Stuart England and the

Civil War

Stuart England & the Civil War

James I: Union of England and Scotland

The union of England and

Scotland that King Edward

II’s knights failed to achieve

on the battlefield of

Bannockburn in 1314 was

achieved peacefully three

centuries later.

What was the Gunpowder plot ? The plan was for a complete

change of power. This was to be achieved by removing the king and

the ruling elite. It was decided to blow up Parliament killing King

James I and the country's leaders.

Political and Religious Conflict

James was a highly educated

man, but he was often foolish

in practical affairs. During

most of his reign he had

conflicts with Parliament as

well as with his Scottish

countrymen.

Charles I

When James I died in

1625 he was

succeeded by his

son, Charles I, a

dignified and kindly

man, but one who

lacked the qualities of

a good king.

Charles, even more

than his father,

believed in the

absolute authority of

monarchs, and he

convened Parliament

as seldom as possible.

In 1640 Charles was again forced to convene the representative

of the people. This Parliament is known as the Long Parliament,

since it remained in continual session during several years of

political conflict and civil war.

The Civil War: Cavaliers and

Roundheads

The English Civil War lasted from 1642 to 1646. Englishmen of all social

classes fought on both sides. Englishmen of all social classes fought on both

sides.

The Commonwealth and the

Protectorate

For eleven years (1649 to 1660) England experimented

with new forms of government The first of these was called

the Commonwealth, and it took the form of a republic ruled

by the Rump Parliament. Then in 1553 England became a

Protectorate, with Oliver Cromwell exercising almost

dictatorial power as its “Lord Protector.”

During this time England fought many domestic and foreign

enemies. Commercial rivalries with the Netherlands

sparked a naval war in which England emerged victorious.

Meanwhile Cromwell’s authoritarianism and strict

enforcement of religious precepts (for example, prohibitions

against theatrical presentations) made his style of rule

increasingly unpopular.

When he died in 1658 his son succeeded

him in the office of Protector, but he did

not have his father’s force of character,

and the English people were tired of

republicanism and government imposed

morality. In 1660, only two years after

Oliver Cromwell’s death, Parliament

invited Charles I’s exiled son to return to

England, and take the throne as King

Charles II.

GUY FAWKES

KING JAMES & WITCHCRAFT

Scotland’s reputation for the persecution of

witches probably has much to do with King

James VI’s special interest in the subject. In

1589 the princess Anne of Denmark sailed for

Scotland, where she was to marry James, but

storms forced her ship to make port in Norway...

After James VI of Scotland

became James I of England,

he found his new subjects

much more skeptical than the

Scots with respect to belief in

witches.

Not wishing to appear

ridulous, he ceased to

show much interest in

the subject. However, it

is likely that

Shakespeare included

the famous witches

scenes in Macbeth in

order to please James.

BALLAD: ALLISON GROSS

In the 17th century ballad “Allison Gross” an ugly witch tries to seduce the

narrator by offering him valuable gifts. He rejects all her advances, and she

avenges her spurned affection by transforming him into a worm. The narrator is

able to recount his story only because he is fortunate enough to meet the Fairy

Queen, who changes him back to his human form.

The original ballad is written in Scots dialect. In 1975 the English folk-rock

group, Steeleye Span, recorded the song “Alison Gross” using a modernized

text and musical arrangement.

ARCHAIC FORMS(I): THOU, THEE, ETC.

The pronoun thou was used to address one person and ye to address more than one.

However, after the Norman conquest Old English adopted the French practice of using the plural

pronoun to address kings and noblemen.

Later, the pronoun ye was used to address anyone of higher social rank and thou was reserved for familiars or

persons of lower status.

We find in Shakespeare’s Othello:

Brabantio: Thou art a villain

Iago: You are a senator. (Act 1, scene 1)

And in King Lear:

Gloucester: Oh, ye Gods! (Act 3, Scene 7)

Other aspects of this early Modern English style include the verb inflections –

est and –th for the second person singular and third person singular forms

respectively. Naturally, the verbs “to be” and a few auxiliary verbs had irregular

forms.

I am has do can make prepare

thou art hast dost canst makest preparest

you are have do can make prepare

he/she/it is hath doth can maketh prepareth

we are have do can make prepare

ye are have do can make prepare

they are have do can make prepare

Thus we read in Psalm XXIII, The Lord is my Shepherd:

He leadeth me to green pastures; He restoreth my soul…

And later in the same psalm:

Thou preparest a table before me…

Shakespeare’s Macbeth provides an example of this form with a modal auxiliary verb:

Wake Duncan with thy knocking? I would thou couldst. (Act 2, scene 2)

As in other languages with complex verb inflections, this style sometimes allowed speakers to omit the

personal pronoun, especially in the case of questions:

Dost understand? (Dost thou understand?)

The subject pronoun thou becomes thee in the objective case. Thus, we hear in the familiar Catholic

prayer:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee

Blessed art thou among women…

These lines from the Hail Mary also furnish an example of the corresponding possessive adjective is

thy.[1] Other examples can be found in The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…

The possessive pronoun is thine. Protestant versions of The Lord’s Prayer end with:

For thine is the kingdom, the power and glory…

[1] Thy becomes thine before an object beginning with a vowel (for example: thine enemies).

By the middle of the seventeenth century, these forms had begun to pass out of common usage.

However, these forms did not disappear.

A television commercial for Quaker Oats has the face on the package (a Quaker) say:

Nothing is better for thee than me.

English poets continued to use this form well into the 19th century. For example:

If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear; if I were a swift cloud to fly with thee…[1]

Pop and folk songs often use this form to lend an especially poetic or romantic touch.

If ever I should prove false to thee, the day will turn to night.[2]

[1] Percy Bysshe Shelley. “Ode to the West Wind” verses 43-44.

[2] Baez, Joan. “Ten Thousand Miles”, Joan Baez, Vanguard Records, 1960.

ARCHAIC FORMS (II): PRAYERS

Just as English speakers have become accustomed to reading the Bible in “King

James” English, they traditionally use this form when reciting l prayers. Even very

young children learn and recite by heart by heart such formal, written prayers

such as these:

Psalm XXIII (King James Bible)

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with

me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou annointest my head

with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house

of the LORD for ever.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven,

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil,

For thine is the kingdom, the power and glory,

Forever and ever, Amen.

(These last two lines are omitted in the Catholic version

of the prayer.)

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with

thee,

Blessed art thou among women, and

blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us

sinners,

Now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

THE KING JAMES (AUTHORIZED) BIBLE

During the fifth century Saint

Jerome translated the Bible into

Latin. For a thousand years his

translation, called the Vulgate, was

the official Bible of the Catholic

Church. It did not matter that only a

few well-educated people could

read it, since the Church claimed

exclusive authority to interpret

Scripture...

The English people’s enthusiasm for reading the Bible persisted in spite of Mary I’s attempts to restore

England to the Catholic Faith. New translations appeared: first the Geneva Bible, then the Bishops’

Bible, and finally an authorized Catholic translation (from the Latin Vulgate) called the Douay-Reims

Bible. None of these versions, however, were entirely satisfactory.

The new Bible, known to Britons as the Authorized Version and to Americans as the King James Bible,

was first published in 1611.

A noticeable feature of the King James Bible is its extremely

conservative use of the English language. For example, the

translators deliberately limited the range of its vocabulary.

The King James Bible uses only 12,143 different words. By

contrast, William Shakespeare, who wrote during the same

historical period but was prodigal in his use of vocabulary, used

a total of 24,000 different words in his collected works (1,700 of

which he himself invented).

REFERENCEShttp://deborahswift.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_the_Crowns

http://talesofcuriosity.com/v/GunPowder/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descendants_of_Charles_I_of_England

http://www.word-power.co.uk/searchBook.php?keywords=Tarquin+Publications&options=publisher

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/

http://www.electricscotland.com/history/ulster/vol3chap13.htm

http://roflrazzi.cheezburger.com/history/tag/guy-fawkes

http://www.stephenhicks.org/2010/12/22/whats-new-in-witchcraft/

http://gospelresourcecenter.com/category/bibles/king-james-version/

http://www.filsh.net/download/1dEk4

http://literarism.blogspot.com/2012/08/race-and-gender-in-othello.html

http://groovycorner.blogspot.com/2009/11/holy-bible-fact-or-fiction-part-1.html

http://www.bibleprotector.com/

Thank you!

Presented by:

Santiago Betancur

Laura Betancur