the quest for political stabiliity

topic 1

reasons Britain was stable

• smooth accession of James VI of Scotland as James I of England

• positive partnership between monarch and parliament

reasons Britain was unstable

• king and parliament quarrel over MP’s attempts to influence foreign policy as a result of war in Europe

• Charles and Buckingham ally with parliament to bring England into war with Spain, misuse money

• expensive war

• religious tension after James I between Protestants and Catholics

• power: Divine Rights of Kings vs parliament

• Charles married a catholic: Henrietta

Divine Rights of Kings

the concept that the right to rule derives from God and that kings are answerable for their actions to God alone

reformations

the act of changing to a better state or character, way of operating, lifestyle, etc; the correction of abuses and bad habits or practices. 16th century movement, correcting theology lead to protestant churches

republican

supporting or advocating a republic, relating to a republican party

religion of:

• England and Wales

• Northern Ireland

• Scotland

• anglican

• catholic

• protestant

• presbyterian

issues Charles I faced: issues from James I

chief advisor, Duke of Buckingham, negotiated a marriage for Charles with Henrietta Maria, sister of French king in 1925 and an agreement to send troops to assist the protestant cause in Germany. the troops wasted away on the Belgian coast due to bad weather and disease: James was already dead

issues Charles I faced: marriage to Henrietta Maria

James I was protestant, she was French catholic

issues Charles I faced: 1625 parliament financial issues

• inflation rising

• tax collection used old methods

why did Charles I need money?

• war with Spain

• manage debts inherited from his father James I

• expenses related to his royal status and marriage

tensions with parliament: 1626 forced loans

• Charles I demanded a forced loan from all taxpayers, anyone who refused payment were punished - imprisoned or military service

• it was seen as a direct challenge to the law

• Lord Chief Justice Carew refused to endorse the loan and was dismissed

tensions with parliament: 1627 Five Knights case

• five knights refused to pay the loan and were imprisoned sued for release under habeus corpus

• habeus corpus was a demand made by a prisoner to their custodian, the prisoner has the right to go before a court and demand to know the reason for detention

• the five knights were refused the opportunity to go to court, the king claimed a right to an emergency power of arrest

tensions with parliament: 1628 Petition of Rights

• asking the king to reverse the decision made in the Five Knights case

• demanded that in the 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

how does the Five Knights case impact Charles’ reputation?

see him as a tyrant

who did Charles I favour when appointing people to senior positions in the church and at court?

Arminian catholics

define tonnage

tax on wine

define poundage

tax on other goods

Charles I declaration

believed he could get rid of parliament

success and failure: Treaty of Madrid

✅

• reduced Charles' annual spending on war from £500,000 in 1626-39 to less than £70,000 in the 1630s

success and failure: attention of Crown lands

✅

• reorganised the management of Crown lands

❌

• revived feudal payment such as fines for building on

• issues a monopoly patent for production of soap which drove people out of business and prices increased

succes and failure: ship taz

✅

• not originally controversial

• increased it’s value

❌

• 9000 were charged because they didn’t attend Charles’ coronation

• campaign against tax began in Yorkshire

success and failure: financial devices

✅

• ship tax raised roughly £200,000 annually

❌

• opposition of ship money increased, yield fell to 20% of expected money in 1939. Privy council and county sheriffs were distracted by raising an army to fight Scotland

success and failure: relationship with parliament

✅

• first attempts at organised resistance in 1636 from a group of puritan gentry and nobility - active in parliament since before 1629

❌

• parliament refused to speak for them which made them look weak

• those who spoke out were silenced by the Privy council and prerogative courts

how successful was Charles’ I’s religious policy between 1629 and 1636?

✅

• appointed William Laud as Bishop of London then Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633, dedicated reformer at head of Church of England

• enforcement of Arminianism

• centralised control

❌

• lack of open domestic revolt

• alienation: forced many disaffected puritans to emigrate to America and Ireland rather than conform