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The Trial Of Charles Ⅰ And The Change Of English Views On The Kingship

Posted on:2012-11-07Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:F Q GuoFull Text:PDF
GTID:1116330344451813Subject:World History
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The trial of Charles I is an important political event in the climax of English civil war. Basing on the context and proceedings of the trial of Charles I as well as its political and cultural effects, this dissertation is to investigate the change of primary political groups'views about the kingship after the trial. The period of the investigation is from English Reformation to Commonwealth and Free State.This dissertation includes introduction, text and conclusion. The introduction focuses on two problems. The first one is the historiography concerning with the trial of Charles I. According to the characteristics of the research in different stages, the historiography on this subject may be divided into two phases, these are, the period of subjective narration and the period of investigational, analytical and diverse research. The second one is on several problems relative to the subject, such as, the frame, the datum, and the period of the research, the definition of civil war and the view of the kingship.The main body consists of three chapters. The first chapter explores the historical context of the trial of Charles I from the point of the theory and political practice. The first section discusses absolute kingship theory and unorthodox theories about kingship, the fore of which says the sovereignty belongs to princes, emphasizes the god-given kingship, kings do no wrong, and no-resisting tyrant, and the latter of which stress that people have the original sovereign power, embodying as contract theory, popular sovereignty theory and resist theory. The unorthodox theories about kingship are on the fringe of the political culture in the early modern English, but offer theoretic foundation to the trial of Charles I. The second and third sections investigates the political practices of king-in-parliament concept in Tudor and early Stuart England. The concept of king-in-parliament which is the product of English Reformation has its own tense which requests kings and subjects must carry out harmonious government. However, James I and Charles I broke the harmony gradually in their rules, accordingly, their subjects'manners of expressing their complaints developed from the initial petitions to trialing the evil minister, which piles up political and judicial experiences for the trial of Charles I.The chapter three investigates the comprehension of the both sides in English civil war about "prince's two bodies" and their discussion on "the man of blood". The two camps in war have different understandings about "prince's two bodies", but after their attacks and contradicting to each other, Charles I descend to be a natural man, which provides a theoretic opportunity to further condemning Charles I. What's the further is that, their discussion on "the man of blood" deprives the divine essence of Charles I, "evil king" and "blood guilty" make the trial of Charles I reasonable and legal.The third chapter demonstrates and comments the debates before the trial, the proceedings of the trial and its political and cultural influences. In the trial of Charles I, the new view of kingship and the old one have a violent contest, the fore attaches importance to the people-given kingship whose bases are popular sovereignty and contract theory, the latter stresses god-given kingship whose main contents are designation theory and patriarchalism. The end of the trial doesn't finish the rivalry of two views of kingship, by the contrary, they continue. As a result, the new view of kingship is improved to the leading language. The trial and execution of Charles I inspire people's adoration to monarchy. However, the transforms of the viewes about kingship have its imprints in the reviviscence of the tradition.The conclusion sums up the whole dissertation. Before and after the trial of Charles I, English views to kingship experienced the following changes:the image of the monarch induces from divine to temporal. Although it becomes divine after the trial, its fall is true. The authority and sovereignty of the monarch transform from divine and undivisible to mixed kingship (king-in-parliament), and to popular sovereignty. The changes of English views toward kingship and the trial of Charles I are interactional. The new view of kingship offers theory weapon to the trial of Charles I and defends it. On the other hand, the latter carries out the new view of kingship, and strengthens its role in early modern English political culture.
Keywords/Search Tags:England, The trial of CharlesⅠ, Views toward kingship
PDF Full Text Request
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