Zgryźliwość kojarzy mi się z radością, która źle skończyła.
In 1660 the monarch was asked to return – Charles II restored the monarchy. He was called ‘Merry Monarch’ because he restored the world of pleasure and entertainment.
Oliver Cromwell’s body was dig up, his head was cut off, put on a stake (pal) and exhibited.
It was clear that the return to absolute power of the king was impossible.
1660 – Declaration of Breda:
- Charles II promised to rule with the parliament -> it was clear for him that he may be executed if he failed to do so
- he offered a free and general pardon to those who acted against the Crown during the Civil War
Charles II didn’t leave a legitimate child. His successor was his brother James. However, James was brought up in France and was a Catholic.
The Parliament didn’t want a Catholic king and Charles II didn’t want the Parliament to decide over the succession. Britain was on the verge of a civil war again. Finally the Parliament agreed to accept James as a king as long as he would be a secret catholic (would promise that he would keep his belief to himself).
1685 – the death of Charles II
James II became the king, but he was not going to be a secret catholic. The Parliament was worried, but both his daughters: Mary, married to William of Orange (Wilhelm Orański), and Anne, were protestants, so after the king’s death another ruler would be protestant.
1688 – James Edward Stuart was born and baptized in the Roman Catholic rite.
The Parliament send a letter to William of Orange asking him to invade England , and he agreed.
1688 – the Glorious Revolution – Mary and William of Orange took over the power without spilling blood.
1689 – the Bill of Rights – a sort of a contract the king was forced to sign. It was a list of all the obligations of the king and the queen. If they failed to fulfill them, they would be dismissed.
The parliament dominated the royalty:
- raising taxes without the Parliament’s permission was made illegal
- raising an army during the time of peace without the Parliament’s permission was made illegal -> in order to prevent civil wars
- freedom of speech in the Parliament was guaranteed
- a catholic cannot become the king or queen of England
1701 – the Act of Succession – a document stating that in case Mary and Anne died childless, the throne should go to their Protestant relative -> Sophia, the Electress of Hanover (a protestant and granddaughter of James I), or any of her protestant descendants.
1714 – Queen Anne died. She was pregnant 18 times, gave birth to 5 children, all of whom died before her.
1714 – George I takes the throne – the beginning of the Hanoverian dynasty
The Hanoverians were German. George I didn’t really care about England, refused to speak English and spent most of the time in Hanover.
Due to this the Council surrounding the king changed into an independent Cabinet of ministers. As the king was always absent, they needed somebody to lead the Cabinet – the function of the Prime Minister was created.
Jacobites (lat. Jacobus – James) were the Catholics who wanted to restore the Stuart dynasty.
1715 – first Jacobite Rising
1745 – second Jacobite Rising
Both risings aimed to put James Edward Stuart (married to Maria Klementyna Sobieska, granddaughter of the Polish king John III Sobieski) on the throne, and both failed.
18th century – relative peace and stability:
- the age of reason
- foundation of modern England (some institutions were formed)
- the rise of the commercial class, the novel appears
- Industrial Revolution
- overseas expansion – England became the leader of a slavery trade
Triangular Trade:
From Europe to Africa –> goods such as guns or alcohol
From Africa to America –> slaves
From America to Europe –> goods such as cotton, sugar, rum, tobacco or coffee
SCOTLAND AFTER 1660
William of Orange had to take power in Scotland and Ireland:
* a rebellion in Scotland
* a deadline of 1st January 1692 to pledge an oath of allegiance to the monarch
* the Clan MacDonald missed the deadline
1693 – the Glencoe Massacre: all the people of MacDonald were killed
The Scots needed to restore their national confidence after the massacre.
Darien Scheme (or Darien Disaster) – the Scots decided to invest in creating a Scottish colony in the Isthmus (Przesmyk) of Panama. The idea was given by William Paterson, one of the founders of the Bank of England in Scotland.
They wanted to control the area where ships from England to Asia sailed; if they had managed, they would have monopolized the trade in that area. They were told that the climate in Panama was mild and the people friendly.
1698 – the first ship sailed from Scotland to Panama.
It turned out that the new land didn’t have anything to do with the paradise. People were dying, and as William II of England stated it illegal for the colonies to help the Scots, they had to deal with all these problems on their own.
They failed to do so, and the Scheme also turned out to be a complete disaster.
1707 – the Act of Union with Scotland, the end of Scottish independence.
England took off Scottish debts and the Scottish parliament disappeared.