Stuart Britain
Charles and parliament 1625-29:
The 1625 parliament:
When Charles succeeded to the throne in March 1625, he found an empty Treasury
and dwindling credit, thus Charles had to face a parliament
The Commons refused to grant Charles the right to collect an excise tax, Tonnage
and Poundage for life – they suggested the grant should be made for a year so he
would be forced to call a parliament regularly
Catholic wife and Queen – brought her own court of Catholic advisers
Charles showed religious sympathies by promoting Arminian clergy in the Church
and offering a position at court to Arminians such as Richard Montagu
The planned war had led to conscription and the forced billeting of troops in
people’s houses
Late 1625 a naval expedition was sent to attack Cadiz in Spain – they were poorly
trained and poorly equipped and badly led by Buckingham’s nominee – it failed
completely
Commons began discussing impeachments against Buckingham – Charles dissolved
parliament
The 1626 parliament and prerogative rule:
Charles called another parliament in early 1626. They continued impeachments on
Buckingham
Charles was forced to dissolve parliament without any grant of taxation in order to stop the
process of impeachment
Charles responded by demanding a forced loan from all tax payers – any who refused
payment would be imprisoned or conscripted
1627 – Five Knights Case – refused to pay the loan and were imprisoned. They sued for
release under habeas corpus (prisoner has the right to go to court and demand the reason
for their detention). They were refused the opportunity to go to court because the king had
claimed a right to an emergency power of arrest. Result of this case was a major
confrontation
1628-29:
Charles summoned another parliament to provide funds for the desperate need for national
defence. War with France and a failed attempt to support a Protestant rebellion in La
Rochelle. Being at war with both France and Spain, Charles had no choice but to seek
subsidies
The Commons voted five subsidies in taxation
They prepared the Petition of Right, offering it to the king asking him to reverse the decision
of the Five Knights Case. They demanded in future citizens would not be asked to pay forced
loans, imprisoned without trial, subjected to martial law or forced to provide free lodgings
for soldiers
Charles dissolves parliament because of their continuous complaints about Buckingham and
the promotion of Arminians in the Church
, Charles published a revised edition of the Petition that asserted his right to continue
collecting Tonnage and Poundage without a parliamentary grant. He also imprisoned any
merchant who refused
When Richard Chambers was granted bail by the common law courts, Charles had him
imprisoned by the Prerogative Court of the Star Chamber
He also appointed William Laud, an Arminian cleric, as Bishop of London
Buckingham was assassinated, Charles grieved but the public celebrated, as did parliament
when they reassembled in January 1629
Parliament began to look into breaches of the Petition and the treatment of merchants who
refused to pay Tonnage and Poundage. Charles dissolved parliament
Personal rule:
It appeared to some that Charles was seeking to create an absolute monarchy – that
his dissolution of parliament was an attempt to destroy parliament as an institution
an govern entirely by the authority of a divine right monarch
Parliamentary opponents were imprisoned
The first few years of personal rule were remarkably calm and orderly. Charles
proved to be an effective ruler, devoting many hours to the daily business of
government and meeting regularly with a Privy Council led by two efficient
administrators, William Laud who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633 and Sir
Thomas Wentworth, later Lord Strafford
1630 – Charles signed treaty of Madrid – ending hostilities with Spain – this reduced
his annual spending from £500,000 in 1625-29 to less than £70,000 in the 1630s
Charles reorganised the management of Crown lands, adding new impositions to
Tonnage and Poundage and reviving a number of feudal payments and the practice
of selling monopoly licences
Establishment of an annual levy of Ship Money across the country, eventually worth
about £200,000 a year to the Exchequer – highly controversial
John Hampden case – challenged the legality of Ship Money and refused to pay. His
trial became a test case on the legality of Ship Money, which was upheld by 7 of the
12 judges, public opinion was alarmed by the verdict, which confirmed that the king
could raise taxation without parliamentary approval
The king would not need to recall a parliament if he could get money himself
Distraint of knighthood – everyone with land worth over £40 per year were
expected to be knighted by the monarch. If they failed to present themselves, they
would be fined. Over 9000 individuals were charged thus a way for Charles to gain
money
Charles continued to impose Arminianism through Laud. The key measures of
Laudianism focused on the ‘beauty of holiness’ through the wearing of vestments
and the use of music, candles and altar cloths. To ensure conformity, these
measures were enforced through the church courts. Bishops’ representatives
reported which churches were conforming and brought any offenders before church
courts
Initially there was little opposition to Laudianism. Those who opposed were a
minority, predominantly the more radical Puritans.
, In 1637, Charles decided to impose the Laudian Prayer Book on Presbyterian
Scotland, without consulting the Scottish parliament, widespread rioting broke out
and in 1638 many nobles and clergy signed the National Covenant, swearing to resist
all changes to the Scottish Kirk.
The Bishops’ Wars that followed were inconclusive; the Scots were well organised
and motivated, whereas Charles had insufficient funds to pay for his military
campaigns
In 1640 Charles called a parliament to finance an army to crush the Scots. This ‘Short
Parliament’ only lasted three weeks before it was dissolved by Charles who refused
MPs demands to remove Laudianism and end the practice of feudal dues before
they would grant funds. This lack of finance undermined his attack against the
Scottish forces of the National Covenant
In August 1640 the Scots invaded Newcastle. Charles was forced to negotiate with
the Scots and agreed they could keep Newcastle until a settlement was reached.
Charles agreed to pay the Scots £850 a day until there was a settlement. The ‘Long
Parliament’ met in November
Failure to compromise:
When the Long Parliament assembled, Pym and his allies were ready to seize the
opportunity. The group that led the opposition was known as ‘Pym’s Junto’.
The early months of the parliament saw the arrest and impeachments of Laud and Strafford,
steps to forbid the financial strategies used by Charles to raise money outside parliament,
and the passing of two Acts to ensure the future security of parliaments.
In February 1641, parliament introduced the Triennial Act, which obliged Charles to call a
parliament at least once every 3 years
Divisions among MPs began to emerge over the following areas:
- Root and Branch Petition, December 1640 – this petition from 15,000 London Puritans,
supported by John Pym, called for the removal of bishops from the church.
Conservatives viewed this as a threat to established order
- Bill of Attainder, May 1641 – used in parliament by Pym to justify the execution of
Wentworth, Earl of Stafford. A Bill of Attainder needed less evidence to convict someone
if they were regarded as a threat to the state. Conservatives worried that using such a
device was bending the law in a way that was as much a threat to the constitution as
Charles’ actions
- Militia Bill, November 1641 – proposed that parliament should control any army used to
crush the Irish rebellion that began in October 1641. Conservatives regarded this as a
direct threat to the most important royal prerogative – command of the armed forces
- Grand Remonstrance, November 1641 – Pym, in order to persuade the wavering MPs to
pass the Militia Bill, produced a document listing Charles’ faults since 1625 and thus
reasons why he could not be trusted with armed forces. The moderates in the Commons
saw little point in dragging up old grievances which had been resolved by legislation
already passed. They also disliked the way the Remonstrance was not addressed to the
king but seemed to be an appeal to the people
Most MPs regarded these as examples of increasing and dangerous radicalism. The reaction
to Pym and his supporter became known as constitutional royalism, a number of moderates
prepared to support royalism as a source of order and stability. This helped create the two
sides necessary for civil war.
, In January 1642, Charles tried to arrest his five leading parliamentary opponents, accusing
them of seeking to subvert the laws and government of England and encouraging the Scots
to invade England. The five members had been forewarned and fled. The attempt to arrest
the Five Members proved the final straw for the parliamentary opposition and highlighted
how the king could no longer be trusted and that he was determined to restore his authority
by force
The Commons and Lords passed the Militia Bill, taking away the king’s right to control the
army
In June 1642, the Commons presented the Nineteen Propositions. These included:
- The Lord and Commons should approve all Privy Councillors
- Laws against Jesuits and recusants should be enforced
- The militia should be placed under parliamentary control
- There should be sweeping reform of the church
- Parliament should supervise the upbringing and marriage of Charles’ children
Attempts at compromise had broken down; in July parliament voted to raise an army; in
response, in August Charles raised his standard and declared war on parliament
The First Civil War:
1642 – Charles was in a strong position at the outbreak of the war. He had the support of
most of the nobility and the gentry, and many royalist generals were professional soldiers
who had fought in the Thirty years War. The first major battle at Edgehill in Warwickshire,
did not give either sides a clear victory but allowed Royalists to march south, hoping to take
London. The King’s armies were held up at Turnham Green by as large band of volunteers
who prevented the royalists from taking the capital
1643 – royalist forces were organised to attack London from the north, the south-west and
the west. However, parliament’s control of the nay thwarted this plan. The naval bases of
Hull, Plymouth and Gloucester provided strongholds for parliamentary forces and deterred
royalist commanders from moving against London
1644 – Parliament’s control of superior finances and resources helped in their favour. In
1643, the Scots had concluded the Solemn League and Covenant, promising parliament help
from the Scottish army. The second major battle of the war at Marston Moor in Yorkshire
was a comprehensive victory for the parliamentary forces
1645 – two significant developments confirmed the growing strength of the parliamentary
position:
- Under the Self-Denying Ordinance, all members of parliament agreed to resign their
military commands and were replaced by generals of proven military ability
- Parliamentary forces were reorganised into a single army, the New Model Army. It
was placed under the command of a professional soldier, Sir Thomas Fairfax, with
Oliver Cromwell given command of the cavalry
The New Model Army was crucial in parliament’s conduct of the war. In the final key battle
of the war, at Naseby in June, royalist forces were completely overwhelmed. During the rest
of the year the New Model Army defeated royalist forces in the west and south-west.
1646 – as royalist forces lost ground throughout the country, Charles left his stronghold at
Oxford and surrendered to the Scots. Oxford fell to parliamentary forces in June, bringing
the First Civil War to an end
In 1646 the Political Presbyterians sought a compromise with the Newcastle Propositions.
These included:
- The office of bishop in the Anglican Church was to be abolished
Charles and parliament 1625-29:
The 1625 parliament:
When Charles succeeded to the throne in March 1625, he found an empty Treasury
and dwindling credit, thus Charles had to face a parliament
The Commons refused to grant Charles the right to collect an excise tax, Tonnage
and Poundage for life – they suggested the grant should be made for a year so he
would be forced to call a parliament regularly
Catholic wife and Queen – brought her own court of Catholic advisers
Charles showed religious sympathies by promoting Arminian clergy in the Church
and offering a position at court to Arminians such as Richard Montagu
The planned war had led to conscription and the forced billeting of troops in
people’s houses
Late 1625 a naval expedition was sent to attack Cadiz in Spain – they were poorly
trained and poorly equipped and badly led by Buckingham’s nominee – it failed
completely
Commons began discussing impeachments against Buckingham – Charles dissolved
parliament
The 1626 parliament and prerogative rule:
Charles called another parliament in early 1626. They continued impeachments on
Buckingham
Charles was forced to dissolve parliament without any grant of taxation in order to stop the
process of impeachment
Charles responded by demanding a forced loan from all tax payers – any who refused
payment would be imprisoned or conscripted
1627 – Five Knights Case – refused to pay the loan and were imprisoned. They sued for
release under habeas corpus (prisoner has the right to go to court and demand the reason
for their detention). They were refused the opportunity to go to court because the king had
claimed a right to an emergency power of arrest. Result of this case was a major
confrontation
1628-29:
Charles summoned another parliament to provide funds for the desperate need for national
defence. War with France and a failed attempt to support a Protestant rebellion in La
Rochelle. Being at war with both France and Spain, Charles had no choice but to seek
subsidies
The Commons voted five subsidies in taxation
They prepared the Petition of Right, offering it to the king asking him to reverse the decision
of the Five Knights Case. They demanded in future citizens would not be asked to pay forced
loans, imprisoned without trial, subjected to martial law or forced to provide free lodgings
for soldiers
Charles dissolves parliament because of their continuous complaints about Buckingham and
the promotion of Arminians in the Church
, Charles published a revised edition of the Petition that asserted his right to continue
collecting Tonnage and Poundage without a parliamentary grant. He also imprisoned any
merchant who refused
When Richard Chambers was granted bail by the common law courts, Charles had him
imprisoned by the Prerogative Court of the Star Chamber
He also appointed William Laud, an Arminian cleric, as Bishop of London
Buckingham was assassinated, Charles grieved but the public celebrated, as did parliament
when they reassembled in January 1629
Parliament began to look into breaches of the Petition and the treatment of merchants who
refused to pay Tonnage and Poundage. Charles dissolved parliament
Personal rule:
It appeared to some that Charles was seeking to create an absolute monarchy – that
his dissolution of parliament was an attempt to destroy parliament as an institution
an govern entirely by the authority of a divine right monarch
Parliamentary opponents were imprisoned
The first few years of personal rule were remarkably calm and orderly. Charles
proved to be an effective ruler, devoting many hours to the daily business of
government and meeting regularly with a Privy Council led by two efficient
administrators, William Laud who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633 and Sir
Thomas Wentworth, later Lord Strafford
1630 – Charles signed treaty of Madrid – ending hostilities with Spain – this reduced
his annual spending from £500,000 in 1625-29 to less than £70,000 in the 1630s
Charles reorganised the management of Crown lands, adding new impositions to
Tonnage and Poundage and reviving a number of feudal payments and the practice
of selling monopoly licences
Establishment of an annual levy of Ship Money across the country, eventually worth
about £200,000 a year to the Exchequer – highly controversial
John Hampden case – challenged the legality of Ship Money and refused to pay. His
trial became a test case on the legality of Ship Money, which was upheld by 7 of the
12 judges, public opinion was alarmed by the verdict, which confirmed that the king
could raise taxation without parliamentary approval
The king would not need to recall a parliament if he could get money himself
Distraint of knighthood – everyone with land worth over £40 per year were
expected to be knighted by the monarch. If they failed to present themselves, they
would be fined. Over 9000 individuals were charged thus a way for Charles to gain
money
Charles continued to impose Arminianism through Laud. The key measures of
Laudianism focused on the ‘beauty of holiness’ through the wearing of vestments
and the use of music, candles and altar cloths. To ensure conformity, these
measures were enforced through the church courts. Bishops’ representatives
reported which churches were conforming and brought any offenders before church
courts
Initially there was little opposition to Laudianism. Those who opposed were a
minority, predominantly the more radical Puritans.
, In 1637, Charles decided to impose the Laudian Prayer Book on Presbyterian
Scotland, without consulting the Scottish parliament, widespread rioting broke out
and in 1638 many nobles and clergy signed the National Covenant, swearing to resist
all changes to the Scottish Kirk.
The Bishops’ Wars that followed were inconclusive; the Scots were well organised
and motivated, whereas Charles had insufficient funds to pay for his military
campaigns
In 1640 Charles called a parliament to finance an army to crush the Scots. This ‘Short
Parliament’ only lasted three weeks before it was dissolved by Charles who refused
MPs demands to remove Laudianism and end the practice of feudal dues before
they would grant funds. This lack of finance undermined his attack against the
Scottish forces of the National Covenant
In August 1640 the Scots invaded Newcastle. Charles was forced to negotiate with
the Scots and agreed they could keep Newcastle until a settlement was reached.
Charles agreed to pay the Scots £850 a day until there was a settlement. The ‘Long
Parliament’ met in November
Failure to compromise:
When the Long Parliament assembled, Pym and his allies were ready to seize the
opportunity. The group that led the opposition was known as ‘Pym’s Junto’.
The early months of the parliament saw the arrest and impeachments of Laud and Strafford,
steps to forbid the financial strategies used by Charles to raise money outside parliament,
and the passing of two Acts to ensure the future security of parliaments.
In February 1641, parliament introduced the Triennial Act, which obliged Charles to call a
parliament at least once every 3 years
Divisions among MPs began to emerge over the following areas:
- Root and Branch Petition, December 1640 – this petition from 15,000 London Puritans,
supported by John Pym, called for the removal of bishops from the church.
Conservatives viewed this as a threat to established order
- Bill of Attainder, May 1641 – used in parliament by Pym to justify the execution of
Wentworth, Earl of Stafford. A Bill of Attainder needed less evidence to convict someone
if they were regarded as a threat to the state. Conservatives worried that using such a
device was bending the law in a way that was as much a threat to the constitution as
Charles’ actions
- Militia Bill, November 1641 – proposed that parliament should control any army used to
crush the Irish rebellion that began in October 1641. Conservatives regarded this as a
direct threat to the most important royal prerogative – command of the armed forces
- Grand Remonstrance, November 1641 – Pym, in order to persuade the wavering MPs to
pass the Militia Bill, produced a document listing Charles’ faults since 1625 and thus
reasons why he could not be trusted with armed forces. The moderates in the Commons
saw little point in dragging up old grievances which had been resolved by legislation
already passed. They also disliked the way the Remonstrance was not addressed to the
king but seemed to be an appeal to the people
Most MPs regarded these as examples of increasing and dangerous radicalism. The reaction
to Pym and his supporter became known as constitutional royalism, a number of moderates
prepared to support royalism as a source of order and stability. This helped create the two
sides necessary for civil war.
, In January 1642, Charles tried to arrest his five leading parliamentary opponents, accusing
them of seeking to subvert the laws and government of England and encouraging the Scots
to invade England. The five members had been forewarned and fled. The attempt to arrest
the Five Members proved the final straw for the parliamentary opposition and highlighted
how the king could no longer be trusted and that he was determined to restore his authority
by force
The Commons and Lords passed the Militia Bill, taking away the king’s right to control the
army
In June 1642, the Commons presented the Nineteen Propositions. These included:
- The Lord and Commons should approve all Privy Councillors
- Laws against Jesuits and recusants should be enforced
- The militia should be placed under parliamentary control
- There should be sweeping reform of the church
- Parliament should supervise the upbringing and marriage of Charles’ children
Attempts at compromise had broken down; in July parliament voted to raise an army; in
response, in August Charles raised his standard and declared war on parliament
The First Civil War:
1642 – Charles was in a strong position at the outbreak of the war. He had the support of
most of the nobility and the gentry, and many royalist generals were professional soldiers
who had fought in the Thirty years War. The first major battle at Edgehill in Warwickshire,
did not give either sides a clear victory but allowed Royalists to march south, hoping to take
London. The King’s armies were held up at Turnham Green by as large band of volunteers
who prevented the royalists from taking the capital
1643 – royalist forces were organised to attack London from the north, the south-west and
the west. However, parliament’s control of the nay thwarted this plan. The naval bases of
Hull, Plymouth and Gloucester provided strongholds for parliamentary forces and deterred
royalist commanders from moving against London
1644 – Parliament’s control of superior finances and resources helped in their favour. In
1643, the Scots had concluded the Solemn League and Covenant, promising parliament help
from the Scottish army. The second major battle of the war at Marston Moor in Yorkshire
was a comprehensive victory for the parliamentary forces
1645 – two significant developments confirmed the growing strength of the parliamentary
position:
- Under the Self-Denying Ordinance, all members of parliament agreed to resign their
military commands and were replaced by generals of proven military ability
- Parliamentary forces were reorganised into a single army, the New Model Army. It
was placed under the command of a professional soldier, Sir Thomas Fairfax, with
Oliver Cromwell given command of the cavalry
The New Model Army was crucial in parliament’s conduct of the war. In the final key battle
of the war, at Naseby in June, royalist forces were completely overwhelmed. During the rest
of the year the New Model Army defeated royalist forces in the west and south-west.
1646 – as royalist forces lost ground throughout the country, Charles left his stronghold at
Oxford and surrendered to the Scots. Oxford fell to parliamentary forces in June, bringing
the First Civil War to an end
In 1646 the Political Presbyterians sought a compromise with the Newcastle Propositions.
These included:
- The office of bishop in the Anglican Church was to be abolished
