Britain 1625-1701

• Divine Right of Kings


  the belief that the authority of kings comes directly from God
• Privy Council


  a group of royal advisers that advise the king
• King-in-Parliament


  when king and parliament are working together
• prerogative


  a special right or privilege
• monarch


  king or queen
• nobility


  A high-ranking social class
• gentry


  Wealthy landowning class
• yeomanry


  Families on small southern farms
• husbandmen, cottages, labourers
• Arminian


  focuses on God's loving desire to be in saving relationship with humanity and sees this as connected to God's opening up space for human agency, along with divine grace, in salvation
• Habeas Corpus Act


  1679 Parliamentary measure protecting people from arbitrary arrest and unfair imprisonment. According to this, an arrested individual must be seized with a specific charge and brought before a judge.
• prerogative courts


  courts set up by Charles I which were not part of the traditional system, not liked by Parliament-no customary and afraid he might try to take over justice system
• Impeachment


  A formal document charging a public official with misconduct in office
• Charles I of England

  English King during the English Civil War is executed by Oliver Cromwell
• John Pym


  outspoken member of Parliament, tried to impeach Duke of Buckingham, legally attacked Laud, and star chamber. King tries to threaten him but has already fled and returns a week later, after the King has left.
• Tonnage and Poundage


  a tax that was traditionally given to the English king for life by Parliament when the king first ascended the throne (it was initially only given to King Charles for a year)
• Star Chamber


  secret English court used to deal with aristocrats who threatened royal power
• Five Knights Case 1627


  76 people were imprisoned for refusing to pay the forced loan. In November 1627 five of the main forced loan resisters prompted Charles' imprisonment of them by claiming a writ (court order) of 'habeas corpus'. Under this ancient right, they had to be tried for an offence or else be released. Charles took them to trial in what is known as the Five Knights' case. A judgement upheld Charles' prerogative to imprison without trial those who refused to pay the forced loan.

  However, that judgement was not a 'general' right for Charles to imprison without showing good reason; it applied only in 'particular' case. However, Charles allowed one of his leading legal officers, Attorney General Sir Robert Heath, to falsify the legal records in the Five Knights' judgement to state that the king had a 'general' right to imprison people without the need to show good reason. Any critic of the king, let alone opponent, would therefore be in very real danger of disappearing into the Tower of London without reason whenever Charles felt like it.
• Petition of Right


  1628. Signed by Charles I. No imprisonment without due cause; no taxes levied without Parliament's consent; soldiers not housed in private homes; no martial law during peace time.
• Tudors


  English royal family, dynasty founded by Henry VII; includes some of England's most influential monarchs; Elizabeth
• Church of England


  Anglican Church
• Confessional State


  - a state which officially practices a particular religion, and at least encourages its citizens to do likewise.
• Book of Common Prayer (1549)


  Book written in English by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer that included the order for all the services of the Church of England and the Psalter.
• Puritans


  Protestant sect in England hoping to "purify" the Anglican church of Roman Catholic traces in practice and organization.
• Radical Puritans


  'predestined
• Kirk


  Church of Scotland
• Presbytarian


  A Scottish Puritan- they held the same/ similar views to Puritans
• Catholics


  Christian followers of the Roman Catholic Church
• Calvinism


  emphasizes predestination and unconditional election.
• Jacob Arminius


  believed in free will and that you can lose your salvation
• Salvation


  acceptance into heaven
• Anglican Church


  Form of Protestantism
• Arminianism


  Belief that salvation is offered to all humans but is conditional on acceptance of God's grace.
• Anabaptists


  A Protestant sect that believed only adults could make a free choice regarding religion; they also advocated pacifism, separation of church and state, and democratic church organization.
• Richard Montagu


  Arminian cleric defended by Charles after RMs 'A New Gag for an Old Goose' said Calvinist beliefs were incompatible with the Church.
• York House Conference


  1626- Duke of Buckingham's home.

  Resolve the ongoing dispute between Puritans and Arminians.

  -defend Richard Montagu from prosecution from HoC.
• Earl of Clarendon
• William Laud


  Archbishop of Canterbury under Charles I in England. He tried to force the Scottish to use the English Book of Common Prayer. He was later executed by Parliament during the English Civil War.
• Thomas Wentworth


  Charles I's most trusted adviser, who later became the earl of Stafford. He favored absolutism, and imposed the "Through" policy.
• John Hampden


  A member of Parliment who refused to pay the "ship tax"; He was considered a symbol of defiance by standing up to the kings power.