The period of New History opens with the English bourgeois revolution of the middle of the 17th century, which marked the victory of a new social system - capitalism - over the moribund his term by the feudal order. How did all this happen? Let's look at the main stages, causes and consequences of the English bourgeois revolution.
In 1625, 25-year-old King Charles I Stuart ascended the English throne. Karl was distinguished by his attractive appearance, graceful manners, and his manner was simple, but with dignity. Like his father James I, Charles believed that he was the anointed of God and, therefore, above all laws and was not obliged to obey them. As for the subjects, all of them, according to the king, were his property. From the very first days of his reign, Charles I did not pay any attention to parliament, but instead he endowed his flattering courtiers with great powers. Parliament criticized the king's ministers and demanded the resignation of the Duke of Buckingham, by whose grace England suffered failure after failure in its foreign policy. However, the king, defending the favorite, chose to dissolve parliament, which demanded a trial of him. But left without parliament, the king was thus left without money. He had no choice but to call Parliament again. However, members of the House of Commons continued to push for Buckingham's resignation. They accused the favorite of the king of extravagance, that he did not hesitate to spend public money on entertainment, building magnificent castles. Charles said that he would not allow his servants to be accounted for and would not remove Buckingham from his post. The deputies of parliament were very indignant at this decision of the king and sent a deputation to the palace. “I recognize your right to advise and not to condemn,” the king declared, and then added:“Remember that I am free to convene parliament and dissolve it whenever I want, and if I find its behavior objectionable to me, I will destroy it altogether!” P>
However, such threats from the king could not stop the flow of indignant speeches from members of parliament. The king decided to dissolve the obstinate parliament, but, in need of money, he was forced to resort to a forced loan. The subjects refused to pay the money without the consent of the parliament, and the king again had to make concessions and convene parliament in 1628. The deputies demanded that the king accept the "Petition of Rights", which forbade the collection of fees without the consent of Parliament. At this point, the king's patience came to an end, and he ordered the objectionable parliament to be dissolved again. For 11 years, Charles ruled alone, trying to get money for himself by any means, bypassing parliament. Charles decided to restore the old tax - "ship money", which was previously paid by the population of coastal cities to equip ships, and extended this duty to the entire population of England. The people grumbled, but could not do anything against the royal officials who robbed him.
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The tall workers also suffered from all kinds of persecution. A reign of terror reigned in the country. The courts for political and ecclesiastical affairs - the Star Chamber and the High Commission - worked properly, bringing to a cruel court anyone who refused to pay "ship money", opposed a forced royal loan, who read forbidden (puritan) books, did not attend the parish church, dared to criticize the actions of the king or bishop. So, for writing and publishing Puritan pamphlets, several people were put up at the “shameful” pillar, they were publicly flogged, branded with a red-hot iron, then, having cut off their ears, they were thrown into prison. Fearing persecution, many Puritans were forced to flee the country. All this affected the economic situation of the country, sharply worsening it. The emigration to America of several tens of thousands of merchants and industrialists - Puritans - caused a reduction in production and mass unemployment. Exhausted by hunger, poverty, repression, ordinary workers - artisans, peasants, farm laborers, apprentices rose up against their masters. The revolutionary situation was growing in the country.
The king had no choice but to reconvene the parliament, which was called the "Long Parliament" because it sat for 13 years , from 1640 to 1653. He canceled all illegal decrees of the king, abolished the "ship tax", dissolved the Star Chamber, expelled bishops from the House of Lords, and also adopted the Triennial Bill, which obliged the king to convene parliament every three years. In addition, the deputies demanded the trial of Charles' new favorite, Minister Strafford, who was sentenced to death. The king had to put up with all this. Parliament insisted that the king recognize his right to appoint and dismiss ministers, as well as control all the actions of the king.
"If I agreed to this, I would only be a ghost, an empty shadow of the king," Carl replied angrily . The fight between the parliament and the king turned into an open duel. There was a split in parliament into "cavaliers" and "roundheads". The "cavaliers" - mostly nobles - supported the king in all disputes, and the "round-headed" (they did not wear long hair, cut their hair short), defending the interests of the bourgeoisie, defended the side of parliament.
The King and his followers left London for the city of York. Supporters of Parliament took an oath:"To destroy papism (Catholicism), bishops, to defend the rights and benefits of Parliament and the people." Oliver Cromwell was at the head of the Roundheads.
Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658) came from a poor noble family. He was brought up in a strict Puritan spirit. While his peers played in the street, Oliver, accompanied by his parents, went to church, and then sat for long hours at the table, listening to endless readings of the prayer book. Theology was the main subject that Oliver had to master first at school and then at Cambridge University. However
while studying at the university, Cromwell did not bother much with the sciences. He preferred to play sports:swimming, horseback riding, fencing and archery.
Stay at the university was interrupted after a year due to the death of his father. However, Oliver soon continued his education:he went to study law in London. Nine years later he became a Member of Parliament.
«... One morning I walked into the room... and saw a gentleman talking that I didn't know. He was very modestly dressed in a simple cloth suit, apparently made by a poor country tailor, his linen was of plain linen and not very clean, his face was puffy and red, his voice was sharp and unpleasant, but his speech was full of ardor. ... "This is how Oliver Cromwell saw in the autumn of 1640 the courtier of Charles I, Sir Philip Warwick.
Cromwell's appearance and commanding demeanor made an impression on those around him. In the very first clashes with the royalist army, he proved himself to be a skilled commander. He recruited commoners into his army and did not hesitate to appoint them to military posts. His regiment, made up of pious people, enjoyed special fame. Drunkenness, blasphemy were forbidden in the regiment, and swearing was punished with a fine. Cromwell was proud of his soldiers. "These soldiers are good guys!" he said.
The soldiers also idolized Cromwell and were ready to follow him through fire and water. This army defeated the royal army. Charles I fled to Scotland, but was soon captured by Parliamentarians. He managed to escape to the Isle of Wight to gather new forces to fight Parliament. This step of the king outraged the "roundheads". Cromwell's army took an oath:"If God grants us victory, we swear to call Charles Stewart, this bloodthirsty man, to justice and hold him accountable for the blood he shed and the evil he brought to his people." The king was arrested and taken to court. Five days his case was heard in court. Finally, the verdict was pronounced:"Karl Stuart as a tyrant, murderer and open enemy of the English state must be put to death." On January 30, 1649, with a huge gathering of people, the executioner cut off the head of the monarch.
The execution of Charles I marked the end of absolute monarchy in England. A republic was established in the country, headed by the Lord Protector (patron) Oliver Cromwell. For almost ten years he ruled England. Cromwell relied on the army, completely disregarding Parliament. Three times he simply dispersed it, in the end, completely seizing power in his own hands. The country began to unrest and murmur. In 1658 Cromwell died, appointing his eldest son Richard as his successor. But he was a weak, indecisive person and could not manage the country at that troubled time.
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