It Took A Civil War, But It's Finally Over! Quiz

Answer: True

The religious issues in England that began with the Reformation were not put to rest with the church reforms of Elizabeth I. Her successor, James I, had been financially extravagant and therefore, at odds with Parliament from time to time, but he had provided for the translation of the King James Bible, and was viewed as a generally likeable person.

Not only that, but he was a Protestant, and had married a Protestant, Anne of Denmark. His son, Charles I, on the other hand, found resistance in Parliament to his marriage to a Roman Catholic princess, and he also encountered opposition to his appointment of William Laud as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Many believed Laud was reintroducing elements of Catholicism to the Church of England and the Church of Scotland.

In addition, Charles I did not get along with Parliament, especially over the issue of taxation. After being forced to sign the Petition of Right, which, among other points, limited his power to tax, Charles I sent the members of Parliament home, ruling without their advice for twelve years.

There were consequences to that action, however, as the group that Charles I called into session in 1640 to ask for funds to end the Bishop's War in Scotland was not willing to be generous. After dismissing the "Short Parliament", Charles once again found himself needing funds. The subsequent "Long Parliament" that was called into session was not willing to be cordial. Religion was not the only issue, but it was an issue. The warrant ordering the king's death was signed in 1648, and the execution was carried out in 1649.

Answer: Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland

After the death of the king, England was proclaimed to be a republic and was called a Commonwealth. Parliament was still in existence, and held both legislative and executive powers. There was also a Council of State that held executive powers as well. Cromwell was a member of both groups, and was chosen to lead an invasion against a Royalist army that had been established in Ireland; his invasion is said to have been especially brutal, as he hated the Irish Catholics.

The Act for the Settlement of Ireland of 1652 gave all Catholic-owned land to English and Scottish settlers. Next Cromwell turned his attention to Scotland, where the exiled Charles II had landed and been declared king.

Answer: Puritan

Interestingly, Cromwell's grandfather, Sir Henry Williams, apparently benefited greatly from Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, and there was some wealth in Cromwell's family. There really isn't much written about his early life, but apparently at one point he went through a personal crisis.

He consulted a physician for what would now be called depression. A few years later, in a letter to his sister-in-law, he said that he was "the chief of sinners". It appears that he was a committed Puritan by 1636, and had established connections with other leading Puritan families.

Answer: To promote spiritual and moral reform.

Cromwell wanted to "heal the wounds" in England; he knew that killing Charles I had been a controversial move, and that his government had been established on shaky ground. Upon returning from Scotland, Cromwell wanted Parliament to pass legislation to unite England, Scotland, and Ireland, and establish one national Church.

He also asked Parliament to set up a caretaker government and dissolve itself, however when Parliament refused, Cromwell dissolved the group.

Answer: Barebones Parliament

Praise-God Barebone was the nominee for the group from London. A leather-seller and a preacher, he was also a member of the Fifth Monarchy Men, a group active during the Commonwealth period. They believed in the prophecy in the Book of Daniel, which stated that four ancient monarchies (Babylonian, Persian, Macedonian, and Rome) would precede the kingdom of Christ.

They also noted that the year 1666 was related to the Number of the Beast. Many members of this group were directly involved with the English Civil War, and the execution of the king.

The Parliament was named after Barebone because the overall tone of the group was said to be like him - low born, Puritan, and lacking political experience. However, that was not the case. Most of the members of the group were among the wealthiest in England, and they were not all considered to be religious radicals.

A look at the membership of the group suggests that approximately half were moderates, a quarter were radicals, and the rest cannot be identified or did not participate actively in the assembly.

It appears that the Barebones Parliament decided to dissolve itself at about the same time Cromwell decided it was time to send the representatives home. This action led to the formation of the Protectorate, during which time Cromwell ruled.

Answer: True

Committees were set up to judge if preachers and teachers were upholding the moral standards expected by the Puritans. If someone was found wanting, he was simply replaced. England was divided into sectors with a major-general in charge who was closely overseen by Cromwell; he called these people "godly governors".

Their duties were to keep the peace in their sector, watch over the behavior of the people who lived there, and enforce Cromwell's laws.

Answer: Any of the statements describes changes in life under Cromwell.

Cromwell believed that people should live their lives according to the Bible, and that everyone in England should follow his ways. One day a month was set aside for fasting in an effort to keep people focused on religion and going to heaven. Walking to church was acceptable on Sunday, but walking for enjoyment was not allowed. Any unnecessary work or activity done on the Sabbath was banned.

A woman who did unnecessary work could find herself with time in the stocks; boys who played football could be whipped. People who were caught swearing were punished by a fine, but if they continued, they could be sent to prison.

In addition, entertainment that was considered useless or immoral, such as going to the theater or playing sports, was forbidden on any day of the week.

Answer: Goose

There are some sites that claim that all of the prohibitions were not Cromwell's doing - that in 1642, for example, Parliament had requested and Charles I had agreed that the last Wednesday of the month should be a fast day. During the time after Charles' death, the government was controlled more and more by the "godly".

While this may be true, one should be reminded, perhaps, that Cromwell was the leader of this group. They believed that people spent too much time eating and drinking during the Christmas holiday, overindulging and getting drunk instead of thinking about the birth of Christ. Englishmen were not allowed to adorn their homes with traditional decorations, or cook traditional foods. Soldiers who smelled a goose cooking had permission to confiscate it - by force if necessary! It may have been that those who followed Cromwell were put off by the fact that they believed celebrating Christmas was "popish", and they detested anything that seemed Roman Catholic!

Answer: The Restoration

Cromwell's "Godly Republic" had come to an end. Although he had declined the offer of kingship, he did ask to name his successor, who turned out to be his son, Richard. Richard, however, resigned his office in less than a year, and Charles II was asked to return to England as king. One of his first acts as king was to secure the passage of the "Indemnity and Oblivion Act", which pardoned most acts of treason, with the exception of those who had committed regicide by killing Charles I and a few others. Those who had signed the death warrant, including Oliver Cromwell, were to be punished. To mark the tenth anniversary of the execution of his father, Charles II ordered that Cromwell's body be exhumed. His head was displayed on a pike for several years after, and to this day, there is discussion as to what really happened to his body. The Restoration also saw the final abolition of feudal land tenure in England and Wales under the Tenures Abolition Act (1660).

With the restoration of the king, life in England returned to what it had been like before the civil war. The Church of England was restored as the national church in England. Theaters reopened. Life was grand - until the ascension of Charles II's younger brother, who became James II. When he became king he issued the Declaration of Indulgence, which is basically viewed as the first step to recognizing freedom of religion in England. Many opposed the measure because, first, by issuing the law, James II had overridden Parliament's affirmation of a state church, appearing to move once more toward absolute monarchy. Secondly, because the law was so broad, it granted freedom of religion to, well, anyone. Giving religious freedom to Roman Catholics and Protestant groups that were considered to be subversive was viewed as going just too far.

Answer: Bill of Rights of 1689

Before William and Mary could take office, certain conditions had to be met. In short, they had to agree to NOT do the things that James II did that were seen as abuses of power. With the limitations of power in place, a new constitutional monarchy was born in England.

In May of 1689 Parliament issued the Toleration Act, which granted religious freedom to Nonconformists, such as Baptists and Congregationalists, as long as they took an oath of allegiance; it did not apply to Roman Catholics. Even though the Anglican Church was recognized as the state church of England, it was finally understood that the religious beliefs of the ruler could not be forced upon his subjects.