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Responses to Absolutism
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| "the office of the king in this nation is unnecessary, burdensome
and dangerous to the liberty, society and public interest of the people." (Quote from English Parliament after abolishing the monarchy in 1649) |
| People grew
tired of the almighty and all-powerful absolute kings. They tried to take
some power back. In England, King Charles I ruled as an absolute monarch.
He saw himself as being appointed by God. A few hundred years earlier
the English issued the Magna Carta, which restricted the powers of the
king. But Charles pretty much ignored that. Eventually the English
Parliament (which is like the US Congress), forced King Charles I to sign
a document that limited his powers. He did, but then he ignored that
to. This power struggle between Charles I and Parliament led to the English Civil War. Charles lost the war, was captured, and executed in public! They chopped off his head (see painting below). Kings had been killed before; in battle, or in a private assasination, but never before had a reigning king been executed in public, in front of his own people. The execution of Charles was a huge event. After the execution people lined up and paid money so that they could go up to the dead body and dip their handkerchiefs in the blood! People wanted to wipe the blood on their wounds because it was thought that the blood of a king had healing powers (remember these kings were associated with God - divine right). Absolute rule could only go so far before the people grew tired of these power hungry kings. The English Parliament eventually passed a Bill of Rights which made the limits of royal power quite clear. |
