Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bonfire Night is still celebrated on November 5 with effigies of Guy Fawkes
burned on fires throughout the land, often in people's backyards. There are large
events, too, where the town turns out for parades, public bonfires, and fireworks.
James I is also remembered for ordering a definitive English translation of the
Bible. The
Authorized King James Bible
of 1611 remained the standard text until it
was revised in the 1880s. When James died in 1625 he was succeeded by his son
Charles I, who attempted to bypass Parliament, taxed people to the hilt, and—his
worst mistake—favored high-church Anglicanism (closely aligned to his French wife's
Catholicism) while remaining deeply suspicious of Puritan Protestants. He alienated
politicians and subjects of every persuasion. Then he tried to take control of the army.
No wonder civil war broke out.
The English Civil War was in fact a series of wars from 1642-46, with the Royalist
supporters mainly in the north and west, and the Parliamentary supporters in the
south and east. Ironically, they also had the backing of the Scots because of his anti-
Puritanism. Charles eventually tried to make an alliance with the Scots, but they
handed him to the Parliamentarians who decided the only way to prevent more war
was to execute him. In 1649 he was beheaded outside the Banqueting House in
London's
Whitehall
(p. 83).
The Civil War is often referred to as the English Revolution. Certainly the follow-
ing 11 years make up the only period in which England and Wales have been repub-
lics. The decision to execute Charles came after “purging” Parliament of his
sympathizers, but it shocked the public and many of the nobility—in fact it shocked
most of Europe.
Oliver Cromwell, a Member of Parliament and gentleman farmer from Cam-
bridgeshire, had created a New Model Army during the Civil War and remained at
the head of the new Commonwealth's army. He crushed all rebellions, notably in
Ireland. The Scottish were furious with England for executing their king, and when
his son Charles arrived from Europe, they crowned him Charles II and sent him with
an army to invade England. Charles II got all the way to
Worcester
(p. 476) before
Cromwell defeated his troops, but Charles famously escaped by hiding in a hollow
tree and fleeing to France.
Many people in England and Wales wanted Charles as their king, too, but in
1653 Cromwell dismissed Parliament and became Lord Protector, a military dicta-
tor with puritan leanings. He shut theatres, closed inns to discourage drinking,
and banned most sports—outlawing them completely on Sundays. He is even
accused of “killing Christmas” by sending soldiers out to prevent celebrations
involving raucous eating and drinking.
So it was a relief to most people when Cromwell died in 1658, even though his son
Richard succeeded him. Richard didn't last long, though, and by 1660 Charles II was
king of England and Wales, as well as Scotland. One of the first things he did was
order that Cromwell should be dug up and his corpse put on trial. It was found guilty
and hanged, with his head cut off and put on display.
The Restoration (1660-89)
Among the still-extant legacies of Cromwell's Commonwealth are a deep-seated
unease about military rule and a religious tolerance colored by a suspicion of extrem-
ism. But the Restoration was notable primarily for its revelry, and at times shocking,
licentiousness.
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