5 Relations and disputes with parliaments 1604-29

Describe James' approach to his relationship with Parliament (3)

pragmatic, practical, conciliatory

When was James' first parliament?

1604 - 1611

Define parliamentary privilege

a legal immunity enjoyed by members of parliament that allows them to freely speak during proceedings without fear of legal action (enabled parliament to function effectively as a legislative body to the monarch)

By when could MPs legitimately regard their privileges as theirs by right?

1603

What are the four "ancient privileges" of parliament?

free access to the monarch and the House of Lords to convey their opinion, the right to correct mistakes or misunderstandings that might prejudice the Commons, freedom from arrest while Parliament is sitting, freedom of speech

For how long after the dissolution of a parliament were MPs protected from being arrested?

20 days

Why was the balance between the monarch's prerogative and parliamentary privilege always a matter of interpretation?

because there was no written or codified constitution

Who had been elected as MP for Buckinghamshire in 1604?

Francis Goodwin

When did MPs find out that the election of Francis Goodwin had been annulled?

on the first day of business in 1604

Who annulled the election of Francis Goodwin as an MP?

the Court of Chancery

Why was the election of Francis Goodwin as an MP annulled?

he had broken the law by having two outstanding summonses for debt

Who replaced Francis Goodwin in Parliament?

John Fortescue

Why did many see Goodwin's replacement by Fortescue as a royal interference?

because Fortescue was a privy councillor

What did the Commons vote after hearing Goodwin's case?

voted to reinstate Goodwin

What was James' attitude to the Commons wanting to reinstate Goodwin?

believed they were acting illegally in allowing an outlaw to sit as MP, asked them to confer with the House of Lords to get legal advice

Who did James believe disputed election should be decided by?

the Court of Chancery

How did James eventually bring about compromise concerning the Buckinghamshire election?

suggested both Goodwin and Fortescue should be dismissed and a new election held

When was Shirley's case?

1604

What was Shirley's case?

the MP Thomas Shirley was arrested for debt, which upset MPs who wanted to establish the parliamentary privilege of freedom from arrest while Parliament was sitting

Who was arrested in 1604 for debt?

MP Thomas Shirley

What was Thomas Shirley arrested for?

debt

What did MPs do in response to Thomas Shirley being arrested?

sent the governor of Fleet debtor's prison (where Shirley had been held) to the Tower of London until Shirley was released

When was the Union between Scotland and England proposed?

1606

Define purveyance

the right of the monarch to buy things at a cheaper rate to what would be bought by anyone else

What was the document called that MPs drew up in 1606 which protested against James' handling of political issues in the first Parliament?

"the form of apology and satisfaction"

When was "the form of apology and satisfaction" drawn up?

1606

What was "the form of apology and satisfaction"?

a document drawn up by parliament which protested against James' handling of political issues such as the Buckinghamshire election and Shirley's case

Why did James want to unify Scotland and England? (2)

wanted the kingdom to be secure internally and have peace with Europe

Why were some concerned about the possible unification of England and Scotland?

worried that the new state would abolish English laws, since the king could rewrite the laws of a newly formed kingdom and have more scope to be absolutist

What did James declare by royal proclamation about the unification of England and Scotland? (3)

what his title would be, that a new currency would be issued, that all ships were to carry the new Union Flag

What was James' new title to be after the union of Scotland and England?

"King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith etc"

What was the new currency to be called after the union?

the "unite"

When did the third session of Parliament open?

November 1606

What did MPs think about the union?

opposed the union on religious, legal, economic and political grounds

What happened to the plans for the union?

they broke down amid parliamentary opposition

What was the reason for James' dissolution of his first parliament?

failure to reach a parliamentary solution to the Crown's financial difficulties

When was the "Addled Parliament"?

1614

Why was Parliament called "Addled" in 1614?

it was ineffective and confused

How long did the "Addled Parliament" last?

8 weeks

Why did the addled parliament in 1614 fall apart so quickly? (5)

financial need, factional conflict, manipulation of MPs, James' indecisiveness, impositions

What was James' debt in 1614?

£680,000

Why was there great financial pressure on James to call on Parliament for funds in 1614? (3)

failure of Great Contract, death of Robert Cecil, continued selling of crown lands which reduced long-term income

Who did the Howard faction support?

Catholic Spain

Why did the emergence of factions cause political dysfunction?

the Protestant faction called for Parliament to attack the Howards, who supported Catholic Spain

What did the courtier Henry Neville's "certain propositions" propose?

proposed promoting MPs' goodwill by concessions

What did the Lord Chancellor Bacon's idea of "undertaking" attempt to do?

attempted to influence elections through patronage

How did James display his indecisiveness in 1614?

appointed no secretary of state to represent him in the Commons until the last minute

Who did James finally pick as secretary of state in 1614?

Ralph Winwood

At the start of the 1621 parliament, what did MPs focus on?

abuse of monopolies

Why were monopolies such a big issue? (2)

England was not trading well with its partners and monopolies had been singularly exploited by many courtiers as a way of attacking each other

Why could parliament not discuss foreign policy?

it was part of the monarch's prerogative

When was James' second parliament?

1614

When was James' third parliament?

1621

When did James allow Parliament to discuss foreign policy?

1621

Why did James allow Parliament to discuss foreign policy in 1621?

was a way to frighten the Spanish into agreeing with the Spanish match, as he knew most of parliament was anti-Spanish and would call for war

What was the thirty years war in part triggered by?

the crown of Bohemia was offered to the Protestant Frederick of Palatinate, who accepted it, but the Holy Roman Emperor would traditionally be elected to this position

Who was the Holy Roman Emperor who was involved in starting the thirty years war?

Ferdinand Habsburg

Who was married to prince Frederick?

James' daughter, Elizabeth

When was the Battle of the White Mountain?

October 1920

Who won at the Battle of the White Mountain?

the Catholics

What happened to Frederick and Elizabeth after the Battle of the White Mountain?

they were forced into exile with the Spanish and Ferdinand occupied the palatinate

Why was the palatinate a key strategic location?

was central to Spain's intended route for attacking Protestant areas

When did parliament produce a petition criticising the Spanish match?

3 December 1621

What did James do in response to Parliament criticising the Spanish match?

backtracked and said foreign policy was part of his prerogative and not up for discussion

When did Parliament declare they had an "undoubted birthright" to discuss matters such as foreign policy?

18 December 1621

What did Parliament say they could do on 18 December 1621?

said they had an "undoubted birthright" to discuss foreign policy

What did James do after Parliament said they had an "undoubted birthright" to discuss foreign policy? (2)

ripped the document from the commons' journal and dissolved parliament

When did Buckingham and Charles travel to Spain for the Spanish match?

1623

Why did Buckingham and Charles convert to favouring war against the Spanish?

they received poor treatment at the Spanish Court due to anti-Protestant sentiments

When was the agreement for Charles to marry Henrietta Maria signed?

1624

Why did James see himself as "Rex Pacificus"?

tried to secure good relations with Spain even though much of Parliament wanted war

When did James die?

March 1625

How much money did Charles need for war against Spain?

£1 million

Why did Parliament only grant Charles two subsidies at the start of his reign?

Charles didn't explain his position clearly

Why was Buckingham a source of tension between Charles and Parliament?

due to his enormous influence

What position was Buckingham given under Charles?

was made a Gentleman of the Bedchamber

Why did Parliament attack Charles' support of Montagu?

Montagu was an Arminian

When did Montagu become Charles' royal chaplain?

1625

What position was Montagu given under Charles?

royal chaplain

How long did Charles' first Parliament last?

two months

When did Charles dissolve his first Parliament?

August 1625

How were troops for Mansfield raised?

by force, with no training and limited equipment

How many died on Mansfield's expedition?

4000 out of 6000

What did 4000 of Mansfield's troops die from when shipped to the Netherlands?

disease and starvation

How were the majority of troops lost at Cadiz?

lack of food

Why was the Cadiz expedition a failure?

the English fleet failed to take Cadiz or capture the Spanish treasure fleet

How did Charles immediately antagonise the 1626 Parliament?

asked the anti-Calvinist, William Laud, to preach the opening sermon, in which he stressed obedience to the king

How did Charles shut out parliamentary critics of 1625 for the next Parliament?

it was ensured that they would be picked out as sheriffs, who were responsible for organising polls so couldn't stand for election

Why was Charles very antagonistic towards he 1626 Parliament?

MPs started impeachment proceedings against Buckingham

Who was the most threatening to Buckingham and Charles in 1626 and why?

the Earl of Bristol because he had been the ambassador to Spain during the attempted Spanish match and knew that Charles had bribed Spanish courtiers and promised to offer concessions to Catholics in England if the match was secured

Who presented evidence in 1626 as to why Buckingham should be impeached?

the Earl of Bristol

Why did Charles dissolve the Parliament of 1626?

to save Buckingham from impeachment

When was the forced loan?

1626

What did Charles use the forced loan to do?

finance his war efforts without parliamentary input

When was the expedition to the Ile de Re?

1627

Why could the troops not get into La Rochelle?

the scaling ladders were too short

What was Charles' reversal of the Crown policy?

he aided the Catholic French monarch against the Protestant Huguenots

Why was the policy reverse rendered basically useless?

the king of France and his chief minister had already made peace with the Huguenots

Who was the King of France in 1627? (attempted attack on La Rochelle)

Louis XIII

Who was Louis XIII's chief minister in 1627? (attempted attack on La Rochelle)

Cardinal Richelieu