In the Years Between 1547-1558, English Government Was at Its Most Effective During the Rule of Mary I

The seventeenth century saw the evolution of two new types of government mainly because of the instability that was caused by religious wars. One type of government was a constitutional monarchy in which rulers were confined to the laws of the state, giving the people some liberties, best exemplified by William and Mary during the Stuart monarchial rule. Constitutional monarchy was successful in mainly in England because of the Magna Carta, which kept the king’s power in check. The other type was absolute monarchy, in which the king has power over everything, shown by the French under Louis XIV. Although these two

TO WHAT EXTENT WAS THERE A "MID TUDOR CRISIS" DURING THE REIGNS OF EDWARD VI AND MARY I? "The mid-Tudor crisis" is a term often used by historians to describe the reigns of Edward VI (1547-1553) and Mary I (1553-1558). This period can be seen as a crisis, due to the fact that there were so many problems financially, socially, religiously and constitutionally, which led to rebellions, and placed the country in a very unstable position.

In July 1559, Mary and Francis assumed the royal titles of King and Queen of France since Henry II had died. Her happiness was short, after she learned the death of her mother in June 1560. Six months later, her husband King Francis II was also dead. Mary was devastated and extremely depressed. In spite of these personal tragedies, Mary chose to return to Scotland although it was a different country from the one she had left 13 years ago. In Mary’s absence the Protestant party had gained power in Scotland by abolishing the authority of the pope and forbidding the celebration of the Mass.

On the other hand, Lady Jane was not as bold to lead others during her short reign. Lady Jane Grey only held power for a few days before meeting her demise along with her husband. As a woman in power, Lady Jane had a promising outlook to being Queen, but Mary I held this opportunity back because she was to inherit the position, not Lady Jane. Although, through Lady Jane’s writings, she was a very strong- willed person that was firm on what she believed, but this was not all she needed to become queen. Lady Jane wrote in a prayer, “O Lord, thou God and Father of my life, hear me, poor and desolate woman, which flieth unto thee only, in all troubles and miseries” (“Women in Power”, 673). This was a sign that she was admitting defeat in her reign of power and

There were many forms of government through the 17th and 18th century. Two forms of government that were used a lot were democracy and absolutism. The form of government during these centuries that was most effective was democracy.

Throughout most of Mary’s life she had a unique relationship with Elizabeth Queen of England.

Rulers of European countries during the 17th century had almost unlimited autonomy over their respective countries. They were the head of government in all respects, and all decisions were eventually made by them. However, along with this autonomy came responsibility in the form of the people. If the decisions of these rulers did not improve the country, the possibility existed that their power would be either curbed or taken away by the people. As ruler of England in the early 17th century, Charles Stuart believed strongly in absolute power and a king’s divine right to rule. He believed that a king was given his power by God and therefore had no reason to answer to the people. The Parliament in England at the time

However, he reveals the extent to which scriptures are important to him; he is distressed at the fact that people are utilizing them in this way. However, Source C massively contradicts Source D, and suggests that Catholic traditions and beliefs were more important to Henry VIII’s government. Source C is a law, passed by Henry VIII and parliament in 1539 “conforming traditional catholic beliefs and practices”. This seems to certify that Catholic traditions and beliefs were vastly more important to Henry VIII’s government, as the law promises that “Any person expressing contrary opinions […] shall be judged heretics and suffer death by burning.”

England’s lengthy history of hereditary monarchs and abusive absolutists has led to the system of constitutionalism in 17th century English government. The encouragement of these absolutism practices triggered the need to search for a new way to govern. The reigns of the Stuart monarchy led to the shift from absolutism to constitutionalism during 17th century England. After witnessing the success of Louis XIV's of France establishment of absolutism, England would soon see that James I, and his son Charles I, will fail at establishing absolutism in England and see a constitutional government established.

Vs"Religion was more important than politics in the failure of the interregnum regimes of 1649-1660" assess the validity of this statement.”

After Edwards’s death in 1553 his half-sister Mary I (1516-58) became Queen. Mary who was a devout Catholic began to undo the changes that Edward and Henry had started and set the nation back to the Catholic faith. During her reign (1553-1558) hundreds of Protestants, who refused to turn Catholic, were burned at the stake, this led to Mary acquiring the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’ (Steele & MacDonald, 2007).

There have been a lot of well known governments in history, some really important in shaping today's governments. Two of these are the medieval european governments and ancient roman governments (Mainly the republic). Rome lasted longer. i think that the roman government was more successful than most medieval european governments because the power is distributed among more members of that government.

Henry VIII was the King that would change England’s religious system and make it his legacy. The religious system would carry on after his reign and become the predominant religion of England. The question is: How did events connected to key historical figures during Henry VIII’s reign cause for a permanent shift in the religious system of England? This question will be answered by analyzing events related to key historical figures during Henry VIII’s reign. These events will not be a biographical representation of any one historical figure, but relayed in connection to the topic of this paper in order to provide an answer for the essay question. This method is being utilized because it provides an analytical perspective, while also providing a personal appeal by tying the facts in with historical figures. History is not just facts, it is a story, and like any good story it should pull a reader in and make them interested. The historical figures utilized will be Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Thomas Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell, and Thomas Cranmer due to their direct correlation to the change in the religious system of England. The sources utilized were chosen and implemented in relation to how they encompassed concepts related to historical

Eventually, she reconciled with Elizabeth and she became the next heir to England after Mary’s death. Mary suffered many terrible misfortunes over her lifetime from her parent’s divorce to her belief she was pregnant twice. One of the

She is often seen as a well-educated and “determined young woman of fierce integrity” (Whitlock) and most importantly she grew up as a strict protestant. Wanting Protestantism to continue and at the same time to “promote his own dynastic line” (The British Monarchy “Lady Jane Grey”) the Duke of Northumberland took control of Jane. The Duke of Northumberland was a very powerful man during that time, he was the regent, president of the Kings council and one of his son’s was married to Lady Jane Grey. A letter was found written by John Banister on May 28th 1553 stating the latest news of the King’s illness. It was then that it was made clear in the letter that the King would not live beyond autumn. (Bindoff)Knowing this the Duke knew that if the King died he would lose all his power because Mary was the next in line for the crown. Knowing that Mary was a strict Catholic he began to persuade Edward to make Mary and Elizabeth illegitimate to the crown and that Lady Jane would be his successor. The Royal Council agreed and on the 21st June 1553 an act of parliament was signed (The British Monarchy “Mary I ”)stating that Mary and Elizabeth were illegitimate to the crown and declared that Jane Grey would be the next in line for the throne. (Cavendish) This was the final step that had led to Lady Jane becoming the next