The civil wars and the Revolution of 1688

The first civil war that ravages England in 1642 opposes two camps: on the one hand, the King's supporters, mostly noblemen and Anglicans called Cavaliers, and, on the other, those of Parliament, on the other, members of the “ gentry ” and the lower middle class, often of puritanical beliefs, called “Roundheads” in reference to the cropped hair typical of their religion. For several years, relations between King and Parliament were greatly strained. Wishing to rule as absolute monarchs, but lacking the stature, the first two Stuarts, James I followed by his brother Charles I, provoked violent opposition among the members of parliament. By his attitude Charles I, even more absolutist and a more militant Anglican than his predecessor, finally triggered the hostilities. His ineptitude and his disrespect with regard to Parliament reach the point of no return as conflicts intensify in Ireland and Scotland where Charles I has raised taxes in an illegal manner. After fruitless talks civil war explodes. If the royalists seem at first better armed in this fight, the defenders of Parliament facing them have strong religious convictions and a total faith in their leader: the very puritanical Oliver Cromwell. This conflict that ravages England until 1646 ends with the victory of the parliamentarians, but flares up again in 1648, and ends with the execution of King Charles I.
More than a civil war, it is in fact a true revolution, since the régime changes from a monarchy to a form of republic, a unique event in the history of England. The following years see the establishment of a new type of government led by Cromwell. However the execution of Charles I made him a martyr king and Cromwell doesn't succeed in implanting a satisfactory republic in his country. He is called a dictator, Parliament is too demanding and the Puritan religion that is imposed is extremely stern and strict. With the end of this republic, England is thankful to regain a King in 1660. Unfortunately Charles II followed by his brother James II, succeed each other having failed to grasp the basic elements of this revolution and the deep changes in English society. They both hope to return to an absolutism based on divine right. Moreover James II is a Catholic, and the people, having become mostly Anglican, don't wish to see a Catholic lineage on the throne. Therefore in 1688 another revolution takes place. If it is less spectacular, of shorter duration than the first and not completely overthrowing the ruling power, it nonetheless marks a definitive change in the English monarchical régime.
Indeed, in order to topple him from the throne the opponents of James II go to his son-in-law William III, Prince of Holland, to hand him and his wife Mary the crown, imposing new and quite exceptional conditions.
These sovereigns are no longer absolute monarchs. By passing the Bill of Rights in 1689, the English institute a government with a monarchy of limited powers, notably decreeing that Parliament decides the succession to the throne which is no longer hereditary. Also referred to as the “Glorious Revolution”, the event allows England, at the end of the 17th century, to undertake profound changes in her institutions one hundred years before her French neighbour.