II. Finish the sentences

1. Henry VII from the House of Lancaster married Elizabeth of York because _____.

2. Henry VII destroyed the power of feudal nobility and created the new nobility. It helped him to _____.

3. Henry VIII began his reign in a rapidly developing country – ______.

4. The main aim of Henry VIII`s foreign policy was ______.

5. The title of the Defender of Faith was given to _____.

6. The main idea of the Reformation was_____.

7. The religious Reformation, provided during the reign of Edward VI included ______.

8. Queen Mary got the title “Bloody” because _______

9. Elizabeth I completed the Reformation by the following laws_______.

10. Mary Queen of Scots could regard herself as a rightful Queen of England because ______.

11. English victory over the Invincible Armada was of great importance for England because _______

12. Elizabeth used Protestantism as a tool in foreign policy, she ______.

13. The most famous representatives of English Renaissance are _______

CHAPTER VI

ENGLAND IN THE XVII CENTURY

In the 17-th century England became a major producer of woolen cloth. Coalmining, steel production, shipbuilding were becoming most important. Silk production, glass, soap also developed. Skilled craftsmen were encouraged to come to the country. The manufactory was becoming a typical industrial feature. Land was becoming a source of profit.

In 1603 James I was crowned. Thus a new dynasty was established, the Stuart dynasty. James Stuart had been king of Scotland for more than 30 years, hence he was a foreigner in England. James I managed to restore the royal power in Scotland without using force or provoking a major rebellion, because he was a peace-loving person and he didn't want a new war in Europe. But his foreign policy was rather unpopular. Spain was considered to be the chief enemy of Britain. The new king made peace with Spain. Moreover, James was under the influence of Spain and for some years the Spanish ambassador was the real power behind the king.

An event which inflamed the public mind greatly was the Gunpowder Plot (1605).A group of English Catholics, led by Catesby and Guy Fawkes, placed large quantities of iron, gunpowder and fagots in the cellars under the Parliament house to destroy its members on the opening day of the session (November 5, 1605).The government discovered the plot just in time. Guy Fawkes and most of the plotters were arrested and then executed. Thereafter Guy Fawkes Day became a national holiday.

James' relations with the Parliament were extremely strained. He was constantly wrangling with Parliament over monetary issues. The bourgeoisie and gentry would no longer tolerate a situation when the monarch disregarded their interests.

It was in the reign of Charles I (1625-1649) that the struggle between crown and Parliament reached its culmination. Charles I was full of desire to strengthen his power and needing money for this purpose he imposed heavy taxes, fines and customs duties. The king also resorted to repressive institutions such as the Star Chamber (the court for all political trials) and the High Commission (the court for the clergy) to crush all the opposition in the country. The king also gave a free hand to favourites.

In 1628 the Parliament created the Petition of Right. It forbade the king to resort to martial law in time of peace, to imprison freeman without cause shown, and to collect any loan, fine, tax, or similar charge without the consent of Parliament. Charles I signed the Petition and soon forgot about it. When Parliament protested Charles I dissolved it and there was no Parliament for 11 years. There were years of his personal rule when he relied upon the advice of his chosen favourites: the Earl of Strafford and William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury.

In 1639 Charles I invaded Scotland, hurriedly summoned Parliament and demanded money for a war. The Parliament didn't vote for money and was dissolved. The Scots invaded northern England and pushed back the king's forces.

Charles had to summon another Parliament in 1640 which came to be known as the Long Parliament for it sat for 13 years, it was restored for a short time in 1659 and finally voted its own dissolution in 1660.The summoning of the Long Parliament in 1640 marks the beginning of the English bourgeois revolution which continued up to 1660 when monarchy was restored.

There are three periods in the history of the revolution:

The first: the peaceful period from 1640 to 1642.

The second: the period of two civil wars from 1642 to 1648.

The third: the period of Commonwealth and Protectorate from 1649 to 1660.

One of the first acts of the Long Parliament was to bring the Earl of Strafford to trial. He was charged with treason, condemned to death and executed. Some years later Laud was executed too. Parliament decreed that it could not be dissolved without its own consent. It should meet every three years. No taxes should be levied without its permission. It abolished the Courts of Star Chamber and High Commission. The king was forced to yield to these demands.

However, the king decided to take revenge by arresting the most active leaders of the Parliament. Accompanied by 300 royal swordsmen, he rode to the Parliament to arrest the leaders of the opposition. But they had escaped, because they had been informed. After this event the king lost control of London. He decided to move to the north, where he had support of the aristocracy.

At first Charles I carried on negotiations with Parliament, but in August 1642 he declared war on it. The king's supporters were called “Cavaliers”. They wore large feathers, beards and were beautifully-dressed. The supporters of Parliament were called Roundheads. They were short-haired Puritan soldiers, their heads were shaven. At the beginning the royal army beat the Roundheads, but it was until Oliver Cromwell became head of one of the detachments. Soon Cromwell became a general and gave the Cavaliers the worst shock at Marston Moor near York. The royalists lost not only the battle at Naseby, but the whole war of 1642-1646.The queen and Prince Charles had escaped to France. The king put himself into the hands of the Scots.

In 1647 king Charles I escaped and went to the south. He gathered another army and began another war. However Cromwell`s army beat them and Cromwell became the most powerful person in England. After it all the members of the Parliament who supported the king were arrested or sent home. The rest of the Parliament appointed a court which would judge the king guilty. So Charles was brought to London and accused of tyranny and making war upon his subjects. The trial took seven days. The Icing was condemned to death and beheaded before a huge crowd of people on January 30, 1649. In February the House of Lords was abolished and England was proclaimed a Commonwealth or republic.

When Parliament became unpopular Cromwell, accompanied by his musketeers marched to the House of Commons, the soldiers pushed the members out and Cromwell locked the doors behind him. As a result England was proclaimed Protectorate, Cromwell became Lord Protector for life.

In 1658 Cromwell died and troubles started immediately. The army started quarrelling with the Parliament. Cromwell's son Richard resigned. Soon the

Parliament was summoned. The House of Lords was restored. A week later they decreed that the son of the executed king Charles II was king In May 1660 the monarchy was completely restored in England.