Constitutional Acts of the Long Parliament. Reforms of the Long Parliament

14.09.2020

Opposition to royal policies led to the drafting by Parliament in 1628 of the “Petition of Right,” a document listing the demands of the dissatisfied. The opposition advocated the protection of private property from the arbitrariness of the crown and the church, against new taxes introduced by the king without the permission of parliament and the subsidies extorted by him, for the rights and liberties of parliament. In response, Charles I dissolved parliament and ruled alone for eleven years. In order to find funds that parliament refused to provide him, the king increased indirect taxes, revived long-forgotten feudal exactions, and distributed patents, privileges, and monopolies for the production of certain goods to his associates. With the help of his favorite Earl of Strafford, he siphoned money from enslaved Ireland. Another supporter and defender of Stuart absolutism, Archbishop Laud, strengthened the oppression of the Anglican Church over the minds and wallets of his subjects.

In 1639, war began with Scotland. England's northern neighbor did not want to submit to absolutist innovations in the state and church. The troops of the Scottish clans crossed the border and occupied a number of fortresses. Charles I was forced to convene parliament. It lasted only two weeks, from April 13 to May 5, 1640, and was dissolved without giving the king permission to collect new taxes. It went down in history under the name of the Short Parliament.

The conduct of a protracted and unpopular war, as well as the needs of the crown, required funds, and on November 3, 1640, the king convened a new parliament, which later became known as the Long. Its convocation is considered to be the beginning of the English Revolution.

The program of the bourgeois-noble opposition, expressing its political, economic and religious demands, was reflected in two documents - the “Petition for Roots and Branches” (December 1640) and the “Great Remonstrance” (December 1641). Parliament has also taken specific measures to implement this program. In July 1641, the courts of the Star Chamber and the High Commission, the bodies of royal and episcopal arbitrariness, were abolished; On August 7 of the same year, the hated feudal exaction - “ship money” - was abolished. Opposition leaders were released from prison.

In its struggle, the parliamentary opposition relied on a broad movement of the popular masses. Their discontent was especially clearly manifested in the case of the Earl of Strafford, who created an army in Ireland, ready to invade England at the first call of the king to suppress the opposition. The parliamentary leaders arrested Strafford in the very first days of the meetings. When his trial began in May 1641, crowds of thousands of people gathered at the walls of the royal palace of Whitehall to force the king to sign the death warrant for the hated temporary worker. Strafford was executed on May 12, 1641, in front of a huge crowd of people in the square in front of the Tower. Laud later suffered the same fate.

In the autumn of 1641, an uprising broke out in Ireland, exhausted by extortions and oppression. The revolution was growing. In January 1642, Charles I tried to arrest five parliamentary leaders who advocated fulfilling the demands of the Great Remonstrance. But the people hid them in the City of London. The streets of the city were again filled with a raging armed crowd. The king personally, at the head of a detachment of 400 soldiers, came to parliament demanding the extradition of the rebels, but the deputies refused. The House of Commons temporarily moved its meetings to the City. Having suffered a shameful defeat, the king departed on January 10, 1642, to the north and in August declared civil war to parliament.

The beginning of the revolution. "Long Parliament". The first stage of the revolution begins with the activities of the Long Parliament - constitutional.

In general, the history of the English bourgeois revolution is usually divided into four stages:

2) first Civil War (1642 - 1646);

3) the second civil war or the struggle to establish a republic (1646 - 1649);

4) independent republic (1649 - 1653).

Having heeded the “advice” of his inner circle, on November 3, 1640, the king opened a session of parliament. And although the parliamentary elections did not give a favorable composition for the monarch, Charles I hoped for a successful resolution of the financial issue.

However, in order to protect itself from unexpected dissolution, the Long Parliament adopted a number of important acts.

This is the so-called three-year certificate(“An Act for the Prevention of Inconveniences Resulting from Long Intervals between Parliaments” dated 15.02. 1641). It was established that non-parliamentary rule could last no more than three years. If this rule is ignored by the king and his government, the initiative for elections passes to the sheriffs, and if the latter are inactive, then to the population. It was established that parliament could not be dissolved or adjourned earlier than 50 days from the start of the session. And an act according to which parliament could not be dissolved except by its own decision.

Parliament, taking advantage of the favorable moment, takes command of the army from the king, passes a law on the treason of the Earl of Strafford, the royal favorite, and arranges for his execution.

By a special act, the Act on regulating the activities of the Privy Council and the abolition of the court usually called the “Star Chamber”, dated July 5, 1641, such important instruments of royal absolutism as the Star Chamber and the High Commission were eliminated. The “common law courts” (and the court of chancellor) were declared legal courts. The independence of judges from the crown and their irremovability were proclaimed.

On December 1, 1641, parliament adopted Great remonstration (protest). The Remonstrance began by pointing out the danger looming over the kingdom, the source of which was the “malicious party” in its desire to change the religion and political system of England. The actions of this “party” explained the wars with Scotland, the uprising in Ireland, and the constitutional conflict between the king and parliament. The Remonstrance demanded that bishops be removed from the House of Lords and their power over their subjects reduced. For this purpose, it was proposed to carry out a complete reformation of the church. The responsibility of ministers to parliament was introduced. All dignitaries - ministers, privy councilors, ambassadors - should enjoy parliamentary confidence. Many articles of the Remonstrance are devoted to issues of the inviolability of property, both movable and immovable. The illegality of fencing off communal lands and the ruin of the cloth industry were also noted. A number of articles pointed to the destruction and impossibility in future of arbitrariness in the collection of taxes on the part of royal power and unparliamentary rule.

The House of Commons approved the Great Remonstrance by a majority of just 11 votes. The discussion of this document in parliament showed how deep the differences were within the House of Commons itself on issues not related to the direct existence of parliament itself.

All documents adopted by the Long Parliament limited royal power and contributed to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy.

Charles I approved all constitutional acts, this was explained by his fear of a crowd of armed Londoners. The threatening behavior of the crowd was the decisive argument of the House of Commons in carrying out the most important acts of the constitutional period of the revolution.

However, the king is trying to use force against parliamentarians. So on January 4, 1642, Charles I appears in the House of Commons with the intention of arresting opposition leaders Pym and Hampden, but they manage to escape. Parliament and London are in revolt. The king was forced to leave the capital and take refuge in provincial Oxford.

The constitutional conflict was not resolved, and by the fall of 1642 it escalated into an armed conflict.

During the Civil War, two stages can be distinguished: 1) when military leadership was in the hands of the Presbyterians and 2) when this leadership passed to the Independents.

At the first stage of the war, the advantage is on the side of the royal army, which is better trained and armed. The failures of the parliamentary army forced its reorganization according to the plan proposed by General O. Cromwell (1599 - 1658). As a result of the reform, an army was created, called the “new model”. Soldiers began to be recruited from people of military origin, the army was subordinated to a single command, and capable people from the people were promoted to command positions. Cromwell, being an Independent, provided a leadership role in the army for members of the Independent communities. To remove aristocrats from military leadership, the “Bill of Self-Denial” was passed, according to which members of Parliament could not hold command positions in the army. An exception was made for Cromwell.

In 1645, the royal troops were defeated, and the king fled to Scotland, where he was handed over to parliament.

Conflict between parliament and army. By this time, the differences between parliament and the army of Presbyterians sitting in parliament were becoming more and more clear; the revolution was essentially completed. They were quite happy with the idea of the supremacy of parliament, which exercises power in the country together with the king, that is, the idea of a political system like a constitutional monarchy. The Independents and especially the Levellers demanded more radical reforms. They concluded the so-called “people's agreement”, which included a whole program of actions: the dissolution of the Long Parliament; new elections with all men; equal representation from counties in Parliament; equality of all before the law, etc.

The struggle between the Independents and the Presbyterians escalated in the spring of 1648 - a second civil war broke out, unleashed by the king and the Presbyterian parliament. Only the support of the Levelers ensured the victory of the independent army, within which a split occurred between the commanding elite (grandees) and the rank and file.

After the victory, Cromwell removed active members who belonged to the Prosbyterians from parliament (Colonel Pride's purge). Of the 90 “purged”, 40 were arrested. In the end, 100 deputies obedient to the army (independents) remained.

In the same year, in December, a bill was introduced into the House on the trial of the king, who was accused of violating the laws of the country, waging war against the people, etc. The Lords (that is, that part of the upper house that remained in London) unanimously rejected this bill.

Then the lower house adopted a resolution on January 4, 1649 ( Resolution of the House of Commons declaring itself the supreme authority of the English state). Its essence is the recognition of the supremacy of the lower house over the upper house and over all authorities in general (including over the king).

Following this, a decision is made to create a special supreme court of 135 people, which is entrusted with deciding the fate of Charles I ( Auronance on the establishment of the trial of the king on January 8, 1649).

Independent Republic. After the execution of the king on January 29, 1649, special acts abolished the title of king of the English nation ( Act of abolition of the royal title of March 17, 1649) The House of Lords was abolished ( Act of Abolition of the House of Lords, March 19, 1649.), and the House of Commons declared itself the supreme power. England was proclaimed a republic ( Act declaring England a free state (Commonwealth) dated May 19, 1669) The State Council became the highest executive body. His tasks included: opposing the restoration of the monarchy, managing the country's armed forces, establishing taxes, managing trade and the country's foreign policy.

Owing its establishment to the masses of the people, the republic, nevertheless, did nothing for them. In that main reason her weaknesses, and this predetermined her death.

Cromwell's Protectorate. Cromwell's power increasingly acquired the character of a personal dictatorship. Having no support in parliament, Cromwell dispersed it in 1653.

At the end of 1653, a constitution was introduced, called the Form of Government of the States of England, Scotland and Ireland and the Domains Belonging to Them (“Instrument of Government”) dated December 13, 1653, which consolidated the military dictatorship of Cromwell.

According to the new constitution, the highest legislative power was concentrated in the hands of the Lord Protector and Parliament. The parliament was unicameral. Participation in elections was limited by a fairly high property qualification, which was 100 times higher than what existed before the revolution.

The highest executive power was vested in the Lord Protector and the Council of State, consisting of no less than 13 and no more than 21 members. The appointment of council members depended on the Lord Protector.

During breaks between parliamentary sessions, the Lord Protector commanded the armed forces, carried out diplomatic relations with other states, and appointed senior officials.

The Constitution explicitly declared Cromwell Lord Protector for life, thus cementing his personal dictatorship.

Soon Cromwell stopped convening parliament; he appointed members of the Council of State at his own discretion. In 1657 the upper house was restored. Local government was concentrated in the hands of the generals of Cromwell's army.

The “instrument of government” contained monarchical principles, although this constitutional act reflected the class interests of the bourgeoisie, the new nobility, interested in preventing the restoration of the monarchy. “The instrument of administration consolidated the regime of individual power, corresponding in the breadth of powers to monarchy. The Lord Protector had legislative power, but it was believed that he shared it with Parliament. The Lord Protector had executive power (although he had to take into account the opinion of the Council of State). The courts actually depended on him. From this time on, a gradual movement began in reverse - from a republic to a monarchy.

Summoning of the Long Parliament

As a result of the wars between England and Scotland, called the Bishops' Wars, under the terms of the Ripon Truce, the Scots were supposed to receive a salary, but there were no funds in the treasury. King Charles I was forced to convene parliament twice - in April and November 1640 to raise the necessary funds. From the outset, the second Parliament was dominated by the opposition, led by the Puritan John Pym (1584-1643), elected from Devonshire. Already in his first speech during the opening of the first session on November 7, 1640, he attacked the royal government with harsh criticism. It was he who acted as the main prosecutor at the hearings on high treason of the Earl of Strafford. As a result, the king's chief adviser was found guilty and lost his head on the scaffold on May 12, 1641.

Civil War

In May, with the consent of the king, the so-called Triennial Act was adopted, according to which parliament was to be convened at least once every three years. In October, unrest broke out in Scotland and Ireland. Parliament supporters took to the streets demanding the abolition of the episcopate. Another important step against royal power was the adoption of the “Great Remonstration”, for which on November 22, 1641, 159 deputies voted against 148. Its 204 articles contained 150 “atrocities” of the crown, the government, and the Church. The second part of the document proposed economic and political reforms, central of which would be the right of parliament to approve members of the royal government. Soon parliament began to demand the right to appoint the commander of the army and navy. Charles I refused to agree to limit his own power and to church reform. In these circumstances, the king decides to arrest the opposition leaders, accusing them of treason, but the latter found out about this and fled to the City. After this, the parliament split: royalist deputies (“Cavaliers”) in Oxford, where the king had gone, formed a parallel parliament, and opposition deputies (“Roundheads”) remained in London. In March 1642, the Long Parliament decided that its decisions had the force of law and, without the approval of the king, martial law was introduced in the country. On August 23, 1642, King Charles I gathered his loyal supporters and raised the royal banner in Nottingham, and a civil war began. In July 1643 the cavaliers took Bristol and advanced towards London. At this time, the figure of O. Cromwell, a representative of the Independents, emerged among the deputies, who formed a cavalry detachment nicknamed the “ironsides.” On September 25, 1643, the parliaments of Scotland and England entered into an alliance. The preponderance of forces in the war swung towards parliament, after several victories, in the battle of Naseby on June 14, 1645, the royalist forces were defeated, the king fled to Scotland in May 1646 and surrendered. But there was restlessness in the camp of the victors; a confrontation began between parliament and the army, which soon acquired a political character. Also in the parliament itself, there was a split between supporters of further reforms; the ideas of the Levellers, who demanded universal equality and the abolition of all class privileges, became increasingly popular among the population. In January 1647, the Scots handed over Charles I to Parliament for a huge ransom, and the military placed him in Hampton Court Palace. In October, at a military council held under the leadership of Cromwell, the independents finally won, and the split in the army was overcome. But political differences remained, which the king took advantage of, fleeing to Fr. White, but was soon captured again. Royalist rebellions began to break out again throughout the country, and the Scots took the side of Charles I. Cromwell's troops moved to suppress the rebellions, and in the general battle of Preston they defeated the Scottish troops. The Long Parliament addressed the king with a number of demands, subject to which he could continue his reign. The Levellers and part of the army opposed the compromise, despite this, parliament accepted the king's proposals on December 5, 1648. The next day, the military under the command of Colonel Pride entered parliament and insisted on canceling the earlier decision, many deputies were expelled or arrested, most of them were Presbyterians. The remaining parliament was nicknamed "Rump" and consisted mainly of Independents. It was they who made the decision to conduct a trial of the king, who was declared an enemy of the “state and the people.” By decision of the court, the king was sentenced to death and beheaded in the square in front of Whitehall Palace. After this, on February 6, the House of Lords was dissolved, and the monarchy was abolished the next day.

Protectorate regime

On April 4, 1649, Parliament declared itself the bearer of supreme power, and on May 19, the “Act declaring England a republic” was adopted. The executive power was represented by the Council of State, headed by O. Cromwell. In 1650, Parliament appointed him Lord General, i.e. commander in chief. In April 1653, by his decision, the Long Parliament was dissolved.

Reconvening the Long Parliament

After the death of O. Cromwell, his son Richard Cromwell, whose reign was unsuccessful, became Lord Protector. A military conspiracy followed, overthrowing him in 1659. After this, the Long Parliament, consisting mainly of the Rump, resumed its activities. But in October, parliament was dispersed by Major General D. Lambert, who became a military dictator. In the conditions of the ensuing turmoil, parliament was convened again at the end of December. In February 1660, the troops of General D. Monk freely entered London, parliament was restored. Monk soon returns to parliament the deputies expelled during the Pride Purge. The restored parliament in March 1660 called on King Charles II Stuart to return to England and take the royal throne, and also passed a bill to repeal all regulations since 1648, and on March 16 declared self-dissolution.

In the parliament convened in 1640, called the Long (1640-1653), the Presbyterians occupied a dominant position. During 1640-1641 Parliament obtained from the king the approval of a number of important legal acts. First of all, on the initiative of the House of Commons, the main advisers of Charles I - the Earl of Strafford and Archbishop Laud - were convicted. This confirmed the right of parliament to impeach senior officials. Further, according to the Terennial Act of February 16, 1641, parliament had to be convened at least once every three years, and if the king did not agree to do this, it could be convened by other persons (peers, sheriffs) or assemble independently. These provisions were supplemented by a law that prohibited the interruption, adjournment and dissolution of the Long Parliament except by an act of Parliament itself. This excluded the possibility of a return to unparliamentary rule. Finally, in July 1641, two acts were adopted that limited the powers of the Privy Council in the field of legal proceedings and provided for the destruction of the system of emergency tribunals, primarily the Star Chamber and the High Commission. A series of acts adopted in the summer of 1641 proclaimed the inviolability of the property of subjects and deprived the king of the right to arbitrarily impose various fines. The programmatic document of the revolution was the Great Remonstrance, adopted on December 1, 1641. It contained, in particular, a new requirement that the king henceforth appoint only those officials in whom parliament had reason to trust. This meant, in essence, the political responsibility of officials to parliament and was perceived by the king as an invasion of his prerogative, the executive power. The king refused to approve the Great Remonstrance.

The Acts of Parliament of 1641 were aimed at limiting the absolute power of the king and meant a transition to a certain type of constitutional monarchy. However, in fact, this form of the bourgeois state did not have time to establish itself with the outbreak of civil wars between the king and parliament (1642-1647 and 1648-1649).

Long Parliament.

The first stage of the revolution - constitutional - begins with the activities of the Long Parliament.

In general, the history of the English bourgeois revolution is usually divided into four stages:

2. First Civil War (1642 – 1646);

3. The struggle to deepen the democratic content of the revolution (1646-1649);

4. Independent Republic (1649-1653).

Elections to the Long Parliament did not produce a parliament favorable to the king. To protect itself from unexpected dissolution, the Long Parliament passed two important acts: the triennial act, which provided for the convocation of parliament every three years, regardless of the will of the king, and also an act according to which this parliament could not be dissolved except by its own decision.

A special act liquidated such important instruments of royal absolutism as the Star Chamber and the High Commission.

Parliament on December 1, 1641 adopted the Great Remonstrance, which set out the program of the allied classes in the revolution, as they saw it at this stage. The Remonstrance began by pointing out the danger looming over the kingdom, the source of which was the “malicious party” in its desire to change the religion and political system of England. The actions of this “party” explained the wars with Scotland, the uprising in Ireland, and the constitutional conflict between the king and parliament. The Remonstrance demanded that bishops be removed from the House of Lords and their power over their subjects reduced. For this purpose, it was proposed to carry out a complete reformation of the church. Many articles of the Remonstrance are devoted to issues of the inviolability of property, both movable and immovable. The illegality of fencing off communal lands and the ruin of the cloth industry were also noted. A number of articles pointed to the destruction and impossibility in future of arbitrariness in the collection of taxes on the part of royal power and unparliamentary rule.

The House of Commons affirmed the Great Remonstrance by a majority of only 11 votes. The discussion of this document in parliament showed how deep the differences were within the House of Commons itself on issues not related to the direct existence of parliament itself.

Charles I approved all constitutional acts, which was explained by his fear of a crowd of armed Londoners. The threatening behavior of the crowd was the decisive argument of the House of Commons in carrying out the most important acts of the constitutional period of the revolution. The constitutional conflict was not resolved, but by the fall of 1642 it escalated into an armed conflict.

Constitution of the USSR of 1924. Development and structure of the Constitution
In December 1922, the First Congress of Soviets of the USSR approved the Declaration and Treaty on the Formation of the USSR, signed by representatives of four republics: the RSFSR, Ukraine, Belarus and the Trans-SFSR. Each of the republics already had its own constitution. The Congress of Soviets of the USSR decided to develop an all-Union constitution (the draft was developed during 1922).

Reason for war
The reason for the war was the murder of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Franz Ferdinand, by Serbian nationalists in June 1914. Austria-Hungary presented Serbia with an ultimatum with demands that humiliated its national dignity. Despite the fact that almost all points of this ultimatum were accepted, the government of Austria-Hungary, sub.

Interregnum. Coup plan
Meanwhile, events overtook the Decembrists and forced them to act earlier than the dates that were determined by them. Everything changed dramatically in the fall of 1825. In November 1825, Alexander I died. He did not have a son and the heir to the throne was his brother Constantine. But Constantine abdicated the throne due to the impossibility of transferring the throne with his own later life.

The main stages of the English Revolution.

The beginning of the revolution. "Long Parliament". The first stage of the revolution begins with the activities of the Long Parliament - constitutional.

In general, the history of the English bourgeois revolution is usually divided into four stages:

2) the first civil war (1642 - 1646);

3) the second civil war or the struggle to establish a republic (1646 - 1649);

4) independent republic (1649 - 1653).

However, in order to protect itself from unexpected dissolution, the Long Parliament adopted a number of important acts.

All documents adopted by the Long Parliament limited royal power and contributed to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy.

The constitutional conflict was not resolved, and by the fall of 1642 it escalated into an armed conflict.

During the Civil War, two stages can be distinguished: 1) when military leadership was in the hands of the Presbyterians and 2) when this leadership passed to the Independents.

Read also: Sample certificate of absence of wage arrears

In 1645, the royal troops were defeated, and the king fled to Scotland, where he was handed over to parliament.

Owing its establishment to the masses of the people, the republic, nevertheless, did nothing for them. This was the main reason for her weakness, and this predetermined her death.

Cromwell's Protectorate. Cromwell's power increasingly acquired the character of a personal dictatorship. Having no support in parliament, Cromwell dispersed it in 1653.

During breaks between parliamentary sessions, the Lord Protector commanded the armed forces, carried out diplomatic relations with other states, and appointed senior officials.

The Constitution explicitly declared Cromwell Lord Protector for life, thus cementing his personal dictatorship.

The Long Parliament is:

Long Parliament- the name of the British Parliament in 1640-1652 and 1659-1660. Gathered at Westminster. Dispersed by Oliver Cromwell. Of the 511 members of the House of Commons, 91 were sent by counties, 4 by universities, and the rest represented cities. Its members included Lucious Carey and John Pym.

The Long Parliament is the name given to the parliament convened by Charles I on November 3, 1640, after the Bishops' Wars. It received this name because of the events that followed the Act of Parliament - it could only be dissolved with the consent of the MPs themselves, and they did not agree to its dissolution until the end of the English Civil War and the end of the interregnum in 1660 (when the Restoration took place Stuarts). It sat from 1640 to 1649. when he was politically purged by the New Model Army because he did not care about the interests of the army. All Presbyterian deputies who were opposed to the army were expelled from parliament. This parliament was called Rump.

During the Protectorate period the Rump replaced other legislative assemblies, the Rump was dissolved by the army only after the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658 in the hope of restoring confidence in army rule. When this failed, General George Monck allowed the members of Parliament to reconvene in 1659. They made the important legislative decision to adjourn the Long Parliament and dissolve it. This decision cleared the way for a new parliament, known as the Conciliation Parliament.

Charles I assembled Parliament in 1640 to ask for a financial bill because the Bishops' Wars had devastated the royal treasury.

Edward Hyde recalled the authoritative tone of his opening speech to Parliament: “His first appearance had a sad and melancholy air, which foreshadowed unusual and unnatural events. The King did not come in person in the traditional carriage in all his majesty to Westminster, but sailed in person in his barge straight to the steps of Parliament, and so to the church, as if it were a return to the adjournment of Parliament or the adjournment of Parliament."

Parliament was initially influenced by John Pym and his supporters. In August 1641, Parliament decided to deprive Charles I of the power that he received upon accession to the throne. The reforms were aimed at preventing Charles I from ruling the country alone.

Parliament also freed those convicted by the Star Chamber.

The Terennial Act of February 16, 1641, also known as the "Act for the Prevention of Nuisance", was passed requiring that the interval between two sessions of Parliament should not exceed three years. Parliament was also responsible for charging two of the king's advisors with treason: Archbishop William Laud and Thomas Wentworth (Earl of Strafford). bringing them to trial and imposing a death sentence. The Irish Rebellion, which began in October 1641, renewed debate between Parliament and the King over control of the army.

Led by John Pym, on November 22, 1641, Parliament presented the Great Remonstrance to the king, which was adopted by Parliament by a margin of 11 votes (159-148).

It lists more than 150 "atrocities" during Charles's reign, including the Church being influenced by foreign papists and royal advisors representing the interests of foreign powers. The second half of the Remonstrance offers a solution to the "abuses" of the crown, including church reform and the appointment of royal ministers by Parliament.

In December 1641, Parliament, in the Police Ordinance, stated that it wished to control the appointment of commanders in the army and navy.

The king rejects the Great Remonstrance and refuses to sanction the police bill. The king believed that the Puritans (or Dissenters, that is, "deviants") were supported by five influential members of the House of Commons: John Pym. John Hampden, Denzil Hollis. Sir Arthur Haselry and William Strode and Lord Mandeville, who sat in the House of Lords, who had sided with the Scots in the late Bishops' Wars, and that they were plotting to turn the London mob against him. When rumor reaches the court that they also plan to accuse the queen of allegedly participating in a Catholic conspiracy, Charles decides to arrest them for treason.

Read also: Sample application for issuing a court order for debt collection

William Lanthal was the Speaker of the House of Commons for a long time. On Tuesday, January 4, 1642, the king entered the House of Commons with the aim of seizing five members of parliament. They were warned and therefore fled to the City. Taking the Speaker's chair and looking around in a vain attempt to spot the wanted MPs, Charles commented: "I see the birds have flown away." Karl turned to Lenthel, standing below, asking him if any of these people were in the ward, whether Lenthel saw any of them in the ward, and where they were then. Lenthel fell to his knees and answered: “May it please your Majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as the House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am here”(Translated into Russian something like this: “Perhaps such an answer will suit Your Majesty, now I will be blind and silent, because the Chamber appointed me, and I am its servant.”). The meaning of this phrase comes down to the fact that: “I will answer you only if parliament orders me to do so,” that is, the speaker is subordinate to parliament, and not to the king. After failing to capture the five Commoners, fearing for the lives of his family, Charles leaves London and moves to Oxford. The Royalists followed and formed an alternative parliament at Oxford. In the absence of the Royalists, the Long Parliament continued to sit throughout the Civil War and lasted until the Act of Dissolution.

In March 1642, in the absence of Charles in the capital, when the threat of war hung over the country, parliament decided that its parliamentary ordinances were legal even without royal consent. The Police Ordinance was passed on March 5, giving Parliament control over local police (trained bands). Control of the militia was strategically important because it gave the radical parliament protection from the armed intervention of the soldiers that Charles had at his disposal near the capital. In response to the Militia Ordinance, Charles revives the Patents of Recruitment as a means to raise an army to counter the military forces of Parliament.

Disagreements arose between various factions and their outcome was Pride's Purge of Parliament on December 7, 1648, when, on the orders of Henry Ayrton (son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell), Colonel Pride expelled about half the members of Parliament. Most of those expelled were Presbyterians. After the Presbyterians are expelled from Parliament, the remaining Rump arranges a trial of Charles I and sentences him to death. It was also responsible for the establishment of the English Republic in 1649.

Oliver Cromwell forcibly dispersed the Rump in 1653 when it seemed to him that the deputies could disband his costly army of 50 thousand people.

In 1648, the king's opponents, led by Cromwell, captured London and cleared the legislative assembly of supporters of the monarch. The following year, the remaining parliamentarians deposed and executed the king, after which the House of Lords was abolished and the country declared a republic.

Executive power was received by the Council of State and its chairman Cromwell, legislative power was retained by the pitiful remnant of the former parliament, called the “Rump”. But Cromwell could not get along with Rump, and somehow, having heard the objections of the deputies, he told them: “You have been sitting for too long. It's time to end you. In the name of God, leave!” Thus, in 1653 Rump was dissolved.

New convocation 1659 and Restoration 1660

Richard Cromwell succeeded his father Oliver as Lord Protector in 1658. He was overthrown by an officers' conspiracy in April 1659. The officers reconvened the Long Parliament. It was convened on May 7, 1659, but after 5 months of rule, it again had a conflict with the army (led by John Lambert) and was again dispersed on October 13, 1659. The board passed to the so-called “Committee of Public Safety,” which was headed by Lambert. General George Monck, who was Viceroy of Scotland, began moving south. Lambert, who did not act to meet him, lost support in London. The fleet announced the convening of parliament, and on December 26, 1659, the Long Parliament again came into force. Lambert could do nothing to oppose Monk and he continued moving south. February 3, 1660 Monck reaches London. Monk initially gives the appearance of respect for Parliament, but he quickly finds the parliamentarians reluctant to cooperate with his plan to freely elect a new Parliament. Thus, on February 21, 1660, he returned to parliament those parliamentarians who had been expelled from it by Pride. They were able to begin convening a “Free Parliament”. On March 16, 1660, the Long Parliament declared itself dissolved.

This article lacks links to sources of information.

Information must be verifiable, otherwise it may be questioned and deleted.
You may edit this article to include links to authoritative sources.
This mark is set May 13, 2011 .

See what “Long Parliament” is in other dictionaries:

Long Parliament- Long parliament in England, convened by King Charles I Stuart on November 3, 1640; effectively became the legislative body of the English Revolution of the 17th century. Having existed for over 12 years (hence the name), the Long Parliament was dissolved by Oliver Cromwell 20 ... Political Science. Dictionary.

Long Parliament- (Long Parliament) (1640 60), English, parliament convened by King Charles I after the Bishops' Wars. By Aug. 1641 under John Pym D.p. adopted a number of laws that deprived the king of many rights, causing mass discontent from the moment of his... ... World History

LONG PARLIAMENT- in England, convened by King Charles I in 1640; actually became the legislative body of the beginning of the English revolution of the 17th century. Dispersed by Cromwell in 1653 ... Modern Encyclopedia

Long Parliament- in England, convened by King Charles I in 1640; actually became the legislative body of the beginning of the English revolution of the 17th century. Dispersed by Cromwell in 1653. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

LONG PARLIAMENT- the name of the fifth and last parliament under King Charles I of England. It was convened on November 3, 1640, and dissolved itself on March 16, 1660. In 1640 and 1641, parliament came into sharp conflict with Charles, forcing him to make concessions, and when in January 1642... ... Collier's Encyclopedia

Long Parliament- in England, convened by King Charles I in 1640; actually became the legislative body of the beginning of the English Revolution of the 17th century. Dissolved by Cromwell in 1653. * * * LONG PARLIAMENT LONG PARLIAMENT (Long parliament) in England, convened by King Charles I... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

Long Parliament- (Long parliament) is the name of the parliament convened by Charles I Stuart in the fall of 1640, which entered into an armed struggle with this king, established a republic after his execution (1649), dissolved in 1653 by Cromwell and convened again in 1660,... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Long Parliament- (Long parliament) parliament, convened by the English king Charles I Stuart on November 3, 1640 and which actually became the legislative body of the beginning of the English bourgeois revolution of the 17th century (See English bourgeois revolution of the 17th century).... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

LONG PARLIAMENT- (Long parliament) (1640 53) parliament convened by the English. King Charles I Stuart and became a legislator. organ of the beginning of the English bourgeois revolution of the 17th century ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

Long Parliament- in England the parliament, the convening of which is associated with the beginning of the English revolution. Active from 1640 to 1653. and was dissolved by Cromwell with the establishment of his military dictatorship ... Dictionary of terms (glossary) on the history of state and law of foreign countries

Long Parliament. Jesse Russell. This book will be produced in accordance with your order using Print-on-Demand technology. High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Long Parliament is the name of the British Parliament in… Read more Buy for 950 RUR
Essays. Volume 2. Thomas Hobbes. This book will be produced in accordance with your order using Print-on-Demand technology. The second volume of the Works of T. Hobbes includes the famous work of the philosopher “Leviathan”, Appendix to "... Read more Buy for 505 rubles
500 famous historical events. Karnatsevich V.L. To understand the present and foresee the future, you need to know the past. Therefore, we bring to your attention a book through which you will become acquainted (or refresh your memory) with 500 key... Read more Buy for 55 rubles

Charles 1. The Long Parliament and its activities

2. Charles 1. The Long Parliament and its activities

The Stuart dynasty, which began to rule in 1603, played a decisive role in protecting the old system. Its first representative on the English throne, James I, not wanting to take into account the rights of the English parliament, entered into a long conflict with it. His domestic and foreign policies outraged the bourgeoisie and the new nobility.

After the death of James I (1625), the throne was taken by his son Charles I (1600-1649). Frivolous and self-confident, he further strained relations with parliament. He soon dispersed parliament and established a regime of his “personal domination” (1629-1640). However, this left Charles I without money, since taxes in England were approved by Parliament. Seeking funds, Charles I and his assistants began to grossly violate the customs and traditions of the country. This contributed to the growth and strengthening of the opposition (resistance) to royal power.

Having started a war with Scotland with his “advisers” and being defeated in it, Charles I was forced to convene parliament. He was called “Long” because... Having met in the fall of 1640, it sat for 12 years. The opening day of its meetings (November 3, 1640) is considered the day of the beginning of the English Revolution.

At the beginning of the 17th century. England was more a bourgeois country than a feudal one. Capitalist relations become dominant in all economic spheres - industry, trade, agriculture.

The main classes of bourgeois society are being formed in the country:

· bourgeoisie (industrial, commercial, financial),

· proletariat (urban and rural),

· farming,

· the nobility (feudal class) is divided into the old nobility - landlords, running their households in the old fashioned way, and the “new nobility” - gentry, actively engaged in commercial and industrial activities Savin A. N. Lectures on the history of the English Revolution. M., 1937

Politically, England was also different (in better side) from most European states, where absolutism reigned at that time, characterized by the unlimited power of monarchs, the absence of representative institutions, the suppression of the bourgeoisie and the dominance of the nobility. English absolutism, established in the country during the Tudor dynasty in the 16th and early 17th centuries, is defined as “unfinished”:

a) the parliament continued to exist, with the acts of which the monarchs were forced to take into account;

b) there was virtually no standing army (the main support of absolutism) due to its isolated, island position, England made do with the navy (and, as is known, democratic sentiments are traditionally strong in the navy);

c) the bureaucratization of the state was insignificant. The system of local government continued to exist (in fact, it was independent from the monarch, since all positions in the authorities local government were unpaid).

However, in the first half of the 17th century. In English society, contradictions begin to grow between royal power (semi-feudal, semi-absolute) and parliament, expressing the interests of the bourgeoisie and the “new nobility”. The reasons for the discontent (which subsequently led to the revolution) were as follows:

a) collection by the royal power of taxes not agreed with parliament, forced government loans, circumvention by the royal power of the constitutional principle (enshrined in the Magna Carta of 1215) “taxation through representation”;

b) constant dissolution of parliament, persecution of leaders of the parliamentary opposition, long non-parliamentary rule (in 1628, Charles I Stuart dissolved parliament and did not convene it until 1640)

c) arbitrariness of royal officials and judges, abuses of royal favorites (Duke of Buckingham);

d) the extension of wartime laws to peacetime, army billets in the homes of private individuals;

e) restrictions in the trade and industrial spheres (state monopolies);

f) the desire to restore Anglican Catholicism, which is hated by the majority;

g) the orientation of the Stuart dynasty (James I, Charles I) towards the Catholic states of continental Europe (France, Italy) - traditional trading rivals of England.

In its development, the English bourgeois revolution went through several stages:

1. 1640-1642 - a peaceful, constitutional stage, when the main battles took place in parliament, insisting for now on minimal restrictions on royal power;

2. 1642-1649 - civil war between supporters of the king and supporters of parliament;

3. 1649-1653 - period of the republic;

4. 1653-1658 - Cromwell’s protectorate (military dictatorship);

5. 1660 - restoration of the monarchy, invitation to the throne of Charles II Stuart (the son of Charles I executed in 1649 by decision of the parliament) - return to the old on a higher basis (establishment of initially dualistic, and then - by the beginning of the 18th century - constitutional, parliamentary monarchy) Lavrovsky V.M., Barg M.A., English bourgeois revolution, M., 1958; .

The English bourgeois revolution had a number of features that distinguished it from subsequent bourgeois revolutions (for example, the Great French Revolution of the 18th century)

These features include:

a) the “religious” nature of the revolution - one of the main tasks was to cleanse the Anglican Church of the remnants of Catholicism; political “parties” of the revolutionary period (Independents, Levellers, etc.) often had different attitudes towards certain religious issues;

b) relative bloodlines, explained by the king’s lack of powerful support in the form of bureaucrats and a standing army (even during the civil war, which accompanied virtually any revolution, the main losses were not among the civilian population, but among soldiers and officers);

c) the actual non-interference of the European powers in the course of the English revolution (most states were drawn into the 30-year war; by 1640, the European monarchs actually had no strength left; England’s isolated island position and strong fleet made foreign military intervention impossible).

The main objectives of the revolution were:

a) the establishment of a new, more advanced form of government (not necessarily republics), taking into account the interests primarily of the bourgeoisie, and not the feudal class;

b) elimination of the remnants of feudalism in industry, trade, and agriculture;

c) cleansing the Anglican Church from the remnants of Catholicism.

In order to protect itself from an unexpected order of dissolution, the Long Parliament passed two important acts: the so-called triennial act, providing for the regular convening of parliament every three years, regardless of the will of the king, and also an act according to which this parliament could not be dissolved except by its own decision.

In the summer of 1641, parliament dispersed the political tribunals of absolutism - the Star Chamber and the High Commission. The jurisdiction of the Privy Council is abolished and its competence is limited in general.

It is legalized that no tax and no duties can be collected without the consent of parliament. The independence of judges from the crown and their irremovability are proclaimed. In a desperate attempt to stop the revolution, Charles 1 personally appears in the lower house demanding the extradition of opposition leaders, but fails. From mid-1641 In view of the ever-increasing confrontation of forces, the Long Parliament takes over government functions. Parliament arbitrarily disposes of the treasury and military affairs.

The Long Parliament declares the royal army dissolved and creates a parliamentary one. A galaxy of talented generals emerged in the parliamentary army. One of the most prominent was Oliver Cromwell (1599 - 1658). In 1646 Charles 1 was forced to surrender to the Scots, and they handed him over to parliament.

Parliament's victory in the civil war did not give the dispossessed masses access to land. Nothing has changed in the public-legal position of the lower classes. As before, only freeholders with an annual income of 40 shillings enjoyed the right to vote in parliamentary elections in the village, and in the city - a narrow circle of full-fledged city corporations, and in other cases - tax payers.

Consequently, the broad masses of the urban lower classes remained outside the framework of the officially recognized “people of England”, i.e. represented in parliament. In the same way, the system of justice and legal proceedings with its high cost, bribery and red tape remained unchanged, as well as the completely archaic system of law, extremely confusing and, moreover, fixed in a language alien to the people - in Latin. History of state and law of foreign countries. Zheludkov A.V., Bulanova A.G. Lecture notes. "Prior", M., 2002..

However, having deceived the expectations of the broad democratic grassroots, the parliament did not take into account one thing - the revolution awakened them from political lethargy.

By the summer of 1646 The basic constitutional demands of the Levellers emerged. The document, called “Remonstration of many thousands of citizens,” contained a detailed program for the democratic stage of the revolution: 1. destruction of the power of the king and the House of Lords; 2. the supremacy of community power; 3. the responsibility of this house to its voters - the people of England; 4. annual parliamentary elections; 5. unlimited freedom to parliament; 6. constitutional guarantees against abuse of state power by fixing the “innate” rights of citizens, which are inalienable and absolute.

At this stage of the revolution, the Levellers acted as heralds of republicanism based on the principles of democracy, and thereby pointed the way to deepening the democratic content of the revolution. The victory in the first civil war and the defeat of the monarchy stimulated the isolation of different ideological and political trends in the circles of parliamentary supporters. The Presbyterian majority of Parliament sought to reach an agreement with the king on the basis of the historical constitution and the confirmation of the Great Remonstrance. The Independents, who constituted a minority in parliament, sought to consolidate the supremacy of parliament, including even the possibility of establishing a republic. According to Independent ideology, freedom of conscience was considered a natural human right, the same as freedom of thought in general; Parliament was only supposed to head a system of independent and free communities that would decide matters in a representative manner. During the years of the rise of the revolution in the army and among the urban lower classes, a new movement emerged - the levelers, whose leader was D. Lillburn. The Levellers were guided by the recognition of popular supremacy and free government of the people on the basis of universal suffrage.

In May 1647, at the gathering of the army, a special body was formed - Army Council, which dealt not only with military affairs, but also gradually became an institution of public administration. Differences grew between the various currents of parliamentary opposition when the Second Civil War broke out in 1648. With the support of the Levellers, the army resolves its conflict with the Long Parliament. In December 1648 she occupies London. Parliament is being forcibly purged. In the end, there remain about 100 deputies obedient to the army.

The culmination of the revolution was the trial of King Charles 1 (January 1649), organized by decision of parliament, as a result of which Charles 1 was recognized as “a tyrant, traitor, murderer and enemy of the state.” The court sentenced him to death. January 30, 1649 Charles 1's head was cut off in front of a huge crowd of people on the London market square. The execution of the king was the final, formally legal completion of the establishment of a republic in England. The revolution triumphed - the feudal monarchy was overthrown. Act of Parliament dated March 17, 1649 royal power was declared destroyed as “unnecessary, burdensome and dangerous for the good of the people.” After 2 days, her fate was shared by the House of Lords. On May 19, England was solemnly declared a republic. All legislative power in the country now belonged to a unicameral parliament represented by the House of Commons. Executive power was formally vested in the State Council, elected by parliament for a term of 1 year, but of its 41 members, only 11 were not simultaneously members of parliament. In the State Council, all power was officially exercised by the top of the army, led by Cromwell. Thus, the so solemnly proclaimed republic was in fact a dictatorship of independent generals, only covered with a parliamentary façade. The political system of power was unstable. As part of the Long Parliament after 1649. about 80 members remained (the so-called “rump”). Even fewer took part in the meetings and decisions of cases. Most of them were simultaneously members of the State Council and the Army Council. O. Cromwell's authority and personal military power increased enormously.

By the autumn of 1651, 11 years had passed since the election of the Long Parliament. Meanwhile, the “rump” that remains from him is clearly in no hurry either to dissolve himself or to set a deadline for his meetings. When it became obvious that the “rump” was preparing an electoral law that would ensure the return of its members to the new parliament, its time had come.

April 20, 1653 Cromwell, accompanied by a military detachment, came to parliament and dissolved it with his authority. At the same time, the State Council was dissolved. Its functions were taken over by a council of officers, supplemented by civilian members. In July 1653 The so-called parliament of saints (or “small parliament” - about 140 people) gathered, whose members were either named senior officers or delegated by church communities. However, the mood of parliament seemed dangerous to Cromwell. As long as parliament was dealing with the issue of replacing church marriage with a civil one or planning judicial reform, he was still tolerated, but when he swung at church tithes, the patience of the officer elite came to an end. Not without her “advice” the moderate majority of the “small parliament” on January 12, 1654. came to Cromwell and resigned. With the dissolution of the Small Parliament, the republic was virtually liquidated. Within 4 days, the country’s new constitution, the so-called “Instrument of Governance,” was ready. The new constitution, formally most concerned with the “separation of powers,” in fact led to the complete concentration of power in the hands of the protector. Cromwell was commander-in-chief of the army and navy, he controlled finances and the courts, directed foreign policy and, between sessions of parliament, issued ordinances that had the force of law.

The idea of a written constitution was new to England. Constitution of December 13, 1653 established an outwardly republican, but, in fact, dictatorial system of power. The legislative power of the “free state of England, Scotland and Ireland” was concentrated in a dual institution - parliament and the newly established Lord Protector. Parliament had exclusive powers to change, suspend, introduce new laws, and establish taxes or taxes. Parliament had to convene regularly (every 3 years) and independently. Parliament was to be composed of at least 60 members "known for their integrity, fear of God and good behavior."

The election to the post of Lord Protector was made by the Council of State (whose members, in turn, were elected by Parliament). The Lord Protector had the power to approve or defer laws of Parliament. He enjoyed virtually unlimited power in government matters. The protector was considered the commander-in-chief of the army; he had full rights in the sphere of foreign policy. All appointments of officials were henceforth made in his name. He had the right to pardon. A special article of the constitution assigned the powers of Lord Protector to O. Cromwell for life. The publication of the constitution and the reorganization of the top levels of the political system did not eliminate the contradictions between society and the independent leadership. The contradictions were all the more significant because the political, administrative and moral terror established by the independents under the slogans of the revolution was much more difficult for broad layers than the regime of the former monarchy, which, despite all its sins, was still a secular state. The Independents, in their Protestant zeal, began to strive to build a state - a church.

The first Parliament of the Protectorate met on September 3, 1654. included a considerable number of Republicans who did not want to put up with the essentially unlimited power of the protector. January 22, 1655 Parliament was dissolved by Cromwell. This was his obvious political mistake: he was now forced to share power with the army generals. The idea of military despotism was increasingly gaining strength. Under pressure from the generals, principles military organization were transferred to the administrative-territorial structure. Summer 1655 the country was divided into 17 military districts led by major generals.

The second Parliament of the Protectorate opened on September 17, 1656. The first act of this parliament was the destruction of the regime of major generals. Instead, in July 1657 Cromwell was asked to assume the royal title. The proposal was strategic: its goal was to restore the historical constitution. However, the Army Council and the generals intervened and regarded the proposal “as scandalous.” Changes, however, followed on May 22, 1657, but in the spirit of a compromise between the traditional way of life and the military dictatorship. Cromwell received the right to appoint his own successor. At the same time, the House of Lords was restored, the exclusive rights of parliament to vote taxes were confirmed, and freedom of conscience was guaranteed.

This is how the secret dream of the bourgeoisie and nobility manifested itself to restore the monarchy in England. With all this, the protectorate regime was associated with the personality and authority of Cromwell. Death of Cromwell on September 3, 1658 accelerated the collapse of the protectorate regime. Richard Cromwell, appointed as his father's successor, failed to retain power and became a political toy in the hands of the generals. In 1659 he was forced to renounce his title and restore the conditional republic. Public discontent with both the independent regime and the powerless republic simultaneously became so significant that the issue of restoring the monarchy and the historical constitution in the country became a matter of practical politics. The revolution has exhausted itself. The political crisis at the end of the protectorate was not caused by a coincidence. The state order established as a result of the revolution was unstable; it did not correspond to the existing updated social structure. Political initiatives of an independent parliament, not balanced by any others government institutions, aroused justified fears of a wide layer of large owners - both the old land lords, and the “new nobility”, and the financial and commercial bourgeoisie, which received the necessary privileges in colonial trade and legislative support. In search of stability, the return to the throne of the Stuart dynasty began to seem like a way out.