8. Political divisions: The Personal Rule and The Short Parliament

Charles Personal Rule 1629 - 1640

• due to no parliament, increased importance of the privy council and led to underlying discontent in all kingdoms

• Charles closest advisors were William Laud and William Juxon after 1635

Charles Financial policies during Personal rule - 1629 - 1640

By 1629, Charles was £2 million in debt

Saved money through:

• Securing peace with France (1629) and Spain (1630)

• Weston Chief finances reforms of court finances to lower costs or running Charles Court

Methods used to increase Charles revenue

• Custom duties - tonnage and poundage - From 1631 - 1635 it collected £270,000 annually. A new book of rates was issued in 1635 which brought the figure up to $425,000

• Feudal Dues - the crown had the right to rule any estate inherited by an heir under the age of 21. This collected £75,000 a year

• Monopolies - allowed Charles to grant monopolies, earning £33,000 a year

• Recusancy fines - £26,866 per year in 1634

• Distraint of knighthood - Any who owned land with an income above £40 and was not knighted by Charles at his coronation was fined. This raised £175,000

• Other Fines - Forest fines, fines for landowners that supposedly encroached on royal forest - Charles sued dubious maps to support his claims

How much did Charles raise his income to during his personal rule?

• £600,000 to £900,000 annually, yet still in financial straits

Ship Money

• Levied in emergency to financially support the navy

• In October 1634 levied on coastal towns and counties

• August 1635 it was extended to inland counties and levied annually until 1639

• Raised an average of £200,000 annually.

The Multiple kingdom crisis of 1637 - 1642: Extent of opposition to the personal rules in Scotland, Ireland and England

Scots Covenanters and the Scottish Rebellion 1637 - 1640

• Charles isolated himself from Scottish opinion and ignored the growing malcontents due to his imposition of Laudianism and the Laudian prayer book

• Protest in Edinburgh when the Laudian prayer book was first read as well as in Glasgow, which Scottish nobles used as popular support for their cause

• Charles would not back down and so forced modertaes to join radicals

• February 1638 - the Scottish petitioned formulated a document known as the Scottish National Covenant

• It was a manifesto to unite those against Charles religious policy and maintain Presbytyerianism as main religion of Scotland

• To fund war, Charles sought the legal confirmation of his right to collect ship money, which brought English opposition to Ship money into the open

The Bishops Wars 1639 - 1640

• Charles allowed the Scots to hold a Religious General Assembly in September 1638 so he could raise an army

• At the Religious General Assembly, they annulled the canon laws and abolished episcopacy

• Charles army was not ready until April 1639 due to issues collecting ship money - while the Scots were very ready

• Charles called the truce of Berwick in June 1639, agreeing to a meeting of the General Assembly of the Church and parliament as well as disbanding both armies, which the Scots did not do, instead they set about reducing royal power in Scotland

• Charles recalled Thomas Wentworth from Ireland who advised to call parliament so as to raise money.

• Charles refused to compromise in the “Short Parliament” and so ended parliament and decided to face the Scots on the field

• The Scots descended into England in August 1640 to little resistance, occupying Newcastle.

• Charles agreed to the treaty of Ripon, which agreed to pay for the Scots army living expenses while occupying English soil - this was a huge hit to Charles finances and made them very poor

• Charles had to call another parliament to fund this

Opposition in Ireland

• 1629, Ireland was politically divided into 3 groups

• Irish Catholics: native Gaelic speakers

• Catholic Old English: Catholic descendants from English settlers before reformation

• Protestant New English: Protestants descended form English settlers after reformation

• Presbyterian Scots: predominantly based in the plantation of Ulster and Northern Ireland

• English control in Ireland only stretched to around Dublin and its surrounding area

• 1632, Wentworth was appointed as Lord Deputy of Ireland

• Wentworth succeeded in enhancing the authority of the English crown and Church over Irish

• Also succeeded in allowing the English Crown to profit more from Ireland by increasing the Custom Duties

• For protestants, Laudianism was seen as too close to Catholicsm and felt threatened due to being a minority in Ireland

Irish Rebellion, October 1641

• Caused by Wentworths recall and Scottish rebellion

• Wentworths removal made Irish pre-emptively prevent radical outsiders imposing harsh protestant rules on them

• Lasted 1641 - 1642

• Irish catholics launched a pre-emptive strike against Protestants in Ulster, massacring at least 3000

Opposition in England

Hampden case, 1637

• 1637 November, Charles took Hampden to court over refusal to pay ship money, hoping Hampdens persecution would be a demonstration to follow Charles authority

• Fanned debate on wider consitutuional issues

• Judgement was narrow majority for the Crown, seven judges to five which was too costly for Charles politcally

EMigration

• Many fled to North America - mostly puritans so they could get control and power there

The Need to recall parliament

• The Short parliament lasted from April 13th 1640 to May 5th 1640

• It became clear quickly that there were not going to be subsidies voted for the bishops war

• Key parliamentarians were actually in league with the Scottish covenaters

• Charles arrested three members of the parliament he saw as key critics: Warwick, Brooke and Fiennes as well as Pym and Hampden