" The Civil War"

The Civil War:

During the 17th century, Britain went throught a republican experiment that was to be reversed in 1660.

A- Who became king when James I died?

- Charles I (1600-1649) secceeded his father, James I, in 1625.

B- What did Charles I have to face (affrontare) when he bacame king?

-He could not avoid (evitare) direct confrontation with the Purtitan party ( partito), which had given rise ( dato luogo) to a social and political movement holding a considerable majority in Parliament, and whose members mainly belonged to the middle classes.

C- Who were the Puritans?

- Puritan was the name given to the more extreme Protestants within the Church of England who thought the English Reformation had not done enought to reform the doctrines and structure of the Church by eliminating every trace of Catholic influence. The Puritans eventually went on to attempt purification  of the self and society as well.(tentativo di purificazione di se stessi e della società).

D- Why did the Civil War break out?

-Puritans wanted a true balance of power between the king and Parliament, but Charles I firmly believed he was king by divine right (re per diritto divino). His reign was therefore troubled (perciò turbato) by a continuous clash with Parliament. In 1642 the king was asked to give up ( abbandonare) his command of the armed forces: he refused and the Civil War broke out.

E- What factions were involved in the war?

- The forces were divided into Royalists, who sided with the king, and supporters of Parliament, called Parliamentarians, led by Oliver Cromwell ( 1599-1658). The former let their hair grow long and were also known as " Cavaliers". They included the lords, the gentry ( piccola nobiltà) and officials of the Church of England. The latter were called " Roundheads" (teste rotonde) because they cosidered long hair sinful ( peccaminoso) and cut theirs short. London, the ports, the navy, the nwe gentry and small landowners, artisans and Puritans sided with Parliament.

F- How did the war end?

-The king was taken prisoner in 1647.

Cromwell took control of London and expelled or arrested more than 100 members of the house of lords. The remaining members voted for the execution of the king on 30th January 1649. After Charles I's execution, the monarchy was abolished and the country was ruled as a republic, known as " the Commonwealth" ( La Republica).

Insights:

(The British and the monarchy today)

In 21th century Britain there is a lively debate about whether it is in the country's interest to retain the monarchy. ( per interesse del paese= mantenere la monarchia). The monarchy's popularity has been declining in recent decades, and some of the younger generation have little regard for the royal family, raising questions over  how long it can exist in a rapidly changing world.( sta decadendo, le nuove generazioni hanno poco rispetto e si pongono domande su quanto possa resistere).

However, support for the monarchy is still very strong. In fact nearly 80% of those questioned in a telephone poll for the BBC said Britain should retain its monarchy. A separete poll (sondaggio)also suggested that most young people would keep the monarchy, despite more than in a referendum almost 70% of 18 to 24 years olds would vote to keep the royal family and only 16% would vote for a republic. The survey of 1004 people, commissioned by the BBC's Discovery Channel, found that over 80% thought that Prince William's wife, Catherine, has been a positive addition to the royal family.