ENGLAND AND THE FIRST BOURGEOIS REVOLUTION - HISTORY - 2025

The First Bourgeois Revolution that occurred in England covers the period between 1642 and 1689. It is one of the most turbulent periods on the British island. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, England enjoyed a certain privileged position with respect to the rest of Europe, since it had managed to stay largely out of the wars of religion.

In addition, England had a strong bourgeois class, which, although it had been consolidated by the good development of the merchant fleet and the colonial enclaves, had only a low representation at the political level.

The origins of the revolution date back to 1603, when Queen Elizabeth I, the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty, died without heirs. Elizabeth I had many accomplishments during her monarchy as she was the head of the Anglican Church, defeated the Spanish Armada, and oversaw colonial expansion in America.

With no heir to continue the Tudor dynasty, Elizabeth's cousin James Charles Stuart, who was King of Scotland, was proclaimed King Stuart of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Jacobo claimed the divine right of the kings and maintained divergences and tense relations with Parliament, especially for monetary reasons and for his arbitrary tax policy. Nor did he enjoy the sympathy of the people.

Reign of Charles I: first outbreaks of the Bourgeois Revolution

When James I died, his son, Carlos I, assumed the throne in 1625, who, like his father, abused his power. His absolutism and his support for the Catholic Church further deteriorated relations with the people and with Parliament.

To limit his power, Parliament had Charles I sign the Petition for Right in 1629, (Second English Magna Carta). Under this request, certain guarantees were offered to the people regarding the collection of tributes and illegal detentions. Charles I, however, was quick to ignore the Petition and temporarily dissolve Parliament.

His imposition of the Anglican religion sparked rebellions in Scotland that invaded northern England and added to the growing popular discontent.

Due to the threat of the Scottish invasion, Charles I was forced to reestablish Parliament in 1640 to win the support of the bourgeoisie, but this measure did not end the political power struggle between the king and Parliament.

More and more sectors of the population showed their discontent, many of them were persecuted, as was the case of the Puritans, who were the target of prejudice and punishment under King Carlos I, many emigrating to America in search of religious freedom.

First English Civil War

Isabel I, Carlos I and Oliver Cromwell

The Civil War broke out in 1642, dividing the country and marking a milestone in the history of England. Parliament, seeking to limit the absolutist power of Charles I, declared a series of anti-absolutist laws.

At the head of Parliament, Oliver Cromwell would lead his men, the "roundheads" (Puritan supporters of parliament), against the supporters of King Charles, the "knights" (the army loyal to the king).

After extensive battles and unconventional warfare, Cromwell's army defeats Charles I, who flees to Scotland, where he is captured by order of Parliament.

He was the first European king to have a public trial and be executed for high treason. This event ended the conception of the divine origin of the king and laid the new political foundations.

Cromwell and the Puritan Revolution

With the monarchy and the House of Lords abolished, and seeking the clear benefit of the bourgeoisie and their interests, a Republic was established, although Cromwell ended up designating himself "Lord Protector of the Republic", and finally, imposing a puritan dictatorship endorsed by the bourgeoisie and the military.

Cromwell died in 1658, leaving power in the hands of his son, who was deposed a year later.

Return of the Stuarts

Parliament felt that England needed a king, so in 1660 Charles II, son of King Charles I, was invited to assume the reign.

Again, a Stuart king sat on the throne, albeit with limited powers, proclaiming this event as "the Restoration."

After his death in 1685, the brother of Carlos II, Jacobo II assumes the position. However, his measures to restore absolutism, reactivate Catholicism, and restrict the rights that had been achieved (such as the limitation of illegal detentions), were not tolerated by Parliament.

James II was forced to abdicate and his daughter Maria Estuardo and her husband William of Orange, prince of the Netherlands, were put in his place as the new monarchs.

This event is known as the Glorious (or Bloodless) Revolution as no one was executed during the succession of power. Jacobo II offered no resistance and ended up fleeing to France.

Parliamentary democracy

The new monarchs would rule under a constitutional monarchy, in which royal power would be limited by the Constitution.

The Bill of Rights was signed, guaranteeing that the king could not cancel parliamentary laws or impose taxes without the approval of Parliament.

In addition, it was established that the king would have no army during periods of peace, and that, after his death, the inspectors could control the royal accounts.

The document also gives people freedom of expression and the right to petition the king for grievances.

As a consequence of the successive civil wars, the subsequent Glorious Revolution and finally the Bill of Rights, the foundations of modern English parliamentary democracy are laid, where the power of the monarchy would be limited until posterity.

On the other hand, it also meant a long war period that left hundreds of thousands of deaths (among the defending sides of the parliament and the crown, and the civilians decimated by diseases caused by the war).

Furthermore, the trial and execution of a sovereign under sentence of Parliament and the presence of a standing army throughout the 1650s, combined with the proliferation of radical religious sects, shook the very foundations of British society.

The importance of this first English revolution lies in the abolition of the monarchy and the upper house of the English Parliament (House of Lords), with a society that exercised its right against absolutism, gaining guarantees at the legal and political level, marking a historic milestone. fundamental.

References

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