Stuarts - English Civil Wars, Charles I, and the Commonwealth Republic

Why did Scots feel like second class citizens during Charles I’s reign?

court was based out of London and many of the positions in the Scottish branch of his government occupied by Englishmen

attempted to bring the Presbyterian Kirk (Church of Scotland) closer to the Church of England.

What was Charles I’s attitude towards divine right absolutism?

firmly adhered to the idea.

hated the idea of sharing power with Parliament and believed that to exercise anything less than absolute control would be a grave sin and an insult to God who had vested power in Charles as the chosen sovereign.

Why did Charles I’s marriage cause public outcry in England?

Wife was catholic, would raise the children catholic (country would go back to catholicism oh no!) could also convert charles to catholicism!

How did Charles I treat Puritans, why?

Persecuted Puritans because Puritans were large in number and posed a much greater danger to his religious goals.

How did Charles I treat Catholics, why?

largely left Catholics alone, bc they were less of a threat and had a catholic wife. 

Explain the depth of fear that existed towards Catholics in England during the reign of Charles I.

One way to understand English fear of Catholicism is to compare it to the American fear of international communism during the Cold War. Both groups were widely viewed as godless, amoral, ruthless, opposed to all for which the country stood… [they were seen as being] supported by powerful forces from abroad [and] secret societies capable of infiltrating important positions… [they were] imagined to be involved in diabolical plots such as poisoning the drinking water or blowing up parliament…

What was the political problem that led to the English Civil Wars?

the conflict between the king and parliament. 

Charles wanted absolute power and parliament didn’t

charles tried to dissolve them but they said no anyway. 

What was the cultural problem that led to the English Civil Wars?

disagreements about religion

an Irish rebellion against English-Protestant rule broke out, necessitating even more funds for yet another army. Parliament passed a Militia Bill entrusting army command to a general it would name. This effectively stripped the King of his most fundamental responsibility, national defense. Given the ongoing rumors regarding Charles’s Catholic leanings, Parliament did not trust the King to command a defense against Catholic Irish rebels.

At one point Charles dismissed Parliament and ruled alone for eleven years (the Personal Rule). What led to this?

With the costs of the War with Spain on the rise and increasing resentment of taxes imposed by the king without Parliament, Charles was eventually forced to call a Parliament and ask it to pass new taxes. Parliament agreed, but only if the king approved a Petition of Right. This petition would require the king to agree to the following terms:

 

§  No man could be forced to pay a tax not voted by Parliament.

§  No free man could be imprisoned without being charged with a crime (which was what happened to gentry who refused Charles’s forced loans).

§  No soldiers or sailors could be billeted on the population without their consent (as was occurring during the war with Spain).

§  No civilian could be subject to martial law.

 

Angry, Charles dismissed Parliament, rejected the Petition of Rights, and refused to call another one for the next eleven years.

What did the members of Parliament do immediately before disbanding (before the personal rule) and why was this action important?

the Members of Parliament (MPs) forcibly held the Speaker in his chair (procedurally, when the Speaker stood, debate came to an end) and passed a resolution that anyone paying the impositions (illegal taxes), anyone counseling their collection, and anyone intending innovation in religion was “a capital enemy to the kingdom and commonwealth”. Though not directly stated, this heavily implied that Charles and his advisors were themselves enemies of the English People.

How did Charles I raise money during the Personal Rule? Why was this important?

. He curtailed spending on social events and artwork at court and abolished inefficient government offices. Charles raised customs rates, instituted more impositions (monarchical taxes), sold monopolies, and collected more fines for recusancy (absence from church). He searched old medieval statute books for any outdated right, fee, or tax he could legally collect. Upon discovering an outdated law stating people receiving a knighthood had to pay a fee to the king, Charles began knighting gentry left and right, sometimes without their consent. He revived forestry and poaching laws, and extended ship money (a tax to finance the Royal Navy) from port towns to the whole country. These measures and the King’s refusal to call parliament were wildly unpopular and some refused to pay.

People freaking hated it. 

What demands were made by members of the Long Parliament?

The Long Parliament passed the Triennial Act, which:

-       Required the King to call Parliament into session at least once every three years.

-       Abolished the Star Chamber (a court made of judges from the King’s council, which operated outside the common law court system)

-       Impeached two of the King’s most prominent ministers.

 

The Parliament also outlawed impositions, monopolies, ship money, distraint of knighthood (mandatory knighting of landowners above a certain income level), and the revived forest laws.

In the Grand Remonstrance, the Long Parliament grew increasingly radical. Pym proposed far-reaching changes such as the elimination of the Bishops, a Catholic purge, limits on the King’s power of appointment, and reform of the Church in a Puritan direction.

How did Charles I respond to the demands of the long parliament? What happened next?

Charles continued to resist and remained unbending. He rejected the Grand Remonstrance and refused to compromise. In a shocking move, the King entered Parliament with armed men and attempted to arrest five MPs he considered most responsible for the Grand Remonstrance. The five were not present as they had been warned ahead.

Eventually led to civil war. 

Which groups in England generally supported the Parliamentarians during the Civil War?

Many of the Parliamentarians were Puritans.

Parliamentarian supporters included merchants, professionals (especially lawyers), about half the gentry, and more ordinary people than the royalists

Which groups in England generally supported the Royalists during the Civil War?

Loyalists were largely from the North and West of England. These were relatively poor regions with economies based on sheep-farming. The Loyalists attracted most nobles and roughly half the gentry. While smaller in number and resources, the Loyalists had the advantage of more experienced military commanders.

What was the New Model Army and why was it important?

was a reorganized parliamentary force that was professionally trained and led. Soldiers were paid a regular salary (in theory) and officers were appointed based on merit, not birth. They viewed themselves as a godly army.

Parliament has its own army
They were very good and won the wars

Put cromwell in charge. 

Who won the first English Civil War? Why was there a second? Who won the second?

1. Parlimentarians

2. Was a second bc the King escaped Parliamentary custody and was able to resume the war. He raised a second army

   2.5. Parlimentarians

Why was there a difficulty with charging Charles with treason and how did Parliament overcome this?

Treason was a crime against the king, so how could the king possibly be guilty of treason? The solution was a reinterpretation of treason as a crime against the English Constitution and the English people.

Charles refused to plead, but was found guilty and executed, nonetheless.

What happened to Charles when he was found guilty of treason? Why was this a monumental and shocking event in English history?

got his head chopped off

For the first time in English history, the English people had judicially and publicly murdered their King. This went against the entire social and religious worldview of the time, running counter to thousands of years of sermons, ceremonies, traditions, and propaganda that enforced obedience to the king as a representative of God.

How did Oliver Cromwell become the Lord Protector of England?

In 1653, the army finally lost patience with the Rump dragging its feet on reform. Cromwell marched to the House of Commons and dissolved the Rump. The army attempted to call a new parliament that was filled with extreme Puritans who implemented impractical and unpopular reforms

Disgusted, Cromwell disbanded this group after less than a year. Following this, the army presented Cromwell with the title Lord Protector, and he assumed personal control.

Why was Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth Republic unpopular with many Englishmen?

These leaders enforced morality laws against blasphemy, swearing, drunkenness, gambling, fornication, adultery, indecent fashions, and even Christmas celebrations. Puritans came to be viewed as kill joys and military tyrants. Additionally, Cromwell’s heavy-handed government was even more expensive than the Stuart monarchies, making Cromwell’s government further unpopular.

What led to the restoration of the monarchy?

Cromwell dies

his son is a mid ruler

Richard - deposed

Rump Parliament, - deposed by the army a few months later.

Order was again breaking down.

Rump and wider Long Parliament back so they could dissolve themselves and make way for new elections.

A new Convention Parliament dominated by Royalists was elected.

Prince Charles issued the Declaration of Breda, promising amnesty to all participants in the Civil Wars, religious toleration, and recognition of all land sales since 1642. Following these assurances, Parliament invited Charles back to England and he was finally crowned King Charles II.