Social Crises, War, and Revolution

Chapter 14-2

Crises in Europe

• The Holy Roman Empire was devastated, France became the dominant power, & civil war in England would lead to a period of great instability

• From 1560 to 1650 Europe experienced severe economic & social crisis

• The fear of witchcraft coupled with inflation led to this period of upheaval

Economic and Social Crises• By 1600 an economic

slowdown had hit Europe• Causes included a drop in

sliver production, which Spain heavily depended on, attacks on shipping fleets, loss of Muslim & Jewish artisans & merchants, & the decline of the Italian economy which was the economic center of Europe during the Renaissance period

• Population also began to decline as warfare, plague, & famine hit Europe causing even more social tension

The Witchcraft Trials• A belief in witchcraft or magic had been

part of village culture for centuries• The same religious zeal that was

exhibited during the Inquisition was extended to the hunt for witches

• During this period some 100,000 people were brought up on charges of witchcraft

• As more people were brought to trial the hysteria only increased

• Common people, usually the poor, were the ones most commonly accused

• More than 75% of those accused were women who were widowed, single, & over the age of fifty

• The accused experienced intense torture until they confessed

• This hysteria would last until 1650 when governments had grow stronger & officials were less apt to disrupt society with trials & people themselves found it unreasonable to believe in the Old World view of haunted spirits

The Thirty Years War• The Thirty Years war would begin over

religious conflict but would be sustained by political conflict

• On the religious side conflict arose over the lack of recognition of Calvinism by the Peace of Augsburg

• Augsburg officially recognized only Catholicism & allowed Calvinism to exist

• By the 1600’s Calvinism had made its way throughout Europe

Causes of the War• Religious reasons may

have started the war but it was political & territorial motives that fueled it

• Beginning in 1658 in the Holy Roman Empire the struggle between the Catholics or Hapsburg Kings & the Protestants or Calvinist Nobles began the struggle

• As more countries entered the struggle the conflict would become more political than religious as France, Spain, & the Holy Roman Empire struggled for dominance

Effects of the War• In the conflict all major

European powers became involved with the exception of England

• The effects were that Germany was destroyed only to be spared, somewhat, with the Peace of Westphalia

• The Peace divided the more than 300 states into independent states & gave them the power to determine their own religion as well as conduct their own foreign affairs

• This would bring an end to the Holy Roman Empire & Germany would not be united for another two hundred years

Revolutions in England• In England civil war or the English

revolution would rage over what roles the King & Parliament should have in governing the country

• With the death of Queen Elizabeth James I became king of England

• James believed that he received his power from God thus had to answer only to God, this was called the divine right of kings

• Parliament held a dim view of the divine right as they believed that the king & parliament ruled England together

• Also at issue was religion as the Puritans, English Protestants inspired by Calvin, did not like the kings defense of the Church of England

• The Puritans believed that the church should reflect more Protestant ideals & was supported by the Puritan gentry which was an important part of the House of Commons

Civil War & Commonwealth• Tensions continued to

grow until 1642 when the supporters of the king, the Cavaliers, & the supporters of the Parliament, Roundheads, clashed

• The Roundheads or Parliament prevailed largely due to the military genius of Oliver Cromwell & his New Model Army

• This army was made up of extreme Puritans who believed that they were fighting for God as well as being very well trained & disciplined

Civil War & Commonwealth• After his victory Cromwell

wasted no time in taking control as he immediately purged Parliament of anyone who had not supported him, what was left was referred to as the Rump Parliament, as well as had the King Charles I executed

• He next had the Parliament abolish the monarchy and the House of Lords & declared England a republic or commonwealth

• Cromwell found it very difficult to work with the Rump Parliament so he forcibly dispersed of them

• Cromwell now established a military dictatorship

The Restoration• Cromwell would rule until his death

in 1658 where George Monk, one his leading generals, realized that leadership under any of Cromwell’s successors would certainly tear the country apart

• Monk created a situation where restoring the monarchy under the leadership of Charles II was favorable

• Charles returned to the throne in 1660

• After the restoration of the monarchy, known as the Restoration Period, Parliament retained much of the power that gained earlier

• One of its actions was to restore the Church of England as the state religion while limiting the some of the rights of Catholics & Puritans

The Restoration• Charles was sympathetic to

the Catholic While remaining very loyal to the Protestant faith

• This made the Parliament very suspicious of him especially when he suspended laws passed by Parliament that restricted Catholics & Puritans

• To make matters more uneasy Charles brother, James was an open practicing Catholic

• This would become more of an issue when Charles would die with no male heir & the throne would pass to James

The Restoration• Once King James

appointed many Catholics to high positions within Parliament, the military & universities

• Parliament objected to many of his policies but stopped short of rebellion

• With the birth of a son in 1688, who was baptized Catholic, the possibility of a Catholic Monarch seamed inevitable

A Glorious Revolution• Wanting change a group of

English Noblemen invited the Dutch leader, William of Orange to invade England

• Williams wife was Mary daughter to James

• However, William was an enemy to France’s Louis XIV & with the resources from England he felt he could defeat Louis

• In 1688 William invaded England & began the march to London

• Hearing of the attack James made plans to flee to France

A Glorious Revolution• With almost no blood shed

England had undergone a “Glorious Revolution”

• In 1689 the English Parliament offered the throne to William & Mary

• They accepted it along with a Bill of Rights

• The Bill made it impossible for the King to act without the Parliament as well as granted the rights to citizens to bear arms & have a trial by jury

• This Bill help create a system of government based on the rule of law & a freely elected Parliament

• The Bill would lay the foundation for a limited, or Constitutional government

A Glorious Revolution

• Another important action of the parliament was the passage of the Toleration Act of 1689

• The Act granted Puritans, not Catholics, the right of free public worship

• By deposing one king & establishing another Parliament destroyed the idea of divine right, after all William was King by the grace of Parliament not God