2.1 Europe in Crisis/2.2 War & Revolution in England

2.1 Europe in Crisis/2.2 War & Revolution in England

Militant Catholicism

• Catholicism was a militant religion, meaning it was aggressive in winning converts and in eliminating the authority of other religions.

• Religious wars plagues Europe in the 16th century, but economic, social, and political forces also played a role in these conflicts.

• Philip II (r. 1556-1598) brought an era of Spanish greatness, using the strong Spanish navy and monarchial authority, and of strict conformity to Catholicism.

Spain's Conflicts

• Around 1500, Catholic kingdoms in Spain had reconquered Muslim areas and expelled Spanish Jews. Muslims were forced to convert or go into exile.

• Spain saw itself as a nation chosen by God to save Catholic Christianity from Protestant heretics.

• One of the richest parts of Philip II's empire, the Spanish Netherlands, was led by numerous nobles that resented and opposed Philip's attempts to strengthen his control in the largely Calvinist region.

• Violence erupted, so Philip sent in 10,000 troops to quell the rebellion. Despite these efforts, the Dutch were able to establish their own powerful state.

Spain vs. England

• Elizabeth I ascended to the English throne in 1558, and England became the leader of Protestant Europe.

• Elizabeth I took over the rule of her Catholic half-sister, Mary, and immediately got rid of laws favoring Catholics; rather, the Act of Supremacy named her the leader of church and state.

• She tried to keep Spain and France from becoming too powerful by balancing power, supporting the weaker nation in any conflicts.

• In 1588, Philip II made preparations to send an armada to invade England. Ultimately, the faster English ships and a series of storms defeated the mighty Spanish armada in an embarrassing defeat.

• By the end of Philip's reign, power in Europe had shifted to France and England.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following religions were allowed in Spain under the rule of Philip II?

• Catholicism, Calvinism, Judaism, and Islam

• Just Catholicism and Calvinism

• Just Judaism and Islam

• Just Catholicism

Multiple Choice

By 1600, which country was more powerful?

• England

• Spain

French Wars of Religion

• The series of French civil wars known as the French Wars of Religion (1562-1598) were the most destructive of the 16th century religious wars.

• The Catholic French kings persecuted Protestants throughout the country, yet Protestantism continued to spread.

• Huguenots were French Protestants influenced bu John Calvin.

• While they only made up 7% of the French population, 40-50% of nobles became Huguenots.

Henry IV and the Edict of Nantes

• In 1598, Huguenot Henry of Nantes succeeded to the throne as Henry VI.

• He knew he would never be accepted by the people as a Protestant, so he converted to Catholicism. Nonetheless, the fighting stopped.

• Henry issued the Edict of Nantes, recognizing Catholicism as the official religion of France but also giving Huguenots the right to worship and enjoy political privileges.

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Economic and Social Crises

• In addition to political and religious warfare, economic and social crises also plagued Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.

• A growing population increased the demand for land and food, driving up the prices of both.

• By 1650 the population of Europe began to decline by 1650 as disease, famine, and war led to a higher death rate and social tensions.

Witchcraft Trials

• The religious zeal that led to the Inquisition and the hunt for heretics extended to concern about witchcraft.

• An insane hysteria affected the lives of many Europeans, and over a hundred thousand people were charged with witchcraft.

• The fear of witches, and of being accused of witchcraft, rose.

• More than 75% of the accused were women, with most of them being single or widowed and over the age of 50.

• Hysteria began to die down by 1650.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following plagued Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries?

• Witchcraft hysteria and population growth

• Too much food and not enough people

• Witches casting spells to harm the local population

• Deflation and plague

The Thirty Years' War

• The Thirty Years' War was considered the "last of the religious wars" in Europe.

• Beginning in 1618 in the Holy Roman Empire, the war first involved the struggle between Catholic forces, led by the Holy Roman Emperors, and Protestant nobles in Bohemia.

• As Denmark, Sweden, France, and Spain entered the war, the conflict became more political.

• The conclusion of the war was largely a struggle between France and Spain in an attempt to gain European dominance.

30YW Continued

• All major European powers, except for England, were involved in the plundering and destruction of Germany during the Thirty Years' War.

• The Peace of Westphalia ended the war in 1648 and gave Sweden, France, and their allies new territories.

• The treaty also firmly established national sovereignty and is regarded as heralding the rise of the modern state system in Europe.

• The HRE's 300 states were divided into independent states with the freedom to determine their own religion and conduct foreign policy.

• The HRE ceased to be a political entity, but another 200 years would pass before German unification.

Open Ended

All the major powers in Europe, except England, were involved in the Thirty Years' War. The war began as a religious dispute but later shifter to political conflict. How and why did this happen?

War & Revolution in England

• The English Revolution was fought between the king and Parliament to determine what role each should play in governing England.

• It would take another revolution later in the century to reach a resolution.

• Upon Elizabeth I's death, Tudor rule of England ended, and Stuart rule began with the reign of James I, king of Scotland (James VI).

• James believed in the divine right of kings, Parliament did not.

Building Tension

• Religion was also an issue. The Puritans, Protestants inspired by Calvinist ideas, did not like James' strong defense of the Church of England, wishing to remove any resemblances to Catholicism from the Church.

• Much of the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament were Puritans, and it was not wise to alienate the wealthy land owners.

• The conflict that began under James came to a head under his son, Charles I.

• As Parliament tried to control Charles and Charles tried to control the Church tensions came to all out war.

Civil War

• Many Puritans left to America rather than accept Charles' policies in the Church of England.

• Two groups, the Cavaliers (supporters of the king) and the Roundheads (supporters of Parliament) battled it out, with ultimate victory for the Roundheads.

• Oliver Cromwell was a military genius leading the New Model Army of the Roundheads, largely made up of Puritan extremists.

• Cromwell purged Parliament of any members who had disagreed with him and had Charles I executed.

• The execution of a king horrified Europe as Parliament first set up a commonwealth, a kind of republic, and then as Cromwell established a military dictatorship.

The Restoration

• Cromwell ruled until his death in 1658, and the army restored the monarchy in 1660 to Charles I's son, Charles II.

• Parliament kept much of its power during this restoration period, but Charles kept pushing his own ideas.

• Charles was sympathetic to Catholicism, and his brother, James, the heir to the throne, was openly Catholic.

• Parliament passed a Test Act stating that only Anglicans could hold military and civil offices.

• On his deathbed, Charles II converted to Catholicism, and James II became king in 1685.

• Religion once more became a conflict between Parliament and king.

Glorious Revolution

• Parliament objected but did not revolt as James' Protestant daughters, Mary and Anne were heirs.

• But, in 1688, James had a son with his second wife, the Catholic Charles.

• A group of English nobles invited the Dutch William of Orange and his wife, James' daughter Mary, to come rule.

• William accepted so he could use England's resources to fight France.

• As the invasion occurred, James and his wife and son fled to France.

• A Protestant England was restored.

Open Ended

Why was the Restoration period named the way it was? What was restored?

New Thinking

• Parliament and William signed the English Bill of Rights which helped create a system of government based on the rule of law and a freely elected Parliament.

• Under rule of law, all people, including monarchs, are subject to laws, and the monarch's power was no longer absolute.

• This bill laid the foundation for a constitutional (limited) monarchy.

Open Ended

In your own words, what are the main similarities and differences between John Locke and Thomas Hobbes' theories?