The Stuarts

Charles the 1^st

Charles the 2^nd

James the 2^nd

William the 3^rd of Orange (Оранский) with Mary the 2^nd (spouses)

Ann (daughter of James the 2^nd; Mary’s sister)

George the 1^st (Hannover Dynasty)

The Stuarts were successful than The Tudors. They quarreled with Parliament (?). One of the Stuarts was executed (Charles the1^st), another was driven from the throne (Charles the 2^nd), then last Stuart, queen Ann died in 1714. The Monarchy was no longer powerful as it had been in the Tudors time.

The first Stuart had faced the alternative to give up absolute power and cooperate with new gentlemen in bourgeoisie (буржуазия) or to support reactionary noblemen (пэры или аристократы). He preferred to struggle against the Puritans that are represented the new ideology.

James the 1^st (he established the first colonies on the territory of America – the James Town) and later his son Charles the 1^st were in constant conflict with the Parliament. More than once Charles the 1^st dissolved (распускал) the Parliament, but had to recall it again because he needed money. In 1628 in return for money the Parliament wanted Charles the 1^st to sign the document known as the Petition of Right which would give the Parliament the right to control State Money, The National Budget and The Law. Charles realized that the Petition was putting an end to the king’s divine right (исключительное право). He dissolved the Parliament again and between 1629-1640 Charles ruled without the Parliament. In 1642 Charles tried to arrest 5 members of the Parliament (MP). Although he was unsuccessful it convenience the Parliament that it had good reason to fear where the Parliament’s influence was stronger, locked its gates against the king and moved to Nottingham where the Civil War had started.

Several MPs had commanded the Parliament’s army during the Civil War. The strongest of them was a Gentlemen Former, named Oliver Cromwell. He had created a new army the First Regular Force from which the British army of today developed. Instead of country people and gentry (the class of people next below the nobility in position and birth - нетитулованное мелкопоместное дворянство), Cromwell’s captured the king in 1645 but they didn’t know what to do with him. They could bring either Charles back to the throne and allow him to rule or remove him and create a new political system. On the 31(?) of January of 1645 the king was beheaded (обезглавлен).

From 1649 till 1660 Britain was Republic. Cromwell and his supports created a government which was far more civil than Charles had been. They had got read of the Monarchy and House of Lords. In 1663 Britain was government by Cromwell alone. He became Lord Protector and had much more power than king Charles had had. But his efforts to rule thought the armies were very unpopular, and his idea of using the army as a Main Law and Order in the kingdom has remained unpopular ever since. His other innovations were unpopular too. People were forbidden to celebrate Christmas and Easter.

Cromwell died in 1658. He was succeeded by his son Richard, but Richard was a poor leader and could control neither the army nor Parliament. Nobody governed the country.

In 1660 Charles the 2^nd was invited to return to his kingdom. The Republic was over with the Restoration of the Monarchy. Parliament became as weak as it had been at the time of Charles the 1^st.

The opposition to the Charles the 2^nd was nicknamed Whigs. By the opposition in Parliament the supporters of the king were nicknamed the Tories. The two parties: Whigs and the Tories became of the basis of the two-party Parliament system of government.