought Bubble.

1.

Across these decades people saw the social order “turned upside down”

2. as some male reformers proposed free love and women took up arms,

3. even carrying them openly during the 1640s and 1650s.

4.

One pro-parliament woman recalled seeing the leader of the Irish rebels approaching,

5.

writing that she “sent him a shot in the head that made him bid the world goodnight.”[1]

6.

Other women began publishing and preaching,

7. with Quaker women emphasizing the divine light shining from all humans,

8. both male and female.

9.

And with the political scene fluctuating so rapidly and alliances changing,

10.

women served many roles, including as spies,

11. even going to other countries to gather intelligence

12. on those plotting to restore the monarchy

13. or, when it was restored,

14.

those plotting to overthrow it again.

15.

Among these was Aphra Behn,

16.

daughter of a butcher and midwife.

17.

She was pro-Stuart

18.

—the family name of James and Charles—

19. and traveled incognito to the Netherlands in the 1660s

20. to gather intelligence on Stuart enemies.

21.

However, Behn picked up another career,

22. soon becoming a popular playwright, at a time when

23. —as part of the world turning upside down—

24.

women began going to the theater and serving as actresses

25. (before that men had taken women’s roles in plays).

26.

In 1688, the year before she died,

27.

Behn published Oroonoko,

28.

the story of a wrongly enslaved African prince

29. and his love for a high-born slave woman.

30.

In this regard, Behn was part of a thriving Restoration literary scene,

31. which rejected puritan austerity in favor of wit, sexual desire and playfulness.

Thanks Thought Bubble.

So, despite the efforts of Aphra Behn and her ilk, the Stuart drive for absolutism halted

for good in between 1688 and 1689, when the Catholic ways of James II became too much

for the pro-Parliament advocates and when, to compound the danger, James’ second wife

gave birth to a son and heir.

James’ older daughter Mary and her spouse William III were summoned as monarchs to replace

James II, but only after they had agreed to rule by a Bill of Rights.

This document stated in its first article that no monarch would reject or publish a

decree without the consent of Parliament.

It also guaranteed some of the rights that were later found in the U.S. Bill of Rights,

including, for instance, the right to bear arms--at least as long as you were Protestant.

And it’s important to note that political theory underpinned this political transformation,

which came to be called the “Glorious Revolution.” and this is the part in European history where

we usually talk about Thomas Hobbes and John Lock.

Thomas Hobbes took a very pessimistic view of human nature and argued for an absolutist

form of political organization in his book Leviathan.

It argued that a lack of political regulation created lives that were “solitary, poor,

nasty, brutish, and short.”

In Hobbes’ worldview with absolute rule, one surrendered any claim to personal liberty

but received in exchange a measure of personal well-being and protection from that absolutist

government.

But there was another famous English theorist of government and human society, John Locke,

who presented a rosier view in his Two Treatises of Government.

Locke argued that in a natural world, individuals were born free and equal, but that they rationally

banded together to create a government that would uphold laws and protect their rights.

So Locke is seen as articulating a theory of government similar to the one put forth

by the Glorious Revolution--and also similar to the one outlined in the preamble to the

U.S. Constitution.

And in many ways, Locke’s political thought has been seen as the foundation of traditional

or classical liberalism—that is, the belief in rights and freedom as intrinsic to the

human self.

And we see this theory amplified from Locke’s time down to the present day.

Like, today, many of us take it for granted that humans have certain natural rights--including

the rights to life, liberty, and property, language taken directly from Two Treatises.

But human rights are an invented concept--albeit a very useful one.

King Henry VIII, for instance did not agree with the notion that those who claim to own

land actually owned it, as evidenced by his extensive reclamation of Catholic land for

himself.

The creation of concepts of human rights reminds us again that how we imagine the world--and

indeed how we imagine ourselves and each other--deeply impacts the world in which we end up living.

Whether we believe in human rights--and how we act on that belief--has profound consequences

today, just as it did in The Glorious Revolution.

Next week we’re gonna cross back to the continent to see the Dutch variant on constitutional

government, including all its twists and turns AND CANNIBALISM.

Thanks for watching, Ill see you then.

________________ [1] Quoted in Susan K. Kent, Gender and Power

in Britain, 1640-1990, (New York: Routledge, 1999) 22.