How was the English (17th and 18th cen.) government tyranical?

Answer 1

The English governments of the 17th and 18th centuries would have been called tyrannical by their enemies, especially in reference to the particular English monarch.

In the 17th century, England experience great political turmoil from the English Civil War. The country was divided between those who supported a parliamentary representative government, and those who supported the monarchy. The English king, Charles I, was a devout believer in the Divine Right of Kings, and believed the only power above that of the monarch, was God. When Charles attempted to levy taxes and govern the kingdom according to his own personal whim, Parliament countered, and rising disagreements and hostilities eventually gave way to the English Civil War.

Charles I was beheaded by the victorious Parliamentary government in January 1649. Their excuse was they were preserving the country from tyranny.

The English Monarchy was restored only 11 years later. But in 1688, Charles I's son, James II, was threatening to do the same as his father. Along with attempting to overrule parliamentary legislation, James was also a devout Catholic, and England at the time was terrified of having a Catholic monarch on the throne, fearing the kingdom would be thrown into a period religious turmoil similar to the Tudor Era.

The English secretly invited William of Orange and his wife Mary Stuart (daughter of James II) to invade England; promising support against James if they invaded. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 saw the overthrow of Absolute Monarchy and tyranny in Britain, and the establishment of a Constitutional Monarchy. All British monarchs after the Glorious Revolution have been Constitutional monarchs.

In the 18th Century, the British Crown was passed to the Hanoverian Dynasty, as the Stuart Dynasty died out with the death of Queen Anne in 1714.

The British Government had been preparing for the event for some time, as they feared the potential return of Anne's Catholic relatives to the throne. The Act of Settlement of 1701 settled the succession on Anne's closest Protestant relative, Sophia of Hanover, and her heirs, so that no Catholic could claim the British throne.

The Hanoverian decendents of Sophia were all the kings of the 18th century: George I, II, III, and IV, and William IV. The British government of the 18th century is most famously remembered as being tyrannical under George III during the American Revolution, which had its origins in Parliaments taxation of the American colonists without their consent in Parliament.

Hope all this helps,
Peace.

Answer 2

You cannot lump the English Governments of the 17th and 18th century together. For a start, by 1707 and the Act of Union there was no 'English' Government but a government of the United Kingdom. Things changed considerably over those 200 years. The 17th century saw a constant struggle between Parliament and the King(s) over who should exercise real power. By 1688 and the 'Glorious Revolution' Parliament had, to all intents and purposes, won and by the early 18th century we see the beginning of the modern system with the 1st prime Minister (Robert Walpole) and a Cabinet. The 18th century governments were oligarchies, but certainly not tyrannies. The establishment knew exactly how far to go - why do you think Great Britain avoided a revolution during the 18th century (and indeed, the 19th)

Answer 3

Tyrannical? With freedom of speech, habeas corpus and no police force? Come off it!
Admittedly, free speech only came along in the 1690s and habeas corpus in 1679, but before 1642 there wasn't even an army.
Yes, much LESS tyrannical than France where all printing had to be licensed and one could be clapped into prison indefinitely on the nod of a king.

Answer 4

No more or no less than any other european country at that point. The (heridatary & elitist) house of lords and the house of commons shared power 50% to 50%. Only the very rich could vote. The monarch, until perhaps the twentieth century, had amazing power in his arms.