Difference Between Absolutism And Constitutionalism

The idea of a single person holding dominion over all others to form an independent state is the driving force in state consolidation in 17th century Europe. Political development in this concept led to different methods of operating a government two prominent models being absolutism and constitutionalism. The first one centers on a strong centralized monarchy and the dominating royal power and the latter is based on a limited monarchy where the ruler is confined to the law and parliament. Theoretically, England planned to follow the constitutional model but the Stuart monarchs thought otherwise of this and conflicted with the Parliament throughout the century. This conflict centers on the evolution of England to becoming a world power.
Ending the Elizabethan era of England, James I, the first Stuart monarch, ascended to the throne but didn’t plan on using the theoretical model England sought. Believing in divine right, he ruled with little discussion with his court, which was full of scandal and control, and developed new levies called impositions to gain income. He brought the Anglican episcopacy under his control, hence his saying “No
bishop, no king”, while antagonizing Puritans and having Pro-Catholic sentiments. His son Charles I followed his father’s footsteps in how he enforced levies, duties, taxes, and loans in the war against Spain without the consent of Parliament. The legislative body proposed that if Charles agrees to the Petition of Right of 1628, which would force him to consult with them in passing taxes, they would fund Charles but he dissolves the Short Parliament from 1628 to 1640. Charles I in that period had ruled England as an absolutist monarch.
Relying only on his oppressive policies, Charles I could only last for so long until the Scottish rebellion in 1640 forced his hand into reinstalling the Long Parliament. However due to religious differences, tensions, and distrust, Charles I invaded Parliament to try to arrest his opponents but failed and sparked the English Civil War lasting from 1642 to 1648. The struggle for power take form in groups known as the Cavaliers, Charles’s supporters, and the Roundheads the parliamentary opposition who eventually won with the aid of Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army. Meeting his fate, Charles I was executed on January 30, 1649 leaving England in the hands of Cromwell as Lord Protector of the Puritan Republic until 1660. This new change was no better than Charles’s reign due to Oliver’s military dictatorship which made the English want to restore the status quo. From a monarchy to now a republic, England has still not accomplished in putting its ideal monarchy into practice.
Restoring the status quo before the civil war, Charles II was named monarch and was Pro-Catholic and advocated for religious toleration. He thus issued the Declarations of Indulgences which suspend laws against Catholics and non-Anglicans. However the Parliament counteracted this with the Test Act enforcing that all civil and military officers must sear an oath against transubstantiation. Soon enough in 1885, James II came into power and repealed the Test Act since he was also Pro-Catholic. In fear of a Catholic heir to the throne, Parliament invited William of Orange, husband of James’s Protestant sister Mary, to invited and he was going to which cause James to flee to France. William and Mary took the throne which completed this so-called Glorious Revolution and finally giving the Parliament a chance to apply their theory of a constitutional monarchy into practice in England.
With all things considered, we can see why England had struggled so much to finally establish a constitutional monarchy due to the way the Stuart dynasty operated in the government.
The clash between the two political models of absolutism and constitutionalism is the catalyst for the progression in English politics. With William and Mary as their rulers, the Parliament didn’t need to worry about a Catholic ruler and even better they were able to get their rulers to recognize the Bill of Rights of 1689. Finally able to limit the power of the monarch, making the ruler subject to the law and the consent of Parliament, the theory of a constitutional monarchy was put into action through this bill. This is the beginning of England’s, later Great Britain, rise to being a world power and setting an example that others will soon
follow.