The Stuart monarchs, from James I onwards, were less successful than the
Tudors. They quarrelled with Parliament and this resulted in civil war. The
only king of England ever to be tried and executed was a Stuart. The republic
that followed was even more unsuccessful, and by popular demand the dead king's
son was called back to the throne. Another Stuart king was driven from his
throne by his own daughter and her Dutch husband, William of Orange. William
became king by Parliament's election, not by right of birth. When the last
Stuart, Queen Anne, died in 1714, the monarchy was no longer absolutely
powerful as it had been when James VI rode south from Scotland in 1603. It had
become a "parliamentary monarchy" controlled by a constitution.
These important changes did not take place simply because the Stuarts
were bad rulers. They resulted from a basic change in society. During the
seventeenth century economic power moved even faster into the hands of the
merchant and landowning farmer classes. The Crown could no longer raise money
or govern without their cooperation. These groups were represented by the
House of Commons. In return for money the Commons demanded political power. The
victory of the Commons and the classes it represented was unavoidable.
