The history of many countries in Asia, Africa and Europe is interconnected. For several centuries, the European colonialists used to subjugate different nations thousands of kilometers away from their own lands and pillage their riches and resources on gun-point.
Kings and queens have been the symbol of totalitarianism and despotism, hence their lack of popularity and repute among masses. Today, among almost 40 countries that are ruled by royal system of government, Britain has an especial status. It is due to the long colonialist record of this country which has given it the epithet of the Dotard Colonialist. Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning British monarch. The 60th anniversary of her rule is a good opportunity to cast a brief look at the monarchic rule in Britain across centuries. This will be dwelt upon in 6 episodes.
In the northwest of Europe, there is an island called Britain or United Kingdom. In the old times, there used to live uncultured and uncivilized ethnicities in this land. These people were called Berbers by Romans. They were the colonies of the Roman empire for centuries. In late 9thcentury AD, a native called Alfred gathered the scattered people under a single flag and styled himself as Alfred the Great. He was the first English king who was actually the king of Wessex. Two centuries later, the Norman ethnicities of North France led by William the Conqueror, conquered England and set up a new rule there. Normans caused civilization and relative stability enter England. But this didn't last long. Within less than 80 years, the English were involved in an infight to seize the throne and civil war broke out. This civil war lasted for 18 months and thousands of people were killed. Shortly after, with restoration of stability in the country, Richard I left for Crusades to take part in the occupation of Palestine. During the 13thcentury, the English landowners who were composed of Barons and aristocrats, rebelled against the king and limited his power. This was the start of Constitutional system in England, yet, the English continued their life in war and bloodshed. This state of rebellion and unrest persisted till the time when William Wallace, one of the main leaders of the Scottish independence, was executed very brutally in London in 1305. The English government agents tied him with ropes and tore his body into four pieces among the people's loud applause. This was a very common way of execution in England.
The British expanded sailing and trade in the 16th century. The benefits of these trades soon turned into a tool of colonization. The trend of pillaging the riches and resources of different nations in Asia, Africa and America totally changed the conditions of Britain. This increased the power of kings and, with the help of the church, they attained a halo of sacredness. With the coronation in 1625 of Charles I, who believed in absolute monarchy, the king was believed to be beyond any rule and any opposition against him was contrary to the will of God. His rule was simultaneous with civil war. In 1649, Charles I was put on trial and executed by the representatives of parliament. The leader of opposition was one of the MPs called Oliver Cromwell. After the execution of Charles I, the royal regime ceased to exist for a while and it was replaced by a republic system led by Cromwell. This was the only time in which republicanism was successful in Britain. Later on, Cromwell's system collapsed and the British reinstated Charles' son to the throne.
Cromwell's act was considered such a grave treason that his corpse was taken out of the grave and his skull was separated from his body. However, the republican aspirations never perished in Britain. The French revolution invigorated republican zeal in the country as a result of which the parliament approved the so-called Treason Felony Act in 1848. The full name of this act was "An Act for the better Security of the Crown and Government of the United Kingdom". According to this act, any endeavour for overthrowing the monarchy and changing the royal system was considered as "illegal" and the convicts would be sentenced to life in prison or exiled to Australia which wasn't that different from prison. Interestingly, this law was valid for more than 150 years (2003).
No comments:
Post a Comment