The house of Stuart

 The House of Stuart, originally Stewart, was a European royal house that
originated in Scotland. The dynasty's patrilineal Breton ancestors had held
the office of High Steward of Scotland since the 12th century, after arriving
by way of Norman England.

 The royal Stewart line was founded by Robert II, and they were Kings and
Queens of Scots from the late 14th century until the union with England in
1707.

 Mary, Queen of Scots, was brought up in France, where she adopted the
French spelling of the name, Stuart. Her son, James VI of Scotland,
inherited the thrones of England and Ireland upon the death of Elizabeth I in
1603.

 Except for the period of the Commonwealth, 1649–1660, the Stuarts were
monarchs of the British Isles and its growing empire, until the death
of Queen Anne in 1714.

Etimology
 The name "Stewart" derives from the political position of office similar to a
governor, known as a steward. It was originally adopted as the family
surname by Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland, who was the
third member of the family to hold the position.

 The galician spelling was first borne by John Stewart of Darnley after his
time in the French wars. During the 16th century, the French
spelling Stuart was adopted by Mary, Queen of Scots, when she was living
in France.

 The spelling Stuart was also used by her second husband, Henry Stuart,
Lord Darnley; he was the father of James VI and I, so the official
spelling Stuart for the British royal family derives from him.
 James I(1603-1625)
 James VI, king of Scotland, also became king of the entirely separate
kingdom of England when Elizabeth I of England died. He also became king
of Ireland, but the English were just reestablishing lost control there.

 Like Elizabeth, James I tried to rule without Parliament as much as

possible.He believed in the divine right of kings, the king was chosed by
God and therefore only God could judge him.

 James managed to the country without Parliament between 1611 to

1621.Until his death in 1625 James was always quarreling with Parliament
over money.

Charles I(1625-1649)
 In 1625 Charles became the king of a land deeply involved in a European
war and rent by escalating religious controversies. Buckingham and Charles
developed a foreign policy based on an alliance with France against Spain.
Major foreign adventures against Cádiz in 1625 and in support of
French Huguenots in 1627 were total disasters.

 In 1629 the king dissolved parliament and began a period of eleven years of
personal rule.

 Parliament wanted Charles to sign a document known as the Petition of

Rights, which would give Parliament the right to control state money, so he
dissolved Parliament again.

Civil War and Interregnum(1642-1660)

 The First English Civil War of 1642–1645 ended in victory for the
Parliamentarians over the Royalists (often called "Cavaliers"). The
Parliamentarians were often called "Roundheads" because of their short
practical haircuts.

 The Second English Civil War was fought in 1648–1649; Charles lost and
was executed in January 1649.

 The monarchy was temporarily displaced by the Commonwealth of England

from 1649 to 1660. Oliver Cromwell ruled directly from 1653 to his death in
1658, whereupon his Commonwealth disintegrated. The Convention
 Parliament welcomed Charles II, son of Charles I, to return from exile and
become king.

Restoration and Charles II(1660-1685)

 Widespread dissatisfaction with the lack of the king led to the Restoration in
1660, which was based on strong support for inviting Charles II to take the
throne. The restoration settlement of 1660 reestablished the monarchy, and
incorporated the lessons learned in the previous half century.

 The first basic lesson was that the king and the parliament were both
needed.The Tory perspective involved a greater respect for the king, and for
the Church of England. The Whig perspective involved a greater respect for
Parliament. The two perspectives eventually coalesced into opposing
political factions throughout the 18th century.

 The second lesson was that the highly moralistic Puritans were too inclined
to divisiveness and political extremes.

 The third lesson was that England needed protection against organised
political violence. Politicized mobs in London, or popular revolts in the rural
areas, were too unpredictable and too dangerous to be tolerated.The king's
solution was a standing army, a professional force controlled by the king.

 The Restoration of 1660 was a deliberate return to the stability of the early
17th century. There was very little recrimination. King Charles acted with
moderation and self-restraint, and with energy and attention to details.

 James become king in 1685.

Glorious Revolution of 1688-1689

 The British have always regarded the overthrow of King James II of

England in 1688 as a decisive break in history, especially as it made the
Parliament of England supreme over the King and guaranteed a bill of legal
rights to everyone.

 Steven Pincus argues that this revolution was the first modern revolution; it
was violent, popular, and divisive. He rejects older theories to the effect that
 it was an aristocratic coup or a Dutch invasion. Instead, Pincus argues it was
a widely supported and decisive rejection of James II.

 The people could not tolerate James any longer. He was too close to the
French throne; he was too Roman Catholic; and they distrusted
his absolutist modernisation of the state.

William and Mary(1688-1702)

 During the joint rule of William and Mary, William made the decisions
when he was in Britain; Mary was in charge when he was out of the country
and also handled Church affairs.

 William encouraged the passage of major laws that protected personal

liberties-the Toleration Act 1689, which guaranteed religious toleration to
Protestant nonconformists.It did not, however, extend toleration as far as he
wished, still restricting the religious liberty of Roman Catholics, non-
trinitarians, and those of non-Christian faiths.

 In December 1689, one of the fundamental constitutional documents in

English history, the Bill of Rights, was passed. The Act restated and
confirmed many provisions of the earlier Declaration of Right, and
established restrictions on the royal prerogative.

Queen Anne(1702-1714)
 Anne became queen in 1702 at age 37, succeeding William III whom she
hated.

 Anne had 6 babies but only one survived and he died at age 11, so her death
ended the Stuart period.

 Scotland and England were entirely separate countries, having the same
ruler since 1603. Queen Anne, ruling both countries, worked to bring them
together in the Acts of Union 1707.

 Public opinion in Scotland was generally hostile, but elite opinion was
supportive, especially after the English provided generous financial terms
and timely bribes.
 Conclusions
 The Stuarts monarchs were less successful than the Tudors.

 They quarrelled with Parliament and this resulted in civil War.

 Charles I was executed.

 The last Stuart, Queen Anne died in 1714 and the monarchy was no longer
absolutely.

 These important changes were the result of basic changes in society.