The Federalist Papers - Alexander Hamilton [336]
Federalist 26
p. 165. In England, for a long time after theNorman Conquest…: The Normans, who were descendants of Viking invaders of northwestern France, invaded and conquered England under the leadership of William of Normandy. The decisive event was William’s victory over Harold II at the battle of Hastings in 1066. Subsequently, William introduced the customs, laws, and language of Normandy into England.
p. 165. Charles IIhad, by his own authority…: Charles II (1630–1685) was king of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Son of Charles I, he sided with his father during the English Civil War and fled to France after the Parliamentary victory at Naseby (1645). Upon the execution of his father, he assumed the title of king and was crowned in Scotland in 1651. At the head of a Scottish army he marched into England but was decisively defeated by Cromwell at Worcester (1651) and forced once more to take refuge in France. Having grown weary of military dictatorship, the English invited Charles to return as king in 1660. Despite initial popular approval, however, Charles succeeded in alienating many by marrying a Catholic princess of Portugal (Catherine of Braganza), making war on Holland (1665–1667), and squabbling with Parliament. His troubled reign is especially noteworthy for the passage, in 1679, of the habeus corpus act, and the origination of the terms ‘whig’ and ‘tory’ to describe, respectively, opponents and partisans of the crown. When he died in 1685, he was without a legitimate heir, and the crown passed to his brother, James II.
p. 165. this numberJames IIincreased…: James II (1633–1701) was king of England from 1685 until 1688. The son of Charles I and younger brother of Charles II, he was taken prisoner by the Parliamentary forces (1646) during the English Civil War. Two years later, he escaped and took up residence in Paris. After the restoration of 1660, he returned to England where he became lord high admiral of the navy. He remained in this position until the Test Act of 1673 (barring Catholics and dissenters from public office) compelled his resignation. At the death of his brother, Charles II, in 1685, he ascended the throne, promising to maintain the Established Church. Despite such reassurances, however, popular opinion turned against him, particularly as it became clear that he remained loyal to Catholicism. Extreme and extra-legal measures taken to defeat an insurrection led by the Duke of Monmouth (1685) reinforced his image as a tyrant. When a son was born to the queen in 1688, popular forbearance, based on the expectation that the Protestant Mary, Princess of Orange, would inherit the crown, came to an end. William, Prince of Orange, accepted an invitation to assist the English people in deposing James, and William’s subsequent invasion was unopposed. James fled to France, only to return, with French troops, to Ireland. There, at the battle of the Boyne (1690) he was soundly defeated by William III and forced to resume his exile in France, where he died.
p. 165. it became an article of theBill of Rightsthen framed…: The English Bill of Rights, enacted in 1689, established the supremacy of Parliament and ended the centuries-long struggle between Parliament and the English monarchy. The provisions, responding to abuses of royal power charged against the Stuart kings, included parliamentary approval for taxation, suspension of law, and raising of armies. In addition, the document delineated the order of succession to the throne-barring Catholics—and guaranteed free parliamentary elections and procedures.
Federalist 29
p. 179. that there is nowhere any provision…for requiring the aid of thePOSSE COMITATUS: The inhabitants of a locality summoned by the sheriff in order to preserve the