Stuarts and Parliament.

In the 1640s and 1680s members of Parliament struggled with the ruling monarchs, the Stuarts, over the relative powers of Parliament and monarch and the king's subjection to the laws of the land. The first struggle ended with the English Civil War, won by a Puritan-dominated Parliament which executed Charles I for treason in 1649. But rule without a monarch proved awkward, and the Stuarts were restored to the throne in 1660. The Restoration left many issues unresolved, as became all too clear when in 1685 Charles II died and was succeeded by his Roman Catholic brother James II. In 1688 Parliament forced James to abandon the throne, and they installed Prince William of Orange (the Netherlands) and his wife, Mary (James's daughter), as monarchs, an action afterward known as the Glorious Revolution.

Statement of Principles.

Parliament enacted in 1689 a statement of...