THE TUDOR PERIOD (1485-1603)

-The Tudor period was the History of England between1485-1603

POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS AND ECONOMIC SET UP DURING THE TUDOR

PERIOD.

Political set up.

 England was under the control of the monarchy by the members of the Tudor
and Stuart families.
 The monarchy made decisions regarding taxation and laws. The monarchy had
the final say in the matters that affected the state.
 The parliament was made up of members of parliament (MP’s) who represented
the wealthier people.
 The poor people and women were not allowed to vote or become members of
parliament.
 In the 16th century the parliament demanded to be given more power and this led
to a major dispute between the parliament and the monarchy.

Religious set up.

 The monarch controlled the religion since it helped them to control the country.
 Everything that happened to the people was connected with God, therefore they
took the religion seriously example, prosperity was an indication that God was
pleased while misfortunes like diseases showed God was angry.
 Religion shaped peoples’ opinion e.g. if church said that there should be war no
one could go against it.

Power in the Religion

 The religion of the monarch was the religion of the people.

 Catholicism was the religion of England at the beginning of the Tudor period and
the pope was the head of the church.
 At the beginning of the century (17th) groups with extreme beliefs tried to
spread their views and had to be controlled.
 During the 16th century, the authority of the pope was rejected by the
parliament and England adopted a new protestant religion.
 By the 17th Century monarchs had been forced to accept not to follow
Catholicism
 Economic set up during the Tudor period
 Most people were involved in farming and they lived in villages.
 There were also rich traders who built very expensive houses.
 The rich people may have inherited money fortunes in trade.
 During this period Europeans began to discover previously unknown parts of the
world and merchants began to trade with the discovered lands.

 Wealth that these merchants accumulated can be seen in the magnificent

houses they built in places like Hengrove.

 RELIGION OF THE PEOPLE

There are very many different religion in Britain today. Examples are Christianity,
Islam and Judaism. People are free to choose which God they want to worship. For some
people, religion plays almost no part at all. In Tudor times things were very different.

The Church in the 1500

-Christianity was the only recognized religion in England in the 1500.

-There was also one religious organization, the Catholic Church.

The local church was the center of every village life.

Church was attended every Sunday and holy days by all the villagers.

Reasons why religion was very important.

a) Religion was very important because people believed that God controlled everything
that took place in the world.

b) People did not understand why such things like crop failures, disasters or drought
happened and God was punishing them.

c) People had limited knowledge about life, there were no scientific knowledge hence all
the answers about life came from God.

d) Religion provided hope to those who had given up in life by telling the people that
God knows them and cared for them and that they should not worry as there is
happiness after death.

Functions of the church.

a) Social occasion such as feasts and dances were held.

b) Basic schooling was given, though few people could read or write at this time.

c) To worship God.

d) The church gave assistance to the poor e.g. food and shelter.

CRITISMS OF THE CHURCH.

Critism – Expression of disapproval of someone or something based on perceived

fault or mistakes.

-Despite the fact that people were very religious and the church brought a lot of
benefits to the society, most people still felt that the church was not running properly
and needed to be reformed.

-They criticized the church. The criticism of church were given a name ANTI-
CLERICALISM and those who criticized the church were called ANTI-CLERICS.

WHY CHURCH OFFICIALS WERE CRITISIZED

The pope- Head of the Catholic Church.

 The pope had children

 He was selling jobs in the church to the people with no religious background.

 He was a wealthy man and ruled Rome

Bishop –

 They lived a life of Luxury preaching the need for poverty and self-discipline.

 Some of the Bishops worked in more than one place , hence could not do their job
properly.

Priests – They could hardly read and write as they could not conduct the services
properly.

- They had unofficial 'wives’ even though priests were not allowed to marry.

REFORMATION

-This is the movement against the abuses in the Roman Catholic Church that led to the
split of Christianity into two major branches in the 16 th century, that is

Christianity
 Catholicism Protestantism

Protestantism

-This is a branch of Christianity that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in
the 16th Century.

-The reformation movement began in Germany under the leadership of Martin Luther.

MARTIN LUTHER

Martin Luther was a professor of Theology at the

University of Wittenberg in Germany.

Theology-Is the study of Religion

-In October 1517(16th century) he pinned a long list of

protests on the door at Wittenberg castle, the
protests were known as “these” and there were 95 of
them (95 theses, published 1517)

-Most of the protest of Luther were attached to the leadership of the Roman Catholic
Church in the 16th Century.

-The reformation movement began in Germany under the Leadership of Martin Luther.

- He was a monk in Germany. He was also a professor/teacher in a University of

Wittenberg, while he was there, he went to Rome.

-But Luther was bitterly disappointed with what he found in Rome, which was the
centre of Christianity.

-Rome was not the holy place he had imagined. The pope was dressed in beautiful robes
and wore huge glittering crown.

-Cardinals lived in big places with dozens of servants.

-What horrified him most was the way the church collected money by selling
indulgences.

Indulgences-Full or partial payment made for sins to be forgiven.

-Martin Luther felt that this was taking advantage of the poor and ignorant men.
-He protested against this. He wrote down his angry protests and nailed them on the
door of church, where everybody going to the morning service could read them.

Martin Luther’s protests

 He was against selling of indulgences.
 He was against paying of taxes to the foreign popes.
 He disagreed with baptism because baptism alone could not lead one to heaven.
 He was against the luxurious life of the church leaders especially the pope.

-His ‘’ 95theses” were published and circulated all over Europe.

Many people started to believe that the Catholic Church should be reformed.

- Luther wanted church services to be made simple and if possible, in the local language
so that people could understand.

-In 1521, Pope Leo X asked Martin Luther to withdraw his protests, he refused and
claimed he was guided by the bible.

then broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and formed the Lutheran Church
which falls under Protestantism church.

Pope Leo X excommunicated Martin Luther from the church.

Excommunicate- He was banned from the Roman Catholic Church.

JOHN CALVIN

Calvin was a French priest who founded his own church in Geneva in Switzerland. He
thought the most important job of a priest was to preach and teach.

Describe his church:

 No crosses, no candles and no pictures of Jesus and the saints in church

 Calvinist priests wore plain gowns in church instead of robes worn by catholic
priests.
  The Catholic Church taught that when the priest blessed the bread and wine
during the mass, they miraculously became the body and blood of Christ.
 Calvin said that it was a lie, they did not change. He also argued that according
to the bible they simply represented Christ’s body and blood.
 In Calvin’s church, the members of each parish elected their own priest who was
called a presbyter.
 That is why Calvinists are often known as Presbyterians.

Jhon Calvin’s book  Institutes of the Christian religion (published 1536)

Henry VII

Henry VIII Wives 

Wife 1  Catherine of Aragon 
 
Reason of marriage – Henry wanted to keep good relationship
with Spain. 
She was divorced 
She had a daughter called Mary
 
 

 Wife 2  Anne Boleyn 

 
She was married because a son was needed. 
-The King accused her of having so many lovers (1000) and
practicing witchcraft 
-She was beheaded 
She had a daughter Elizabeth  
 
 
 
Wife 3  Jane Seymour 
 
She was married because a son was needed 
Died while giving birth 
His son was Edward 
 
Wife 4  Anne of Cleves 
 
She was a protestant 
Henry divorced her 
 
 
 
 
 

Wife 5  Catherine Howard 

 
 
She was married to keep the English happy. 
She was beheaded 
She did not have a child. 
 

Catherine Parr 
The only wife that survived. 
Had no child with Henry. 
 

WEEK 9& 10 NOTES

HENRY VIII (1509-1547)

Henry VIII succeeded his father as king of England in 1509.

He was to rule for 38 years and bring great changes to his country.
By his death in 1547, he had been married six times. He had also replaced the pope as
the head of the church in England.

Henry was married to a Spanish princess called Catherine of Aragon, she was a strong
supporter of the Catholic Church.

Portrait of Henry VIII

Pope Leo X was impressed by how Henry defended the Roman Catholic church and
granted him the title “Defender of the faith.”

Reasons why Henry VIII was referred to as the defender of faith.

 Henry publicly burned copies of Luther’s book.

 He did not allow anyone to criticize the church.
 He wrote his own book criticizing Luther’s views.
 He was a strong supporter of Catholic Church.

A Son or Heir

-Henry VIII had problems which were to destroy his marriage and his relationship with
the pope.

-The King wanted a male heir to succeed him on his death.

-If a king had no son, a daughter would rule, where women were believed to be not
strong enough to control the powerful nobles in the country.

-They were also not strong enough to stop civil war from breaking out.

-By 1527, Catherine of Aragon had produced only one surviving child, a daughter called
Mary.

-Catherine was too old to have any more children and so Henry felt he had to divorce
her and marry a young woman who could produce a son.
The Divorce

-In 1527, Henry asked Pope Clement VII for an annulment to declare that he had never
been married properly to Catherine.

Annulment-The cancellation of something like marriage.

-In the same year that he made the request, the Emperor Charles V captured Rome
and made the pope a virtual prisoner.

-Charles was Catherine’s nephew he made sure that Clement did not grant the divorce.

- He did not want to see his aunt mistreated by Henry VIII.

STRUCK BY THE DART OF LOVE

-Henry had been pursuing the daughter of a nobleman called Anne Boleyn.

-He wanted to end his marriage to Catherine and marry Anne who had become pregnant
in 1533.

-Henry became desperate because he didn’t want his child to be an illegitimate child
that would not be able to succeed to the throne.

Henry insisted that Clement grant him the divorce but the pope still refused.

-He instructed the leading churchman in England, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of

Canterbury in 1533, to grant the annulment of the marriage himself.

-Finally Henry married Anne, crowned her as queen and awaited the birth of the child
which his astrologers assured him would be a boy.

His hopes were dashed in September 1533 when Anne gave birth to a daughter,
Elizabeth.

Astrologers-people who study the influence of the stars and planets.

MONASTERIES AND NUNNERIES

Between 1536-1539, Henry closed down all the monasteries.

The process of closing down monasteries is called Dissolution.

Reasons Why Henry VIII Dissolved The Monasteries And Nunneries.

 The king needed money – Many European rulers were angry about Henry’s treatment
towards the pope and Catherine of Aragon. So Henry expected to be attacked by them.
Therefore, he needed the money to defend his country.
 He needed money for his luxury- The monasteries had a huge amount of land and
wealth.

 The monasteries were not doing their job properly and needed to be closed down. It
was found out that monks and nuns were lazy and neglected their religious duties.

 They were greedy, immoral and were more interested in making money than in
serving God. Monasteries had treasures in Gold and silver.

 The monasteries were also closed down for religious reasons. The monks and nuns
were a threat to Henry because they were powerful and still obeyed the pope.

Cromwell’s inspectors

 Henry wanted to know the conditions in the monasteries and just how much wealth
they had. In 1535, his important advisor Thomas Cromwell sent his inspectors to check
on 850 monasteries.

 Their reports showed they owned a quarter of the land in the country and that many
monks and nuns did not do their duties well.

 Henry and Cromwell wanted the inspectors to find problems so as to justify the
closing down and selling their wealth. Their reports were exaggerated.

The dissolution

 Henry used these reports to close down the monasteries. He took all their property
and sold it to land owners and merchants/traders

 Gold and silver ornaments were melted and beautiful religious old books were burnt.

 The buildings were turned into private houses or left to crumble.

Functions Of The Monasteries And Nunneries

 They were religious houses in the catholic religious life.

 They took care of the poor and the sick
 They provided education
 Its where the monks and nuns lived respectively

Benefits of Henry’s Closure of Monasteries and nunneries

 The dissolution of monasteries and nunneries brought Henry enormous wealth.

He used this wealth to fight wars e.g. with France.
 Henry had no threats from the monks and nuns who still obeyed the pope. So
there was no danger of religious rebellion.

Was Henry VIII a catholic or a protestant?

Henry got rid of pope’s Authority in England but this did not make him a protestant.

He became the head of the Catholic Church in England and he was still a believer of
catholic beliefs.

CONSTITUTION AND CONSTITUTION MAKING.

What is a constitution?

A Constitution is a body of principles that enable people within a state to live together
in harmony and order.

It also spells out the rights of the citizens as well as their responsibilities and duties
inrelation to the state.

The constitution also defines and directs the relationship between the government and
its people. There are two types of constitutions:

a) Written Constitution

b) Unwritten Constitution

TYPES OF CONSTITUTIONS

Written Constitutions – France, Brazil, United states, India, Germany, Kenya

This is a type of constitution where fundamental principles and rules of the state have
been formally consciously reduced into a single document.

Such a constitution is prepared by a designated body then enacted and adopted

through clearly defined procedure.

A written constitution can only be amended through a predetermined process.

Amend - change

Many states in the world have written constitutions. The United States of America was
the First country to write a constitution in 1787 and enacted in 1789.

Enact-To put into practice/use

Kenya – Constitution of Kenya, adopted in 2010

 Kenya is divided into 47 counties, each with its own elected county government

President – William Ruto

Deputy president – Rigathi Gachagua

Chief justice – Martha Koome

Advantages of Written Constitution

(i)It’s readily available for reference as all the provisions of the constitution are
contained within the document.

(ii)It is rigid and not prone to tampering with especially by politicians.

(iii)It is clear and definite in addressing various issues.

(iv)It clearly outlines the powers, terms, relations and duties of different organs of
government ensuring they don’t come into conflict with each other.

(v)It helps to promote national unity in a country since it acquires recognition and
acceptance from majority of the citizens.

(vi)It helps in safeguarding the interests and rights of majority groups.

Disadvantage

i)It uses a very difficult language.

-It makes it very hard for people to understand. Therefore it requires a lawyer to
interpret it to the people.

ii) It is very rigid

-As a result, it responds slowly to the change within a nation.

iii) The procedure for amendment is very slow.

-This causes delays which could lead to civil disorder.

iv) It tends to be outdated.

-This is because it responds slowly to the changes in the state.

V) Amendment process is costly

- To change the constitution requires a lot of money especially if there is a

referendum.

(ii)Unwritten Constitution – UK, New Zealand, Israel, Canada, Australia, Saudi

Arabia

This is a type of constitution where fundamental principles and rules of a state are
contained in a single document but are drawn from various other sources.

E.g. United Kingdom whose principles are drawn from the following documents:
i) Constitutional Milestones such as the Magna Carta (1215), which was an agreement
between King John and the nobility that guaranteed the certain privileges for the all
Englishmen.

Legislation—this refers to the laws that are part of the fundamental principles of the
state and contribute to its aspirations. These includes:

The petition of Right Act (1628) that prevented the state from raising taxes without
the consent of parliament. It also prohibited the imprisonment of people without a
lawful cause.

The Habeas corpus Act (1679) that establishes the rights of prisoners to an
immediate trial.

The Bill of Rights Act (1689) that limited the powers of the monarchy.

The Act of settlement (1707) that granted the independence of the judiciary.

The Act of Union (1707) that united the parliaments of England and Scotland.

Parliamentary Acts (1911, 1949) that limited the powers of the House of Lords to
delay Legislation.

Parliamentary Acts (1918, 1928) that allowed women to vote.

The Peerage Acts (1963) prohibited discrimination based on race, colour or ethnic
origin.

Representation of the people Act (1969) that lowered the voting age to eighteen.

ii) Case law: This refers to the specific rulings made by the British Courts that have
had an impact on the principles of the state. They include the judgment that
determined the rights of parliament and that of Sir Edward Coke, Chief Justice during
the reign of James I who ruled that monarchy by ‘divine right ‘was illegal.

iii) Parliamentary Customs: The traditions, customs and rules of the British Parliament
form part of the constitution as they define the legislative arm of government. These
are contained in various parliamentary records such as The Hansard which is the
verbatim record of parliamentary proceedings.

iv) Commentaries: These are the writings opinions and assertions of respected
scholars, such as John Selden who denied the divine origin of the monarchy, asserting
that the institution manmade for the benefit of human beings.

The writings of John Locke justified the depositions of kings. These are some of the
writings that justified the British constitution.
v) Constitutional Conventions: These are political traditions and agreements which
have been followed or applied over a period of time, although they have little or no
basis in law. The party system and the powers of the prime minister are the results of
such convention (1689)

Unlike the American constitution that is contained in a single document and is clear,
the British Constitution is not and is thus referred to as an Unwritten Constitution.

Advantages of Unwritten Constitution

(I)Unwritten Constitution is relatively simple to amend as they are altered like the
ordinary laws.

(ii)These types of constitution are usually homegrown hence are more acceptable
across the board in application.

(iii)They are flexible and easily adoptable in prevailing situations in the state.

Disadvantages of Unwritten Constitution

 Can be amended, hence open to manipulation by the legislative arm of government.

 It’s indefinite and imprecise in comparison to the written ones

 Too much power is given to the judiciary that has the responsibility of interpreting
the constitution.

 It does not guarantee sufficient protection to the rights of the citizens. This calls
for a high level of political awareness and vigilance on the part of the people to
safeguard their rights and liberties.

 It tends to overload the judiciary as they look for constitutional principles not only
in judicial decisions but in statutes.

Characteristics of a good constitution

Regardless of the format in which a constitution exists, there are certain

characteristics that are common to all good constitutions. These include:

(i)Clarity: A good constitution ought to clearly define and spell out its contents. This
should be in a language that eliminates ambiguity in order to enable all who read it to
understand it.
(ii)Comprehensiveness: It should be comprehensive, addressing as many components of
the state as it can, as clearly as possible and in detail, so that it will not invite disputes
or misunderstanding.

(iii)Flexibility: It should be flexible enough to easily respond to any changes in the

state, while maintaining the state’s overall principles and aspirations.

(iv) Bill of Rights: The rights and freedoms the citizens are entitled to and ought to
be clearly stated in the constitution, which should also provide for the protection of
these rights and freedoms.

(v) Amendment: Provisions for the amendment of the constitution should be included,
distinctly stating which sections can be amended and which cannot, as well as who may
participate in that process.

Elizabeth 1

Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She ruled from 1558-1603.

Parliament during Elizabeth’s Time

Parliament was one of Elizabeth’s problems.

There were 460 members of the House of Commons, and their job was to;

-pass laws

-Grant money if the queen needed it.

The queen often needed more money if there was war. The commons would refuse to
grant her money and put the following conditions.

I) She should bring changes in religion.

ii) She should marry.

iii) She should go to war with other countries.

-These annoyed Elizabeth,

she dealt with the parliament in the following ways;

a) She never called parliament regularly. She had called the parliament 13 times in 44
years.

b) She imprisoned members of parliament who criticized her openly.

c) She appointed the house of commons speaker.

d) She ensured that many of her private council (a group of political advisors chosen
by and for the monarch) were members of the House of Commons.
e) She could give all members of parliament a Christmas holiday but chose not to

Things to remember

(I)Why did Tudor monarchs call parliament frequently?

a) Pass laws-In the reign of Henry viii the “break from Rome” was to be achieved by
passing laws in parliament.

II) Why did Tudor monarchs call parliaments infrequently?

a) To avoid wars-Henry VII tried to avoid foreign wars by keeping peace between the
two countries.

b) Didn’t raise taxation-Henry VII didn’t need to raise taxation because there was no
need for the money because he tried to avoid foreign wars.

DEMOCRACY.

-The word democracy in democracy is derived from two Greek words;

-Demo-People

-Cracia-power

Definition of Democracy

-It is a form of government where power rests with people as it is vested in them, and
they exercise it either directly or through freely elected representatives.

-It is also government of the people, for the people, by the people.

Types of Democracy

There are two types of Democracy.

(a)Direct Democracy/Pure Democracy

(b)Indirect Democracy/Representative Democracy

A) DIRECT DEMOCRACY

-It is whereby every member of society is free to participate directly in the

matters of the state.

-Direct Democracy originated from Ancient Greek City states and it was practiced in
the 5th century BC.

-It was also practiced for a while in Switzerland and Oregon in the USA.

-They would meet at regular intervals to debate on issues affecting society e.g.
dismissal of certain public intervals.
-It was only effective in societies with a small population.

-In most cases no decision was ever reached because of too many arguments.

-Direct Democracy is today practiced through the following devices;

a) Referendum

b) Initiative

c) Recall

d)Plebiscite

a) Referendum

-This is whereby a political issue is referred to the people rather than to the
legislative body.

-When a matter of political importance is taken to the people to vote for or against it.

b) Initiative

-This is whereby the people come up with a law and take it to the legislative body for
consideration (parliament).

c) Recall

-This is a method by which an official or an elected representative is removed or

dismissed from an office.

d) Plebiscite

-This is a device to obtain a direct popular vote on a matter of political importance.

-It was used in some of the one-party states to elect a president.

-Voters were required to indicate yes or no on a ballot paper to show if they supported
a certain candidate.

B) INDIRECT DEMOCRACY/REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY.

-It is a system whereby the members of society choose representatives to run their
affairs.

-It originated from Ancient Rome where the uneducated masses were considered unfit
to rule directly; thus, those who were fit were chosen to represent them.

-This form of Democracy is the most common in today’s world because it’s easily
applicable in a wide variety of situations.

-Kenya has an indirect democracy.

Essentials of Indirect Democracy

a) Universal suffrage

-A suffrage is a population which can vote.

-People practice democratic rights through voting.

-It should be possible for every member to vote or to stand for elections.

b) Free and Fair elections

Elections should be free and fair. This is determined by the mode of voting, whether it
is secret or public voting.

-The elections process should be free from corruption, manipulation or intimidation of

voters.

-The exercise should be public, especially in circumstances where a community is not

sufficiently enlightened.

c) People's supremacy

-Democracy is the most popular form of government because the power rests with the
people.

-Democratic rights are exercised through voting.

Democracy aims at benefiting most people in the Nation.

JAMES I AND PARLIAMENT.

-During his reign, James 1 had trouble with his parliaments even though some weren’t
his fault. example;

i) Elizabeth had left behind debts of around 300,000 pounds and parliament out of
respect for her age, had not pushed for the changes it wanted.

ii) Gunpowder plot (1605), a group of catholic conspirators, led by Robert Catesby
planned to blow up the House of Lords, intending to kills James I and other protestant
nobles. However, the plot was discovered and they were arrested and executed. This
event created religious tensions like pressure from parliament to adopt stricter
measures

James I problems with parliament.

i) James appointed some ministers that the members of the House of Commons did not
like.
ii) James used to reward some ministers that he liked with honours and wealth and the
parliament hated this e.g. George Villiers, who became Duke of Buckingham in 1623.

iii) James showed little understanding of the English system, he did not take advice
from the most important subjects therefore breaking the tradition of the monarchs.

iv) James believed in the Divine Rights of kings which gave him power to rule as he
wished. This angered parliament

v) He raised taxes on import goods in order to increase his income.

Why did James Need Money?

i) He had to pay off Elizabeth’s debts.

ii) He had a large family to keep.

iii) Being a monarch was more expensive than in Elizabeth’s day.

iv) Prices were rising faster and James’ income bought less.

What did parliament do?

-Parliament tried to control James by keeping him short of money.

E.g. In 1610, it refused him extra income because it said he was asking for too much.

Source C

A description of James by a modern historian, Maurice Asgley.He wrote this in

England in the seventeenth Century in 1952.

King James I was a cleaver and learned man-far from the slobbering quibbler he was
sometimes been made out. His defects were vanity and a softness in his nature, shown
by his habit of lecturing people at one point at one moment and giving way to them at
another, and for worthless favourites.

Source D

From a letter written by James I to the Spanish ambassador in 1621.

The house of commons is like a body without a head. The members give their opinions
noisily. Am surprised English kings ever allowed such a place to exist.

i) Now read Source C. What criticisms does this description make of James?

 Vanity: James is described as having a defect of vanity, implying that he had an

excessive belief in his own abilities and importance.
 James is said to have a softness in his nature, demonstrated by his
inconsistency in dealing with people. He would lecture them at one moment and
then give in to them at another.
  James is criticized for favouring individuals who were deemed as worthless,
implying that he made poor choices in his close associates.

ii) Were the problems James had with parliament his own fault?
 Argument supporting James: (not his fault)
Elizabeth had left behind debts of around 300,000 pounds and parliament out of
respect for her age, had not pushed for the changes it wanted.
Gunpowder plot (1605), a group of catholic conspirators, led by Robert Catesby
planned to blow up the House of Lords, intending to kills James I and other
protestant nobles. However, the plot was discovered and they were arrested and
executed. This event created religious tensions like pressure from parliament to
adopt stricter measures

 Argument placing blame on James: (is his fault)

James had a tendency to lecture but quickly give in to their demands, as mentioned
in Source C, created a lack of consistency and an inability to find balanced, fair
solutions. His failure to effectively negotiate and reach compromises contributed to
the problems he faced with Parliament.

James's vanity and questionable choices in favourites (deemed as worthless), as

criticized in Source C, undermined his credibility and relationships with key figures
in Parliament

iii)James has been called the ‘The Wisest fool in Christendom’. Do you agree?

 In agreement:

James I was well-educated and engaged in intellectual debates, demonstrating his

intelligence and wisdom.

However, James made questionable decisions and displayed weaknesses, leading to the
perception of being a "fool"

James's habit of contradicting himself by lecturing people at one moment and giving in
to them at another was perceived as being a "fool" despite his intellectual capabilities

 In disagreement:

James I had notable accomplishments during his reign, such as the translation of the
Bible (King James Version) and efforts to maintain peace between England and
Scotland.
James faced significant political challenges like religious conflicts, tensions with
Parliament, and international relations, which required political acumen and strategic
thinking. His ability to navigate these complex issues can be seen as evidence of wisdom
rather than being a "fool.

Things he did to raise money

1. He began selling peerages (rank of nobility) at 1000 pounds a time

2. He borrowed from London banks
3. He raised taxes on import goods

M.p.s believed king shouldn’t raise taxes without their agreement

They grew angry and James lectured them on Divine rights of Kings, he thought they
were interfering with the way he wanted to rule.

4. He implemented a policy known as ‘forced loans’, where wealthy people were

compelled to lend money to the crown
5. He imposed benevolences, involving voluntary contributions from wealthy people
and nobles. Although initially intended to be voluntary, benevolences became
coerced and were seen as a form of taxation

The Lord, gentry, clergy, and members of parliament were loyal to the crown and
James.

Clergy – Members of church

Gentry – people of good social position, wealthy/ elite

Era – period of time a certain family/ dynasty rules E.g. Tudor era

Monarch – King or Queen who ruled a state

Peerage – rank of nobility

Reign – period of time ruled by a monarch

Divine Rights of Kings – belief that Kings and Queens have ultimate authority to make
decisions without interference.

SHIP MONEY.

-In 1628, the members of parliament presented Charles with a petition of right.
Petition is a request to do something.

-The petition stated that no taxes should be collected without parliament’s

permission.

-Charles got annoyed and fed up and so he reacted as follows:

-He decided to see if he could manage without parliament and so he introduced ‘Ship
money’ without parliament’s consent.

This was a tax collected in coastal countries in wartime. It was used to build and
maintain fighting ships.

Charles decided to collect this tax every year, even though there was no war.

-He extended the ship money to include inland countries as well in 1635.

-Charles was now able to rule without parliament, as long as he did not pay for an
expensive war.

-John Hampden, a rich country gentleman believed Ship Money was illegal and refused
to pay it. He was brought to court and after a long trial, ordered to pay.

Hampden knew that nearly half the judges who tried his case agreed with him and so
did most of the members of parliament and gentry.

SOURCE A.

This is what a puritan ,Sir Simonds d’Ewes,wrote about Ship Money at the time.

In 1635 all the Sheriffs in the land were told to levy great sums of money.This was
under the pretence of providing ships for the defence of the kingdom.But we were at
peace with all the world and the fleet was strong.If the kingcould levy taxes he liked
on his subjects and then imprisonedthem when they refused to pay,then all our
liberties were utterly ruined.

Puritan  a religious group that emerged during protestant reformation in 16 th and 17th
centuries. (they wished to ‘purify’ the church)

SOURCE B
Above is a picture of a ship called ‘The Sovereign of seas’? It was paid for by the Ship
Money and launched in 1637.

Was Charles I a secret Catholic?

Charles I was the first monarch to be born and brought up within the protestant
church of England.

Charles had a catholic wife called Henrietta Maria. She was from France. She was
allowed to have her own catholic priest at court.

-This made some puritans believed Charles was a secret catholic.

-Charles supported Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud.

-The archbishop wanted priests to make church services more holy thus insisting they
do the following:

i) Wore the correct robes

ii) Follow the exact words of the prayer book.

iii) Move communion tables from the middle where they had stood since Elizabeth I’s
time and put them at the East end.

iv) They were also to put rails round them, call them alters and bow to them.

-The puritans suspected the King and Laud of wanting to restore the church.

-They believed Archbishop’s Laud’s changes were just one step on the way to turning
England Catholic again.

SCOTLAND: CHARLES BIG MISTAKE.

The king and parliament obviously could not quarrel when parliament was not sitting.
Charles could manage without parliament so long as he did fight a war.

-His mistake was to provoke a war with his own subjects in Scotland.

NOTE: Charles was the first monarch to inherit the three crowns of England,
Ireland and Scotland. He never visited Ireland and, unlike James IV and I, he did
not have a close feeling for the way people thought and felt in Scotland even
though he was born there.
-In 1637, Charles ordered the Scottish Presbyterian church to use the same prayer
book as the Church of England.

-Charles discussed this with the bishops but not the General Assembly of the Kirk. Due
to this riot broke out during church services in St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. The
congregation hurled wooden stools and sticks at the priests.

In 1683 a group of scots drew up the National Covenant, which was signed by thousands
of people know as Covenanters.

Covenant- an agreement or contract between two people.

Covenanters- people who agree to a covenant.

-The covenanters vowed to defend their Kirk (church) against the king and his bishops.

-They formed an army and marched into England and at this time Charles was faced
with the possibility of an expensive war which he had feared most.

-This is because he knew his army was too weak to defeat the covenanters and in May
1640, Charles was forced to call the parliament to ask for money to raise an army.

Below is The Arch-Prelate of St Andrews in Scotland reading the new service books
in his pontifical bus assaulted by men and women, with crickets, stools, sticks and
stones.

‘The birds are flown’

-On 4 January 1642, King Charles I accused five members of the House of commons
and one member of the House of Lords of High treason.

- He said they were trying to take away his rightful powers as king and he
ordered parliament to hand them over to him. Parliament did nothing.
- At about 3 o’clock the following afternoon, a messenger arrived at Westminster
to speak to John Pym, the leader of the 5 members in the House of
Commons.
- He said that the king himself was on his way from Whitehall palace with a party
of guards and will be arriving shortly to arrest the 5 members.
 - Pym immediately informed the commons and asked the speaker to allow him and
the other 4 to leave.
- Charles I arrived in Westminster. He was furious. He left his guards in the
lobby of the House of Commons with the door open so that the members could
see them, he went in and took off his hat as a mark of respect. The members
stood up taking off their hats too.
- The king looked at the place where Pym usually sat and, not seeing him there,
walked towards the speaker’s chair. ‘’ By your leave, Mr. Speaker,” he said, “I
must borrow your chair a little.”
- The speaker made way for him and Charles stood by the chair scanning the faces
of the silent members. He said to the speaker; ‘ I see all the birds are flown,
I expect you to send them to me as soon as they return .’
- The speaker refused to be bullied by the king. He reminded him that he was the
servant of the commons not of the crown by saying, “I have neither eyes to
see nor tongue to speak in these place, expect as the house is pleased to
direct me.”
- Charles was furious especially as parliament now knew he could not be trusted.
- He decided that the only way to maintain authority was to defeat parliament
and its supports in battle.
- He appealed for supporters to join him on 22nd August at Nottingham.
- In response parliament raised its own army. That marked the beginning of the
Civil war.

-These weapons were no near as effective as the weapons used today.

-They only caused confusion.

CIVIL WAR BEGINS

BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER

-Civil war broke out because the king and Parliament had become suspicious of each
other and could not work together.

-The matter had to be settled through fighting.

-The king’s strong supporters joined the Royalists (or ‘Cavaliers’). They included

i) Most of the House of Lords

ii) Members of the Anglican Church

iii) Major land owners

-The parliament’s side (the ‘Roundheads’) was supported by;

i) Members of Parliament

ii) Most merchants

iii) Manufacturers

iv)Puritans

-Even brothers ended up fighting against each other in battles.

-Lifelong friends found themselves on different sides.

-Ordinary people had little to do with the fight but ended up fighting for whichever
side their Local Lord supported.

Advantages of the King

i) He had money, many land owners and wealthy men were on his side.

ii) He was the rightful ruler, many people didn’t want to fight him.

- His aim was to capture London. He thought this would end the War with the
opposition.

-Most Parliamentarians’ dint want to fight their own King but simply wanted him to
agree to their demands.
THE FIGHTING

Warfare in the seventeenth Century was different from the kind of wars fought today.

-In the First World War (1916) at the Battle of Somme, 60,000 British soldiers died
on the first day.

-At the first Major civil war, Edge hill in October 1642, there were 28,000 soldiers in
total and only a few died.

-This is because the fighting was done hand to hand using swords known as spike,
spears known as pike, muskets and cannon.

CAUSES OF THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR.

 Charles I married Henrietta Maria, who was French and a catholic. The people of

England feared that she would bring Catholicism.

 Charles I believed in the Divine Right of Kings and this made him to fall out with

the parliament.

 In 1629, he dissolved the parliament and ruled alone for 11 years.

 Charles I supported Archbishop Laud‘s reforms.

 Charles I forced the scots to use the English Prayer book and this made them to

rebel.

 The parliament met in an angry mood when called to approve taxes. They

complained about the King’s behavior and this annoyed him.

 He introduced Ship money.

THE RESULTS OF THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR.

 The King was held a prisoner of the army.

 The House of Commons was purged of members of parliament who disagreed

with them by the army.

 Purge-Rid of people regarded as undesirable for whatever reason .

 King Charles agreed with the scots to invade England and fight for him.

In return he would set up an English Presbyterian church.

 However, the Royalists and the scots were defeated by the New Model

Army at Preston in 1648,during the ‘second civil war’

 The King was put on trial for destroying the liberties of the people,

causing all the misery and bloodshed in the civil war.

 The King was found guilty and executed.

CONCLUSION

 The civil war brought hardships and misery to the citizens of

England.

 Destruction of property was also evident and the people became

homeless

 The war led to many deaths, starvation as well as diseases.

Why was James I was referred to as James VI?

He was James VI of Scotland, King of Scotland later became James I of England &
Ireland in 1603, after the death of Queen Elizabeth. He was the sixth monarch named
‘James’ to have ruled Scotland but first ‘James’ in England.

Why did Tudor monarch call parliament infrequently?

Henry VII:

Henry VIII governed with strong royal authority, relying on his own powers instead of
parliament

Financed his government through royal estates and feudal dues, reducing the need for
extensive parliamentary taxation.
Henry VIII:

Henry VIII governed with strong royal authority, relying on his own powers and his
Privy Council instead of parliament

Called Parliament for specific purposes, such as passing acts related to the English
Reformation etc, but had a tendency to govern with limited reliance on Parliament

Mary I:

Mary I called Parliament infrequently, but only relied to support restoring Catholicism
in England.

Mary I faced little opposition to religious policies, reducing need to call parliament
frequently

Elizabeth I:

Elizabeth I governed with strong personal rule and relied on her Privy Council to make
decisions minimizing reliance on Parliament.

Called Parliament rarely while selectively addressing issues of national importance,

funding, and legislation

The tudor monarchs and parliament

-The Tudor period was the history of England between 1485-1603

The poor people and the women were not allowed to vote or become MPs.

-In the 16th Century, the parliament demanded to be given more powers and this led to
major dispute between the parliament and monarch.

Parliament today

Characteristics.

-Parliament today has an important role in running the country.

-The queen is the Head of State, but in reality the government is effectively run by
“her majesty government”

-The political party that has the most MPs forms the government.

-The MPs are elected representatives of House of Commons

-Government business and proposed laws are debated in the House of Commons and the
House of Lords.

-Parliament is composed of two houses;

a) House of Lords – people who have either been born into a title (such as Duke) or
given a title by the queen.

b) House of commons - members elected by the people to represent them.

-Election is carried out every five years

- Any person above 18 years are eligible to vote

-The leader of the winning party becomes the Prime minister and appoints other
ministers to important government jobs.

TUDOR PARLIAMENT.

Characteristics

-In Tudor times, the parliament did not meet regularly, but only for passing laws or
taxation.

-Parliament did not run the country. It was governed by the monarch and the council of
20-30 senior government members chosen by the monarch.

-The MPs job was not solely to represent the people but also safeguard the rights of
the wealthy.

-Elections were rare, since if two people wanted to be MP for the same place, one of
them usually stood down.

-Poor people weren’t allowed to vote in elections

-Women weren’t allowed to vote or stand as MPs.

HENRY VII and HENRY VIII PARLIAMENTS.

Henry VII called his parliament very rarely. This is because he introduce few new laws
and tried to avoid foreign wars.

-He didn’t have to call parliament to make laws or raise taxation.

In contrast, Henry VIII, passed many laws with the help of parliament

E.g. changes he was making in religion ’the break from Rome’

-E.g. His reformation parliament of 1529 –1536 met 78 weeks more than parliament met
in Henry VII’s reign!

-Parliament had criticize monarch’s actions and asserted its own rights during this
period.

Compare modern parliament and Tudor parliament

Modern Parliament:

 Parliament meets regularly and has scheduled sessions throughout the year.
 Parliament has authority to pass laws and make important decisions
 Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected by the people
 Elections are held every 5 years as scheduled
 The government is separate from the monarch, & the Prime Minister and Cabinet
hold executive power.
 Universal suffrage allows all eligible citizens above the age of 18 to vote in
general elections.
 Specialized committees debate legislation and government actions in detail.
E.g. Home affairs committee, Health and social care committee

Tudor Parliament:

 Parliament met infrequently and only whenever necessary.

 Parliament's role was advisory, and monarch held authority to make decisions
 MPs represented the interests of the wealthy
 Elections were infrequent and inconsistent
 Monarch and their privy council played governed the country.
 Voting rights were restricted to the wealthy men.
 Parliamentary committees were less developed with little focus on detailed
discussion.

Steps taken by Henry VIII took to formally break with Rome & pope
First country to use written constitution  United states of America

First country to use unwritten constitution  United Kingdom

Obsolete  means outdated

In images, Direct democracy shoes a group of people gathered in a town hall/

community meeting, actively engaging in discussions and voting on decisions

(direct participation of citizens)

Indirect democracy (representative democracy) – system where elected

representatives make decisions and govern on behalf of citizens.