Prior to the Glorious Revolution, Parliament and the monarchy were able to coexist trying to rule their country. However, shortly after James I became king, Parliament started to notice some of James obnoxious ways which would soon lead to conflict between the two. Parliament also had to deal with Oliver Cromwell who controlled the army, who controlled the government. Parliament had to deal with multiple discrepancies before receiving its divine right from William of Orange.From the non stop switch of the crown, to the new laws for catholics, England faced a lot of changes that were both positive and negative with the absence of bloodshed. Feuding religions and secret bargains were all post Glorious Revolution making the time unforgettable and a mark in English history. James I believed that a monarch has a divine right to his authority and is only responsible to God.
He even lectured the House of Commons, and that led to common tension between the two. The relationship between the House of Commons and James were also affected by religious issues. James believed that bishops were among chief supporters and opposed English civilians when they wanted to purify the Anglican Church. James also begins to ignore Parliament by trying to control the government without any of Parliament consent because he believed in divine right.
After the war, and James assassination, his son, Charles, is now in charge but things do not take a turn for the better but for worse. Charles married a Catholic and that was very unsettling for England civilians due to the fact that most if not all were Protestant, and shortly after, Charles tried to bring in a new hymn book. Oliver Cromwell didn’t make Parliament have peace of mind at all either, as he was instructing his army to build a constitution and invest in the executive power in a “lord protector” which in this case was Oliver Cromwell. Oliver dismissed Parliament in and Cromwell continued the standing army and announced quasi-martial law.
Cromwell divided England into twelve military districts and Cromwell’s state forbade sports, shut down all theatres and censored the press. Cromwell adopted mercantilist policies and enforced the Navigation Act that required English goods to be imported and exported by English ships. After the death of Charles I things began to fall back into place when his oldest son Charles ll was new to the throne. Both houses of Parliament was restored and later established the Anglican church.
Parliament issued the Test Act opposing people who were outside the Church of England, voiding their right to vote, teach, preach, or attend universities. Sadly the partnership between Parliament and Charles II did not last due to Parliament declining Charles an adequate income. Charles secretly made an agreement with Louis XIV that he, Charles, would receive 200,000 dollars every year and to return the favor Charles will be lenient towards the laws against Catholics. Between the years of 1688 and 1689 the English believed replacing one king with another without any battle should be called the Glorious Revolution. The revolution in England characterized the destruction of the idea of divine right.
Laws is now mandatorily made in Parliament and once every three years Parliament was called. The Glorious Revolution brought many new laws and reforms, for example, no catholic could ever inherit the throne. The Glorious Revolution maintained that a government that defends natural rights becomes a tyranny.
England’s chaotic experiences with republicanism under Oliver Cromwell persuaded people the advantages of a monarchy.
