Stuart period

The Stuart period of British history usually refers to the period between 1603 and 1714 and sometimes from 1731 in Scotland. This coincides with the rule of the House of Stuart, whose first monarch of Scotland was Robert II but who during the reign of James VI of Scotland also inherited the throne of England. The period ended with the death of Queen Anne and the accession of George I from the House of Hanover. The Stuart period was plagued by internal and religious strife, and a large-scale civil war.

Significant events of the period

English civil war - War of the Three Kingdoms

The English Civil War(s) took place during the reign of Charles I, the second Stuart monarch. The war ended in victory for the Parliamentarians. Charles was executed in 1649.

After this conflict, the line of Stuart monarchs was temporarily displaced by the Commonwealth of England. Their rule lasted from 1649 to 1660. Oliver Cromwell ruled directly from 1653 to 1658. After Cromwell's death the Commonwealth fell apart. The Convention Parliament welcomed Charles II, son of Charles I, to return from war and become king. This event was known as the English Restoration.

Stuart foreign policy

Stuart England was consumed with internal affairs. During 1600-1650 the king made repeated efforts to colonize Guiana in South America. They all failed and the lands (Surinam) were ceded to the Dutch in 1667. James I's foreign policy placed much higher priority on European affairs.^[1][2]

Anglo Dutch Wars

The Anglo-Dutch Wars were a series of three wars which took place between the English and the Dutch from 1652 to 1674. The causes included political disputes and increasing competition from merchant shipping. Religion was not a factor, since both sides were Protestant.^[3] The British in the first war (1652–54) had the naval advantage with larger numbers of more powerful "ships of the line" which were well suited to the naval tactics of the era. The British also captured numerous Dutch merchant ships. In the second war (1665–67) Dutch naval victories followed. This second war cost London ten times more than it had planned on, and the king sued for peace in 1667 with the Treaty of Breda. It ended the fights over "mercantilism" (that is, the use of force to protect and expand national trade, industry, and shipping.) Meanwhile, the French were building up fleets that threatened both the Netherlands and Great Britain. In third war (1672–74), The British counted on a new alliance with France but the outnumbered Dutch outsailed both of them, and King Charles II ran short of money and political support. The Dutch gained domination of sea trading routes until 1713. The British gained the thriving colony of New Netherland, and renamed it New York.^[4][5]

Glorious Revolution of 1688

Historians have long regarded the overthrow of King James II in 1688 as a decisive break in English history, especially as it made Parliament supreme over the King. Pincus argues that this revolution was the first modern revolution; it was violent, popular, and divisive. He rejects older theories to the effect that it was an aristocratic coup or a Dutch invasion. Instead, Pincus argues it was a widely supported and decisive rejection of James II. The people could not tolerate James any longer. He was too close to the French throne; he was too Roman Catholic; they distrusted his absolutist modernisation of the state. What they got instead was the vision of William of Orange, shared by most leading Englishmen, that emphasized consent of all the elites, religious toleration of all Protestant sects, free debate in Parliament and aggressive promotion of commerce. Pincus sees a dramatic transformation that reshaped religion, political economy, foreign policy and even the nature of the English state.^[6][7]

Timeline

1603-1625

Jacobean Era

1625-1642

Caroline Era

1642-1651

English Civil War

1651-1660

English Interregnum

1660

Restoration of Charles II

1688

Glorious revolution

Monarchs

James I of England : Family Tree

England King James I : 1533–1603 Scotland                                      16. John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox               8. Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox                       17. Elizabeth Stewart               4. Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley                             18. Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus               9. Margaret Douglas                       19. Margaret Tudor               2. James VI and I                                   20. James IV of Scotland               10. James V of Scotland                       21. = 19. Margaret Tudor               5. Mary, Queen of Scots                             22. Claude, Duke of Guise               11. Marie de Guise                       23. Antoinette de Bourbon               1. Henry Frederick                                         24. Frederick I of Denmark               12. Christian III of Denmark                       25. Anna of Brandenburg               6. Frederick II of Denmark                             26. Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg               13. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg                       27. Catherine of Brunswick-Lüneburg               3. Anne of Denmark                                   28. Albert VII, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow               14. Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin                       29. Anna of Brandenburg               7. Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow                             30. Frederick I of Denmark               15. Elizabeth of Denmark                       31. Sophie of Pomerania             James I was King of Scots as James VI from 1567 to 1625 King of England and Ireland as James I from 1603 to 1625. King of Scots as James VI in 1567 aged thirteen months succeeding his mother Mary, Queen of Scots. Anne of Denmark (1574–1619) was Queen Consort to King James VI and I.

Stuart Kings and Queens (1603-1714)

James I

Charles I

Charles II

James II

Mary II

William III

Anne

Anne of Great Britain : Family Tree

England Queen Anne : 1665-1714 Scotland                                      16. Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley               8. James VI and I                       17. Mary, Queen of Scots               4. Charles I of England                             18. Frederick II of Denmark               9. Princess Anne of Denmark                       19. Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin               2. James II of England                                   20. Antoine of Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme               10. Henry IV of France                       21. Jeanne III of Navarre               5. Princess Henrietta Maria of France                             22. Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany               11. Marie de' Medici                       23. Archduchess Johanna of Austria               1. Anne of Great Britain                                         24. Lawrence Hyde               12. Henry Hyde                       25. Anne Sibell               6. Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon                             26. Edward Langford               13. Mary Langford                       27. Mary Hyde               3. Anne Hyde                                   28. William Aylesbury               14. Thomas Aylesbury                       29. Anne Poole               7. Frances Aylesbury                             30. Francis Denman               15. Anne Denman                       31. Anne Blount             Anne was Queen regnant of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1702. When James II was deemed abdicated during the Glorious Revolution (1688-89). her sister and brother-in-law became joint monarchs William III and Mary II. After Mary's death in 1694, William was monarch until his death in 1702. Anne reigned until 1714 as last Stuart Queen of England and of the Scots.

The House of Stuart produced six English monarchs who ruled during this period.

The early Stuarts.

• King James I (1603 to 1625).
• King Charles I (1625 to 1649).

The late Stuarts.

• King Charles II (1660 to 1685).
• King James II (1685 to 1688).
• Queen Mary II (1689 to 1702). Reigned with William III of House of Orange-Nassau.
• Queen Anne (1702 to 1714)

Historical gallery

Battle of Marston Moor, English and Dutch fleets engage on St. James Day, and the Battle of Vigo Bay (left to right).

References

Further reading

• Campbell, Mildred. English yeoman under Elizabeth and the early Stuarts (1942), rich coverage of rural life
• Clark, George Norman. The Later Stuarts, 1660–1714 (Oxford History of England) (1956), standard scholarly survey
• Coward, Barry. The Stuart Age: England, 1603-1714 (1980)
• Coward, Barry, ed. A Companion to Stuart Britain (2009) excerpt and text search; 24 advanced essays by scholars
• Davies, Godfrey. The Early Stuarts, 1603–1660 (Oxford History of England) (1959)
• Kishlansky, Mark A. A Monarchy Transformed: Britain, 1603–1714 (Penguin History of Britain) (1997), standard scholarly survey; excerpt and text search
• Lipson, Ephraim. The economic history of England: vol 2: The Age of Nercantilism (7th ed. 1964)
• Miller, John. The Stuarts (2004)
• Morrill, John. Stuart Britain: A Very Short Introduction (2005) excerpt and text search; 100pp
• Morrill, John, ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of Tudor and Stuart Britain (2001) excerpt and text search
• Notestein, Wallace. English people on the eve of colonization, 1603-1630 (1954). scholarly study of occupations and roles
• Pincus, Steve. 1688: The First Modern Revolution (2011)
• Pincus, Steven C. A. England's Glorious Revolution 1688-1689: A Brief History with Documents (2005)
• Sharpe, Kevin, and Peter Lake, eds. Culture and politics in early Stuart England (1993)
• Wroughton, John. ed. The Routledge Companion to the Stuart Age, 1603-1714 (2006) excerpt and text search

Historiography

• Baxter, Steven B. "The Later Stuart's: 1660-1714," in Richard Schlatter, ed., Recent Views on British History: Essays on Historical Writing since 1966 (Rutgers UP, 1984), pp 141 – 166
• Burgess, Glenn. "On revisionism: an analysis of early Stuart historiography in the 1970s and 1980s." Historical Journal (1990) 33#3 pp: 609-627.
• Furber, Elizabeth Chapin, ed. Changing Views on British History (1966)
• Underdown, David. "New Ways and Old and Early Stuart History," in Richard Schlatter, ed., Recent Views on British History: Essays on Historical Writing since 1966 (Rutgers UP, 1984), pp 99–140
• Zagora, Perez. "English History, 1558-1640: A Bibliographical Survey," in Elizabeth Chapin Furber, ed. Changing views on British history: essays on historical writing since 1939 (Harvard University Press, 1966), pp 119–40

Primary sources

• Browning, A. ed. English Historical Documents 1660-1714 (1953)
• Coward, Barry, and Peter Gaunt, eds. English Historical Documents, 1603-1660 (2011)