The Stuarts dynasty

1. The StuartsTimeline: 1603-1714
James I (1603-1625)
When Queen Elizabeth died with
no direct heir, James VI of
Scotland, the great-grandson of
Margaret, the sister of Henry VIII,
became the new monarch as
James I. He was the first king to
rule both Scotland and England.
He believed in the divine right of kings.
The House of Commons, which represented the
middle class, together with the Parliament, didn’t
agree with this doctrine and replied that “the voice of
the people is the voice of God.
Divine right of kings
Together with the political issue (the conflict with
the Parliament), during his reign James I had to
face an important religious problem: the conflict
between Puritans and Catholics.
When James I came to the throne, he adopted a
moderate Protestant religious policy. Both
Catholics and Puritans couldn’t practice their
religions. Many extreme Puritans left England for
Holland or America where Puritanism was
accepted.
Puritans during James I’s reign
The Gunpowder Treason
“Remember, remember..
The 5th of November”
Guy Fawkes’ mask

2. Puritans
Towards the end of Elizabeth's
reign, an extreme branch of
the Protestant religion was
becoming more popular.
They called themselves Puritans.
The Puritans were anti-Catholic.
They thought that the English
Reformation hadn’t done
enough to reform the docrines
of the Church. They also
wanted to purify the Church by
eliminating every trace of Catholic influence. They wore simple and dark clothes, they didn’t
drink alcohol and banned lots of traditional amusements, like the theatre.
They mainly belonged to middle classes and they thought that poverty was a sin and therefore
they tried to improve their social status as a sign of God’s salvation.
Image source: www.apuritansmind.com

3. Robert Catesby was a catholic man who thought
Catholics had already done everything that
could have been done peacefully to stop the
intolerance between them and the Protestants.
That’s why, with Guido (Guy) Fawkes, he thought to blow up
the king on the State Opening of Parliament, on November 5th.
Guy Fawkes was an explosives expert. The group rented a cellar
beneath the Houses of Parliament and saved 20 barrels of
gunpowder, supplied by Guido Fawkes. One of the boys’
brother-in-law, Lord Monteagle, was a member of Parliament.
Concerned for his safety, they sent him a letter advising
him not to attend Parliament on November 5th.
Monteagle alerted the authorities and they found out the
cellar with the gunpowder and Guido Fawkes. He was tortured
and revealed the names of the conspirators.
“Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I see of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.”
The Gunpowder Treason
V for Vendetta, with Natalie Portman
directed by James McTeigue, 2006.
V for Vendetta deals with imaginary United Kingdom in
2020s, where political opponents, immigrants, muslims and
homosexuals are imprisoned in concentration camps. In this
corrupted time, a Guy Fawkes-masked man identifies himself
as “V”. He wants ‘vendetta’, revenge. He will blow up the
Parliament on November 5th, just like Guy Fawkes tried to
do in 1606. ‘V’ will burn out the same corrupted Parliament
who imprisoned him a year before in a concentration camp,
where he had been defaced with fire, so he can finally have
his revenge.

4. When James I died in 1625 the throne passed to his
son
Charles I (1625 – 1649)
During his reign, Charles I had to face several
economic, religious and political problems.
The most important economic problem was the
Crown’s lack of money.
As a result of it, king Charles I imposed, for example,
the payment of “ship money” on the country
counties. This was traditionally only paid by coastal
towns, and so the king’s proposal increased the
people’s discontent.
The main religious issues were the intolerance
between Puritans and Anglicans and the imposition
of the Anglican prayer-book on the Scots and on the
Irish.
In closing, England lacked a permanent army. The
Puritans, afraid that the king might use an army
against the Parliament instead of against the rebels,
demanded parliamentary control of the army.
Charles entred the House of Commons and tried to
arrest the leaders of the Puritans faction, but he
failed.
Charles I (1625-1649)
King Charles I, Antoon van Dyck.
Windsor Castle.

5. The result was the Civil War which began in 1642. The forces involved in the Civil War were
divided into Royalists and supporters of the Parliament (led by Oliver Cromwell). The Royalists,
also known as Cavaliers, had long hair. The Parlamentarians, alsa called ‘Roundheads’, instead,
used to cut their hair short, because they believed long hair were sinful. The Puritan general Oliver
Cromwell broke the Royalists resistance in 1645. Charles I was executed in 1649. Monarchy was
abolished and a republic with the name of Commonwealth was instituted in London.
The Civil War
In the few years of his rule, Oliver Cromwell restored the
lost prestige of England. Parliament consisted of only one
House, since the House of the Lords was abolished. He
guided the army composed by brave, Puritan soldiers, who
believed that God was fighting of their side. With them, in
1649, Cromwell stopped a rebellion in Ireland and submitted
Scotland. In 1653 he was appointed “Lord Protector of
England, Scotland and Ireland”, his success contrasted with
the sense of oppression in the everyday life by the rules of
the Puritans.
The Commonwealth‘s religious nature had a strong
influence on culture. All kinds of recreations were
suppressed .
On Oliver Cromwell’s death in 1658 the Commonwealth
collapsed and monarchy was restored on the conditions
imposed by Parliament.
Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth
Portrait of Oliver Cromwell, by
Robert Hutchinson
after a drawing attributed to Samuel
Cooper,
National Portrait Gallery, London.
Sources: Only connect, Zanichelli;
Performer and culture, Zanichelli
http://www.imdb.com/
http://www.historyonthenet.com/
Clara Solli III C

6. The result was the Civil War which began in 1642. The forces involved in the Civil War were
divided into Royalists and supporters of the Parliament (led by Oliver Cromwell). The Royalists,
also known as Cavaliers, had long hair. The Parlamentarians, alsa called ‘Roundheads’, instead,
used to cut their hair short, because they believed long hair were sinful. The Puritan general Oliver
Cromwell broke the Royalists resistance in 1645. Charles I was executed in 1649. Monarchy was
abolished and a republic with the name of Commonwealth was instituted in London.
The Civil War
In the few years of his rule, Oliver Cromwell restored the
lost prestige of England. Parliament consisted of only one
House, since the House of the Lords was abolished. He
guided the army composed by brave, Puritan soldiers, who
believed that God was fighting of their side. With them, in
1649, Cromwell stopped a rebellion in Ireland and submitted
Scotland. In 1653 he was appointed “Lord Protector of
England, Scotland and Ireland”, his success contrasted with
the sense of oppression in the everyday life by the rules of
the Puritans.
The Commonwealth‘s religious nature had a strong
influence on culture. All kinds of recreations were
suppressed .
On Oliver Cromwell’s death in 1658 the Commonwealth
collapsed and monarchy was restored on the conditions
imposed by Parliament.
Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth
Portrait of Oliver Cromwell, by
Robert Hutchinson
after a drawing attributed to Samuel
Cooper,
National Portrait Gallery, London.
Sources: Only connect, Zanichelli;
Performer and culture, Zanichelli
http://www.imdb.com/
http://www.historyonthenet.com/
Clara Solli III C