-
Jun 28, 1491
Henry VIII Takes Power
Henry VIII placed himself in complete control of England. He made himself the head and creator of the Anglican Church and placed himself above the Catholic Church. This was the Act of Supremacy. He was an absolute monarch and he refused to share the power with anyone else because he believed in Divine Right. He also made all of England adopt a new religion which many didn't want. -
Nov 17, 1558
Queen Elizabeth Takes Power
Queen Elizabeth was a religiously tolerant ruler. She was Protestant which is what played a role in her way of rule. She was able to accept slight change and differences in her country and didn't feel the need to dictate everything. She did use Parliament but only when she needed financial aid. She can be considered an absolute monarch but a more tolerant absolute monarch. -
Jul 24, 1567
James VI and I
James VI was the king of Scotland from 1567 and of England, (where he was known as James I) from 1603 to his death in 1627. He attempted to be an absolute monarch. What this means is that he only called Parliament into session when he felt necessary or when he needed money and he constantly tried to oppress Puritans by encouraging the Anglican church and religious hierarchy. The people wanted the religious freedoms that Elizabeth had granted them. Later on, James VI called for funds for war. -
Charles I
Charles I was the son of James VI. He wanted to finance the war his father began with Spain. To do this, he needed funds from Parliament; since they refused to fund it, he decided to raise taxes and take costly measures. He unfairly taxed the people and Parliament couldn't do anything because they were only occasionally called into session. -
Petition of Right
During the English-Spanish war, when Parliament had one of their rare meetings, they agreed to grant Charles I money if he agreed to and signed the Petition of Right. This stated that Charles could not tax the people unfairly unless Parliament had given its consent. This limited Charles' power. He agreed to it but dissolved Parliament until 1640. -
James II of England Comes to Power
James II was the younger brother of Charles II. He wanted the Test Act which was put in place by Parliament. He completely ignored Protestants and appointed Catholics to high positions in society. He dissolved Parliament and ignored them completely when they wanted to discuss important issues. He refused to listen to anyone else and believed that he was in complete control of England. -
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution was the invasion of England by James II's daughter, Mary. When James II's wife gave birth to a boy, England realized that this meant a Catholic male heir. Parliament urged Mary and William of Orange to invade. They were able to take power without killing anyone, which is why this is also called the Bloodless Revolution. James fled and Mary and her husband took power and Parliament was reinstated. This was the official beginning of the limited monarchy.
