Discuss the tension between England's absolutist monarchy and the conservative Protestant population and how this was reflected in the arts.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal answer should include:
- As in France, throughout the seventeenth century, the English monarchy sought to assert its absolute authority, although it did not ultimately manage to do so.
- After Charles I married Catholic Henrietta Maria, his reign was beset with religious controversy and civil war erupted.
- Led by Oliver Cromwell, the Puritans defeated and executed the king, and the divine right of kings was permanently suspended.
- Parliament enacted a Bill of Rights endorsing religious toleration, and a constitutional monarchy was established.
- The tension between the Catholic-leaning English monarchy and the Puritan-oriented Parliament was exacerbated by the flamboyant style of the court, which offended more austere Puritan tastes.
- The court style is embodied in Portrait of Charles I Hunting by Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck, which is the very embodiment of the Cavalier as the royalist supporters were known.