The Development Of England's Constitutional Monarchy In 16th Century England

Back in the 16th century, absolute monarchies ran rampant. Unlike other European countries, England took a different approach. The development of England’s constitutional monarchy was different to the absolute monarchies of Spain and France because England had a parliament, Spain ruled with an iron fist, and France had many internal religious conflicts. England is set apart from other monarchies because of its parliament. English monarchs often fought with parliament over their divine right to rule over England as absolute monarchs, but they still knew that parliament would always hold power. King Henry VIII consulted with Parliament because of his lack of money from fighting overseas. This led him to seek the approval of Parliament
Charles signed the petition but continued to ignore Parliament. Charles and the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, tried to impose Anglican rules onto England. This led Scotland to revolt. Once again, Charles needed money from Parliament, but Parliament launched a revolt of their own. During the civil War from 1642 to 1651, Charles’s power was challenged by those who opposed him. The Long Parliament triggered strong political revolution in England. Parliament executed Charles I and his bishops and declared that the Parliament could not dissolved. Charles I’s death sent a message throughout England that no leader could claim absolute. The House of Commons abolished the monarchy, the House of Lords, and the Church of England. England was now established as a republic known as the commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. Charles II and his supporters challenged the Commonwealth which led Parliament to ban Catholics to a barren land in Ireland. In 1658, Oliver Cromwell died; moreover, a new Parliament invited Charles II back to rule the throne. Charles II was a popular ruler and accepted the Petition of Right, though he still believed in his
Therefore, Spain’s government was a true absolute monarchy. Many of Spain’s problems came from inner conflicts because of religious differences. Charles V, fought to suppress Protestantism in German states because he was a Catholic. Eventually, he allowed German princes to choose their own religion. Spain’s external conflicts were mostly against the Ottoman empire who made advances into Spain’s territories. Charles V grew too tiresome for the job as king and gave up his title. HE left the Hapsburg lands to his brother Ferdinand and gave Spain, the Netherlands, parts of Italy, and Spain’s overseas empire to his son Philip II. Philip strengthened the Catholic Church and ruled with absolute power. Philip saw himself as the guardian of the Roman Catholic Church and fought against the rising Protestant tide in Europe. The Ottoman empire continued to challenge Spanish power in the Mediterranean throughout Philip’s reign. At the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, Spain and Italian allies successfully beat the Ottomans off a coast in Greece. Philip was also engaged in a civil war with rebels in the Netherlands. Protestants in the region wanted to freely practice their religion. Both Catholics and Protestants opposed the high taxes and autocratic Spanish rule. They revolted and in 1581 declared their independence from Spain; they were now known as the Dutch Netherlands, but the mostly Catholic provinces remained under