“In 1688-89 the English people drove King James II from the throne in the ‘Glorious Revolution.’ This peaceable (and apparently bloodless) revolution brought an end to the old theory of the divine right of kings and clearly established the supremacy of Parliament. To that end, in 1689, Parliament enacted the English Bill of Rights.” (source)
Mary II was then offered the crown because she was the daughter of James II. However, her husband (and cousin), William III, found it too humiliating to rule under his wife. He and Mary were accordingly offered the choice of ruling together. This was decided upon, and the new king and queen jointly ruled England. (source)
The English Bill of Rights told the king that passing, suspending, dispensing of, or executing laws, charging people for religious purposes, taxing people for personal purposes, or having an army in times of peace was illegal unless approved by Parliament. It also said that the subjects were free to petition the king, Protestants were allowed to keep arms for defense, elections for members of Parliament should be free and that the goings-on in Parliament would be free, and that parliament meetings should be held frequently. What's more, the bill attempted to make the courts fairer by stating that cruel punishments, high fines and/or a great fine for bail should not be given, and it tried to make the judging fairer. (source)
The English Bill of Rights in 1689 was an inspiration for the American Bill of Rights in 1791. There are many similarities. For example, the eighth American amendment says, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” The English Bill of Rights reads, “Excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” (source) (source, Amar 3, Applewood 1)
The English Bill of Rights decreased the power of the king and heightened the power of Parliament. A monarchy was still in place, and the foundations had not been set for a democracy. However, the separation of powers in England was slowly beginning to take place.
Works Cited
Amar, Akhil Reed. The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction. Connecticut, U.S.A: Yale University. 1998.
Applewood Books, The Bill of Rights: With Writings That Formed Its Foundation. Ingram Pub Services. 2006.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Thirty Years' War
Though the Thirty Year’s War started out as a religious war, it was inevitable that it would end in a mess of politics.
“In 1618, a local Bohemian conflict on the use of churches in rural regions culminated in the Defenestration of Prague. Two Catholic aristocrats were thrown out of a window of the (Protestant) Bohemian chancellery.” (source) This act on May 23, 1618 “launched the Thirty Years’ War.” (Bonney 13)
The Thirty Years’ War is sometimes known as the “last of the religious wars” even though it would not be the end of these struggles. It was a Protestant rebellion against the authority of the Hapsburg Holy Roman Emperors, who were Catholic. Soon, politics became involved as well and it wasn’t just a battle for faith anymore. (source, Wedgwood 1)
“This ‘30 Years’ War’ is considered one of the most devastating wars of all time. One third of the people of Europe died during those 3 decades, either from the use of weapons, famine or epidemics. One third of Europe was devastated and remained so for another generation.” (source) Most of the war was fought on German soil, and therefore much of the country was destroyed. (source)
All attempts at making peace had failed, but finally the Peace of Westphalia was successful and settled on October 24, 1648. It said that all German states could determine their own religions. “The chief participants in the negotiations were the allies Sweden and France; their opponents, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire; and the various parts of the empire (which had been riven by the war) together with the newly independent Netherlands.” (source) “It marked the end of the Holy Roman Empire as an effective institution and inaugurated the modern European state system.” (source)
“The chief results of the Thirty Years’ War were: the foundation and recognition of a unified Austria under the rule of the German Habsburgs; the revival, in a certain doubtful sense though, of the Holy Roman Empire; the establishment of Sweden on German soil; the permanent weakening of Denmark; the renunciation by Holland of all efforts to drive Spain out of southern Netherlands; [and] an enormous increase of the power of France.” (source)
Works Cited
Bonney, Richard. The Thirty Years' War 1618-1648. Great Britain: Osprey Publishing. 2002.
Wedgwood, C.V. & Grafton, Anthony. The Thirty Years War. Broadway, New York: The New York Review of Books. 2005.
“In 1618, a local Bohemian conflict on the use of churches in rural regions culminated in the Defenestration of Prague. Two Catholic aristocrats were thrown out of a window of the (Protestant) Bohemian chancellery.” (source) This act on May 23, 1618 “launched the Thirty Years’ War.” (Bonney 13)
The Thirty Years’ War is sometimes known as the “last of the religious wars” even though it would not be the end of these struggles. It was a Protestant rebellion against the authority of the Hapsburg Holy Roman Emperors, who were Catholic. Soon, politics became involved as well and it wasn’t just a battle for faith anymore. (source, Wedgwood 1)
“This ‘30 Years’ War’ is considered one of the most devastating wars of all time. One third of the people of Europe died during those 3 decades, either from the use of weapons, famine or epidemics. One third of Europe was devastated and remained so for another generation.” (source) Most of the war was fought on German soil, and therefore much of the country was destroyed. (source)
All attempts at making peace had failed, but finally the Peace of Westphalia was successful and settled on October 24, 1648. It said that all German states could determine their own religions. “The chief participants in the negotiations were the allies Sweden and France; their opponents, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire; and the various parts of the empire (which had been riven by the war) together with the newly independent Netherlands.” (source) “It marked the end of the Holy Roman Empire as an effective institution and inaugurated the modern European state system.” (source)
“The chief results of the Thirty Years’ War were: the foundation and recognition of a unified Austria under the rule of the German Habsburgs; the revival, in a certain doubtful sense though, of the Holy Roman Empire; the establishment of Sweden on German soil; the permanent weakening of Denmark; the renunciation by Holland of all efforts to drive Spain out of southern Netherlands; [and] an enormous increase of the power of France.” (source)
Works Cited
Bonney, Richard. The Thirty Years' War 1618-1648. Great Britain: Osprey Publishing. 2002.
Wedgwood, C.V. & Grafton, Anthony. The Thirty Years War. Broadway, New York: The New York Review of Books. 2005.
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