The Dimension of the King in the XVII century
The 17th century was one of the most tumultuous periods in British history-years of Civil war, assassination attempts, usurpations, national disaster and revolution. Moreover, major changes could be noticed in political, religious and economic aspect. And we are going to relate important events to you, which have really influenced the British Empire and France.
At the beginning of the 17th century, kings were considered as a representation of godly authority. They exercised a manner of divine power on earth: “The state of monarchy. . . is the supremest thing upon earth: for Kings are not only God’s lieutenants upon earth, and sit upon throne, but even by God himself they are called Gods.” - King James I
To dispute what God might do is blasphemy, so it is sedition for subjects to dispute what a king might do. At that time, the political system was therefore the absolutism. However the deeply figure of the king changed over the 17th century in England and later in France.
In the first half of the seventeenth century, the kings of England sought to impose an absolute monarchy, while the parliament was traditionally associated with the country's government since the creation of the Magna Carta Libertum which gave to the English people liberties. This caused a civil war between royalists and parliamentarians, which ended with Charles I’s execution in 1649.(It was the first execution of a King in Europe).
Cromwell was a key player of the civil war which had shaped modern British government .The struggle between a king who claimed to rule by divine right and the Parliament who claimed the right to govern the nation in behalf of the people lasted from 1642 to 1651. On May 1649, Cromwell proclaimed the Republic: Monarchy was abolished. But, as a matter of fact, relations deteriorated between the Parliament and the army. Cromwell returned parliamentarians and established a new Council of State of his party and a new