Download THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM IN THE 17TH CENTURY

THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM IN THE 17TH CENTURY – the Stuarts
Conflict between Crown and Parliament
Religious disagreement
Civil War
Republican and Restoration Britain
The Glorious Revolution and its consequences
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The Jacobean Age – James I (1603-1625)
Charles I (1625-1649), Civil War
Interregnum/the Commonwealth and the Protectorate/ the Republic (Oliver Cromwell)
Charles II (1660-1685) – Restoration
James II (1685-1688), the Glorious Revolution
William III (William of Orange) (1688-1702) and Mary II (1688-1694)
Queen Anne (1702-1714) – the last Stuart monarch
1. James I (1603-1625)
In many ways he was a successful king, despite some defects of character and judgement. He
was an intellectual, writing theoretical works on the government and witchcraft. He was the
patron of the arts, eg. supported the King’s Men, Shakespeare’s company.
He loved lecturing others, and was often tactless. Corruption at the court (eg. sold official
positions, scandals). He was often regarded as a frivolous character.
He wanted to unify England and Scotland into one kingdom by having one Parliament and
one legal system, even one church, but the English Parliament rejected this idea.
James I invented a flag for the unified country called the Union Jack.(The first version of the
Union Jack was the combination of St George’s Cross and St Andrew’s Cross.)
James I believed in the divine right of kings → conflicts with Parliament. He was convinced
that he was answerable to God.
Had conflicts with the Catholics, who organized several plots against him. Fear: Catholicism
would be eradicated. → the Gunpowder Plot – aim: to blow up the Houses of Parliament
while James I was to open Parliament. The leader of the plot was Robert Catesby, but the man
who put the gunpowder into the cellar was Guy Fawkes, a former soldier. – 5 November,
1605. This plot failed. Shock. Catholics became more unpopular. → laws against Catholics.
(eg. they could not become doctors, lawyers, judges, etc.
 a holiday in Britain: 5 November – Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night (fireworks
and/or bonfire, the effigy of Guy Fawkes is burnt)
James I had conflicts with the Puritans, too. The Puritans tried to persuade him to end the
oppression of their beliefs, to make changes to the prayer book and to introduce the
Presbyterian system in the Church of England. James refused to do this. In fact, he was in
favour of bishops and the hierarchy in the Church of England. (’No bishop, no king.’) He
started to introduce bishops even in the Kirk.
He issued the King James Bible (the Authorised Version) in 1611. It became the universally
preferred version in Protestant services and homes. It is a remarkable piece of scholarship,
and remains one of the masterpieces of English literature.
The Church of England became more conservative due to the influence of Bishop of William
Laud. The Church of England became the leading supporter of the king and the idea of royal
autocracy.
He had conflicts with Parliament:
1. Financial problems: low income, tried to introduce taxes, but Parliament protested, so it
was dissolved  illegal taxes, selling official positions, etc.
2. Foreign policy: Tried to avoid war and please the Spanish, while Parliament wanted to go
to war. James I hoped that his son Charles would marry a Spanish princess (dowry).
In 1618 the Thirty Years War broke out. (James I’s son-in-law, Frederick, the Elector
Palatine of the Rhine in Germany was offered the crown of Protestant Bohemia, but in 1620
was defeated in the Battle of the White Mountain. The Spanish invaded the Palatinate.
Frederick and James I’s daughter Elizabeth found themselves without a home.) The Commons
wanted to go to war against Spain, and demanded a Protestant marriage for Charles. James I,
however, continued negotiating with Spain. Fear: Catholicism would become the official
religion.
It became obvious that the Spanish would not support the English in the war against the
Habsburgs. → Charles was to go to war to help his sister and his brother-in-law. The
Commons supported him with supplies. An alliance with France was formed, and Charles was
engaged to Henrietta Maria, the French king’s sister. The expedition of 1624 to help Frederick
was unsuccessful.
3. Inappropriate favourites: eg. the Duke of Buckingham
4. Interference in legal cases, eg. the lord chancellor was found guilty, was imprisoned, yet
released by James I; earlier he had the Lord Chief Justice imprisoned; had Sir Walter Raleigh
executed for trumped-up charges.
Colonisation in Ireland continued under James I – the Irish earls’ lands were divided among
Scottish Presbyterian and English settlers in Ulster Plantation. They were given the fertile
eastern parts. The new settlers were bitterly resented by the old Irish families and the AngloIrish.
The East India Company was flourishing. It acquired Madras and was setting up trading posts
(factories) in southern India.
Jamestown in Virginia was established in 1607.
A group of Separatists began the settlement of New England – Plymouth Plantation, 1620.
Later, during Charles I’s reign Massachusetts (1629, John Winthrop) Connecticut and Rhode
Island were established. Maryland (1632) was named in honour of Charles I’s wife Queen
Henrietta Maria. The southern colonies soon depended on importing African slaves to work
their large tobacco and cotton plantations.
1609- the settlement of the Bermudas started. Many islands of the Caribbean were populated
by English settlers. Triangular trade.
2. Charles I (1625-1649)
Believed in the divine right of kings. Inaccessible to his subjects. Obstinate, unwilling to
make a compromise.
Was a patron of arts, too – commissioned Rubens to paint the ceiling of Banqueting Hall at
Whitehall. Charles collected works of art by Raphael, Leonardo, etc. He was the patron of the
architect Inigo Jones, who built the Queen’s House at Greenwich and many other beautiful
classical buildings. Inigo Jones introduced the Palladian style of architecture into England. He
also designed many masques for Henrietta Maria. The court painter was Anthony Van Dyck.
Conflicts with Parliament:
Charles was refused funding for his expedition against the Catholic League.
Charles was given the customs duties only for a year (instead of life, as was usual at the
beginning of a new reign). MPs demanded that the Duke of Buckingham be dismissed.
Charles dissolved Parliament, but had to recall it again, as he was at war with France, too. The
new Parliament demanded that Buckingham be impeached, but Charles refused to do it. He
dissolved Parliament. He even imprisoned Sir John Eliot, the leader of the House of
Commons.
Charles I wanted to help the Huguenots in France (La Rochelle), but he had no money for it.
He used forced loans, imposed on those liable to pay tax. Hundreds of people went to prison
rather than submit.
1628 – Charles had to call Parliament again. Some MPs (Edward Coke, John Eliot, John Pym)
presented him with the Petition of Right. A very important constitutional document which
informed Charles what the law was regarding ’the rights and liberties of the subject’, and
demanded that the king stop his illegal activities. If the king did not give his assent to the
Petition, the House of Commons would impeach Buckingham. → royal assent, so Charles
was given funds for his war. The Petition of Right included some of the following points:
- no taxation without Parliament’s consent
- no forced loans
- no arbitrary arrests and imprisonment
etc.
1629 – the House of Commons attacked the king’s religious advisers, especially William
Laud, who started to introduce Catholic practices in the Church of England. (Laud did not
want to reintroduce Catholicism, but he disliked Puritans, and supported the king.) Besides,
the Queen was Catholic.
Charles dissolved Parliament, and ruled without it until 1640.
Made peace with France and Spain.
His chief advisers were Bishop William Laud (Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633) and Sir
Thomas Wentworth. Charles ruled through prerogative courts (eg. the Court of Star
Chamber, the Court of High Commission, etc.), where the conventions of common law were
not observed.
Laud was determined to wipe out Puritanism. Clergymen were tested about their beliefs and
their use of ritual. If they failed, they were imprisoned and punished cruelly (eg. tortured). →
30, 000 Puritans emigrated to America (Massachusetts Bay Colony)
Sir Thomas Wentworth was sent to Ireland to bring order to the country and to enforce Laud’s
reforms.
Charles I found new ways of imposing taxes. He imposed fines, took away land illegally, and
in 1634 he revived ship money. This ancient tax was levied on maritime towns and ports to
build more ships in time of danger. This tax was raised only during wartime, but the seaport
towns paid it without protest anyway. In 1635 Charles extended ship money to inland
districts, too.
In 1637 Charles was at the height of his power. He put an end to corruption, was able to
balance his budget and made administration more efficient. Charles saw no reason why he
should explain his policy or method of government to anyone.
In 1637 Charles and Laud decided to introduce a new prayer book in Scotland. (Bishops had
been introduced in Scotland by James I, but Charles continued his practice without consulting
the Scottish.) This led to civil disorder in Scotland. The Scottish who were determined to
defend their faith signed a document called the National Covenant. In 1638 Charles faced a
rebel Scottish army. He had no army, but he made an attempt to defeat the Scottish. He failed
and was foced to sign a treaty at the end of the First Bishops’ War. (1639) (the Peace of
Berwick)
In April, 1640, Charles recalled Parliament due to a threat of invasion by Scotland. After
three weeks, Charles dismissed Parliament (’Short Parliament’), as it failed to give him
support against the Scottish.
He started the Second Bishops’ War (1640), but he failed. He was forced to sign a treaty (he
had to pay the Scottish and guarantee some political and religious rights). (the Peace of
Ripon)
In November, 1640 Charles summoned Parliament again. ’Long Parliament’. Parliament
impeached William Laud and Thomas Wentworth, and they were imprisoned. (Wenthworth
was charged with treason – a trumped-up charge – and in 1641 was executed. Charles I did
not save his friend. Guilt.) Parliament withdrew all the illegal taxes and duties that the king
introduced, and abolished the prerogative courts. Parliament also passed a law which said
Parliament had to meet at least every three years.
In November, 1641 a rebellion broke out in Ireland. 3, 000 Protestant settlers were killed,
mostly in Ulster. Parliament did not trust the king, and did not want him to be in charge of the
army. The king was accused of a ’malignant design to subvert the fundamental laws and
principles of government.’ Parliament planned to impeach the Queen for inciting the Irish
rebellion and conspiring against the people.’ In January, 1642 Charles was going to arrest five
radical MPs (including John Pym) in Parliament, but they had been warned and escaped to the
City of London.  tradition: since 1642, the monarch has not been allowed to enter the
House of Commons.
The country drifted into Civil War.
The first Civil War – 1642-1646 – was fought between the Royalists (Cavaliers) and the
radical Parliamentarians, the Roundheads (half of Parliament, the followers of John Pym).
The Royalists controlled most of the North (except for Hull), the West (except for Gloucester)
and the Southwest (except for some ports), while the Parliamentarians were supported by
most of the Southeast including London) and the East. The Parliamentarians controlled most
of the ports, and were supported by the navy, too.
Initially skirmishes rather than huge battles. The aim of the Royalists was to capture London,
but they failed. By 1643 Pym managed to persuade the Scots to support the Parliamentarians.
20, 000 Scots joined the Roundheads.
Major Parliamentarian victories: 2 July, 1644 – Marston Moor due to the Eastern
Association Army led by Sir Thomas Fairfax. Originally the Model Army was not dominated
by radical officers.
As a result of their defeat at Marston Moor, the Royalists lost control of the North. (They
remained stationed in the Midlands, where they hoped to be joined by some Highlanders of
Scotland who supported the king.)
By February, 1645 the Parliamentary forces were called the New Model Army, and were led
by Oliver Cromwell. The members of this army were intensely religious.
Parliamentarian victory: 14 June, 1645 – Naseby. The New Model Army was well- supplied
and was paid, unlike the Royalists.
Yet, Parliament imposed heavy taxes on the people, lands were often confiscated, etc.Bad
weather, poor crops – high food prices, recession.
Further Parliamentarian victories in 1646. In May, 1646 Charles I surrendered to the Scottish
(at Newark), was taken to Newcastle. In June, 1646, Oxford was taken by the
Parliamentarians, too. In January, 1647, the king was handed over to Parliament by the
Scottish.
Division among the Parliamentarians: the Presbyterians negotiated with the king and with
the Scots. (The king refused to consider some of their requests.)
The Independents, led by Oliver Cromwell, wanted to get rid of the king. In the spring of
1647, the Presbyterians in Parliament tried to disband theModel Army, but as they were not
paid, they refused to disband.
A second Civil War in 1648.
The Royalist risings (in Kent, Essex, South Wales, etc.) were easily put down.
1648 – Pride’s Purge - 143 Presbyterian MPs were removed from the House of Commons
by Colonel Thomas Pride – the remaining members were Independents – the ’Rump’
Parliament. They insisted that the king be brought to trial. 20 January, 1649 – charge : the
king had made war on his people, had raised troops against Parliament and had been ’a tyrant,
traitor, murderer and a public enemy to the good people of this nation’. Charles was
sentenced to death. (The death warrant was signed by 59 of the 135 commissioners.)
Charles showed remarkable dignity. He was executed outside Banqueting House at Whitehall
on 30 January, 1649. Was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
3. The Commonwealth and Protectorate (1649-1653, 1653-1658)
The monarchy, the House of Lords and the Church of England were abolished.
The army remained the most powerful force in the country. Oliver Cromwell’s Parliament
consisted of a few chosen supporters. (MPs in the Rump Parliament selected 41 people to
form a Council of State.)
Within the army, the Levellers were not content with the political settlement. Cromwell
arrested the leaders of the Levellers.
Cromwell disliked the Irish Catholics and, on the pretence of punishment for the massacre of
the English Protestants in 1641, he lay siege to the towns of Drogheda and Wexford, and
killed most of their inhabitants. (September- Ocober, 1649)
He also beat the Scots (1650, the Battle of Dunbar), and the joint Scottish and English
Royalist army (1651- the Battle of Worcester). The Scottish had already crowned Charles II
as king of Scotland. (at Scone) Scotland was also made a Commonwealth by Cromwell. The
Scottish Parliament was abolished, as well as the General Assembly.
Cromwell experimented with a variety of parliments. The principle he applied was that
England should be ruled by a community of the righteous. Conflicts.
1653 - disagreements between the army and Parliament – the dissolution of Parliament, the
beginning of the Protectorate.
England was divided into 11 districts, each run by major-generals.
Fines were imposed for swearing, for sporting activities, for gambling and drunkenness.
People were not allowed to celebrate Christmas and Easter in the traditional way. The
Puritans had already closed down all the theatres, but now pubs and inns were closed down if
the major-general thought there were too many of these in one district. – the restriction of
personal liberty.
In 1656 Cromwell invited the Jews to return to England. (wealth, culture, continental
contacts)
Cromwell advanced English interests abroad.
a. Made treaties with Sweden and Denmark (trade)
b. Allied England to France (against Spain). Spain was defeated by France with English
support. – Jamaica became a colony of England.
c.Earlier: War with the Dutch (1652-1654). In 1651 Cromwell proposed that the Dutch
Republic join the Commonwealth and the Dutch would assist the English in conquering most
of Spanish America. The Dutch did not accept the offer.
The Navigation Act of 1651 said that English trade should be carried by English vessels. The
Act banned foreign ships from transporting goods from outside Europe to England or its
colonies and banned third party countries’ ships from transporting goods from a country
elsewhere in Europe to England. These rules specifically targeted the Dutch who controlled a
large section of Europe’s international trade and much of England’s coastal shipping. Despite
the English naval victories in 1653 and the Treaty of Westminster, the Navigation Act of 1651
had very little influence on actual Dutch trade practices.
Later, the Navigation Act of 1660 and the Staple Act of 1663 (passed under the reign of
Charles II) required all European goods bound for America or other colonies to be shipped
through England or Wales first. In England, the goods would be unloaded, paid duties and
reloaded. The trade had to be carried in English vessels. Imports of ’enumerated
commodities’, such as sugar, rice and tobacco, had to be landed and pay tax before going on
to other countries. This increased the cost to the colonies and increased the shipping time.
In 1657 the House of Commons asked Cromwell to become king, but he refused.
(This would have limited his power, as he would have been bound with precedents
and with the rule of law.) Cromwell refused to base his authority on consent, he disregarded
civil liberties. (Imprisoned men without trial, taxed people by decree.)
Oliver Cromwell died in 1658. His son, Richard followed him as Lord Protector, but was
unsuitable, and he resigned. Disagreements between the army and Parliament. General
Monck and part of the army decided to summon a free Parliament, which invited Prince
Charles Stuart to return as king. On 26 May, 1660 Charles arrived in London.
4. The Restoration : Charles II (1660-1685)
Was known as ’the Merry Monarch’ because of his love of parties, music and the theatre. His
wife was the Portuguese Catherine of Braganza, who brought him a huge dowry. Yet, Charles
II was extravagant with money, so he had financial difficulties. He loved games and festivals.
Made yachting a national sport, and also made horse racing at Newmarket a fashionable
activity.
He supported science. In 1662 the Royal Society was given a charter by the king. He
established the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.
(During Charles I’s reign, William Harvey demonstrated the circulation of blood.)
Robert Boyle discovered the properties of gases and invented the air-pump.
Isaac Newton, a professor of mathematics, carried out experiments with gravity.
His friend, Edmund Halley, who is mostly remembered for tracking a comet (Halley’s Comet,
1682), supported Newton.
Christopher Wren, a professor of astronomy, was the greatest architect of this period. (Rebuilt
many churches in London after 1666, eg. St Paul’s Cathedral, and the Sheldonian Theatre in
Oxford, etc.
He built his government on a broad base. (not only Royalists, but old Parliamentarian
moderates, Cromwellian loyalists, etc.)
By the mid-1660s: conflicts with Parliament:
a. the unsuccessful Second Dutch War (1665-1667)
Rivalry between the English and the Dutch in North America.
Earlier the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam was given to the English, who were commanded
by the Duke of York (the future James II) – renamed New York in his honour.
b. scandalous royal mistresses (eg. Nell Gwynne)
c. the corruption and the extravagance of the court
The Great Plague killed 70,000-100, 000 people in 1665.
The Great Fire of London (1666) destroyed half of London, including 89 parish churches
and St Paul’s Cathedral. It started in a baker’s shop in Pudding Lane, but the Great Fire was
assumed to be the work of Catholics.
Hoped to make peace among the different religious groups. He sought to restore
the Church of England, but with reforms that would make it acceptable to the majority of
moderate Puritans. He also wanted to grant freedom of religious assembly to those who would
not accept even the ’new’ Church of England.The Anglicans in Parliament and extreme
Puritans prevented this reform.
→ Finally, Charles assented to the Act of Uniformity, which restored the old Church of
England. (strict oaths and tests were imposed on the clergy) Previously, Independents,
Baptists, Presbyterians, Quakers and Unitarians, etc. had regarded themselves as members of
the Church of England, but they could not do this any longer. They were called Dissenters or
Nonconformists, and they were unable to participate in public life. → banking,
manufacturing, etc. They became a force for reform and social change.
Charles began to promote the cause of religious toleration for all Non- Anglicans.
Charles II disliked bigotry. He gave permission to the Quakers under the leadership of
William Penn to set up Pennsylvania as a proprietary colony.
Charles II was drawn to Roman Catholicism. His mother, wife, brother, favourite sister, etc.
were all Catholics. His admiration of his cousin, Louis XIV of France, caused growing alarm
in England. A Parliamentarian opposition to Charles II was created. They identified
Catholicism with tyranny and absolutism. They were worried that England was the tool of
France. In 1672 Charles II issued the Declaration of Indulgence. Without Parliament’s
approval he suspended all penal laws against Roman Catholics and Dissenters. He was forced
to withdraw this.
The Test Act of 1673 was passed by Parliament, which prevented any Catholic from
holding public office.
A two-party system developed. These were loose political organizations only.
1. the Whigs (Whiggamores) were determined to limit the king’s power, rejected absolute rule
and Catholicism, supporting Parliamentarian values.
2. the Tories (’thieves’) upheld the authority of the Crown and the Church of England.
The Third Dutch War (1672-1674) ended with English failure, so Charles II was forced to
make peace.
Further conflicts between Charles II and Parliament: eg. over the succession. (Charles II had
no legitimate children, and Parliament wanted to force Charles to exclude his brother James,
the Duke of York from succession.) Charles II dissolved Parliament.
5. James II (1685-1688)
He succeeded despite the efforts of Parliament and despite the Test Act.
The Duke of Monmouth, one of Charles II’s illegitimate children mounted an uprising against
James II, but it was crushed.→ a series of treason trials: at least 300 people were sentenced to
death and 800 were forcibly sold into slavery (in the West Indies) James II had created a
standing army loyal only to him.
Tried to bring back the Catholic Church and allow it to exist beside the Anglican Church.
The Tories, who were mostly Anglicans, were outraged.
In 1687 he suspended all laws against Catholics and Dissenters. Filled many posts with
Catholics. (ministers, university professors, etc.)Tried to get rid of the gentry that opposed
him, eg. JPs.
Both of his daughters were Protestants, but in 1688 his son, James, was born.
(His second wife was the Catholic Mary of Modena.) → Parliament (both the Tories and the
Whigs) invited William of Orange, the husband of Mary to occupy the throne – the Glorious
Revolution. (William was invited to save England from tyranny and Roman Catholicism.)
James II was allowed to flee to France, where he lived until he died (in 1701). William and
Mary became joint sovereigns.
The Glorious Revolution secured English Protestantism, which was now identified with
the rights and liberties of the people against the attacks of a despotic Catholic king. The
monarch became responsible to Parliament.
6. William III ( William of Orange) (1688-1702) and Mary II (1688-1694)
1689 – the Bill of Rights
- only Parliament could pass laws and raise taxes
- the monarch could not suspend laws. Only Parliament could repeal
laws.
- the monarch could not establish his own courts and act as a judge
- the monarch could not act against any MP for what he said or did in
Parliament
- Parliament should meet frequently (later: the Triennial Act of 1694)
- the monarch could not keep a standing army in peacetime, only
Parliament could raise an army.
1701 – the Act of Settlement was passed, which secured Protestant succession to the throne
in England. If William died without heirs, the throne should be taken by Anne, Mary’s sister.
If Anne died without heirs, the crown should go to Sophia, Electress of Hanover, the
Protestant granddaughter of James I and her heirs.
1689 – James II landed in Ireland with a small French army. The Irish were not pro-English,
but were determined to assert their independence. They wanted to drive the Protestant English
and Scottish settlers from Ireland. A Catholic Parliament passed an act which justified taking
away all the property of the Protestants in Ireland. Thousands of Protestants locked
themselves in Londonderry, and they refused to surrender. (’No Surrender” was the cry of
Ulster Protestants.)
1690 – the Battle of the Boyne – James II’s army was defeated by William of Orange.
(William’s soldiers wore an orange sash.) This victory is still celebrated in Northern Ireland
on 12 July by the Orangemen, ardent Protestants. William was generous with the Irish.
(11,000 Irishmen left for France.) The Protestant Irish, however, enforced a new penal code
against Catholics.
In Scotland, Catholic Highlanders supported the Stuarts, but the Lowlanders, most of whom
were Presbyterians, did not. The pro-Stuart rebellion in 1689 failed. The clans also had to take
an oath of allegiance to William and Mary.
William was also recognised by Louis XIV.
1694 – the Bank of England was founded, the brainchild of the financier and Whig politician
Charles Montagu. The bank gave a loan to the government. William’s war was long and
costly. The investors were wealthy City financiers and merchants. The bank issued notes and
became a deposit bank. Lloyd’s coffee house became the most prestigious insurance company
(for ships and their cargo).
1694 – Queen Mary died of smallpox. William was heartbroken.
(Mary had introduced the tulip in England, as well as blue and white china, building in brick
after the Dutch fashion, neat geometric Dutch gardens, including orangeries, etc. She and
William moved to the newly built Kensington Palace after Whitehall was destroyed by fire
in 1689.)
At the beginning of his reign, William’s ministers were Whigs and Tories, but later only
Whigs. The Tories opposed the long war. When the War of the Spanish Succession broke out
in 1701, the Tories would not vote a penny for supplies. They tried to limit William’s power,
as they were worried about the succession in England. → The Act of Settlement
Louis XIV recognised James II’s son as James III. The Tories and the Whigs joined forces,
and agreed to vote supplies for the war. Grand Alliance: England, the Netherlands and the
Habsburg Empire – against France.
William of Orange died in 1702.
7. Queen Anne (1702-1714)
Sister of Mary, was married to Prince George of Denmark. A committed Protestant, who
supported the Glorious Revolution.
She enjoyed simple domestic pleasures, eg. card games, visiting gardens and intimate
friendships, eg. with Sarah Jennings and her husband, John Churchill, the Duke of
Marlborough. He was a military genius, commander-in-chief of the Anglo-Dutch army. He
was determined to destroy the French.
The Elector of Bavaria declared himself for Louis XIV and his grandson,
Philip V, and allowed French troops in his country. The French army could reach
Austria easily. Everyone took French victory for granted, but the Duke of Marlborough
rushed his army across Europe, and defeated the French at Blenheim (Blindheim), in Bavaria.
(The most distinguished architect in England, Vanbrugh designed a palace for the Duke at
Woodstock, Oxfordshire, called Blenheim.) Other victories in the War of the Spanish
Succession.
1707 – the Act of Union joined England and Scotland
No Scottish Parliament, but Scotland could keep its separate legal
system, and its church. The Scottish benefited from this union
economically, as the trade limits between the two countries were lifted,
and the Scottish could also be involved in trade with the colonies.
The Scottish played a very important role in building the British Empire.
The Duke of Marlborough got alienated from his party, the Tories and moved closer to the
Whigs, who did not criticise the war. In 1709 the war (20,000 Englishmen died at
Malplaquet) and Marlborough became less popular. The Queen herself turned against the
Marlboroughs. The Queen dismissed the Whigs from the government. The Tories were
determined to end the war. A separate peace with France, the Treaty of Utrecht (1713).
Britain obtained Newfoundland, the Hudson Bay territories and the former French colony of
Acadie (named Nova Scotia in honour of the union with Scotland). The British challenged
French dominance in North America. Britain got Gibraltar and Minorca. (a powerful new
presence in the Mediterranean) The colonies and possessions doubled Britain’s maritime
trade. The island of St Kitt was added to the British possessions in the West Indies.
The Treaty of Utrecht also tried to ensure that the crowns of France and Spain could never be
united.
Some Tories tried to appeal to the Pretender (the son of James II) to occupy the throne, while
the Whigs favoured George of Hanover. They proclaimed George as King George I shortly
after Queen Anne’s death.
Anne was the last Stuart monarch. None of her 18 children survived beyond infancy.