Chapter 1- The political nation Flashcards
Definition of the political nation
members of society who influence how a country is run; specifically in early modern Britain, they were sometimes referred to as the ‘elite’
What positions were under county officials
Justice of peace, Lord, Sheriffs, Assize judges
What positions were under Parish officials
Constables, Churchwardens, Overseers of, Town officials
What was prerogative?
the power of the Crown, derived from the idea that the divine right to rule given by God to monarchs, included the right to dissolve parliament and declare war
Definition of subsidy
A form of economic support for a particular undertaking; a sum of money to promote or aid crown policies such as warfare. It came in the form of parliamentary taxation.
Who was James I?
James stuart was King James VI of Scotland in 1566 and when Elizabeth died in 1603 he was the heir to the thrown. He was crowned in 1603 James I of England
Who was Charles I?
Charles I was the younger son of James I, he had a strained relationship with his father. Due to his brother Henry dying at 18 he was unprepared for the thrown.
Who was Charles II?
Charles II was the eldest son of Charles I, he spent quite a lot of his life in exile in mainland europe, however he was restored to the throne in 1660 as as result of the collapse of cromwell regimes
Who was James II?
He was Charles II’s younger brother. He was principled and stubborn, due to his catholicism and his dominant political force, a revolution was sparked up against him.
Who were William III and Mary II?
William of orange was a dutch protestant whose claim to the English throne was through his wide, Mary who was the eldest daughter of James II. The political nation asked them to take over from James II
In what areas could the royal prerogative be used?
- Foreign diplomacy, as Head of State
- Declaration of war, as commander-in-chief of the military.
- Legislation, through the right to call and dissolve parliament.
- Religion, as Supreme Governor (head) of the Church of England
Why was parliament reluctant to vote for subsidies?
Because the money would have to be raised by taxing the political nations
Why was there a limit on absolute monarchy in England? (reason one)
Parliament had a lot of control on significant financial resources such as parliamentary subsidies.
Why was there a limit on absolute monarchy in England? (reason two)
The monarchy relied on the Political Nation to help control the general population, the crown did not possess the power to impose its will independently
What was the unwritten constitution?
England didn’t actually have a written constitution instead it had an unwritten constitution which was made up of parliamentary laws, the common laws and documents such as the Magna Carter
