AQA A-level History, Stuart Britain : Section 1: Monarchs and Parliament 1603 - 29

The Monarch

17th century -> most important individual
No true democracy in form that we would understand today
Prerogative powers possessed by monarchs enabled them to control areas of govt:
1. Declare war
2. Sign treaties with foreign powers
3. Power to call and dissolve parliament
4. Appoint Privy council of own choosing
5. Control some sources of income -> money revived feudal dues
Monarch faced restrictions :
- pass legislation -> parliament called, MPs scrutinise and debate laws = conflict & division
- normal crown revenue not enough for monarch -> times of war, parliament relied upon to approve new taxes -> political stalemate

The Political Nation

Composed of those people who able to be involved in political activity at national and local level
Consisted of nobility and gentry, some professionals
The group formed no more than 1% of total population

Social basis of power : vote

Property qualification of roughly £2 per year in order to vote. No danger power being shared with lower classes

Social basis of power :PN

Members of political nation carried out national roles in politics -> privy council and MPs

Social basis of power: wealth

Wealth & power primarily based on land ownership
Enclosure meant large landowners able to increased wealth further

Social basis of power: urbanisation

Urbanisation increased, the wealth of merchants increased
London on the path to becoming the centre of an empire
Those that benefited financially from london growth able to join the political nation

James I character

Came to the throne 1603 -> king of scotland in 1566
Mother Mary queen of Scot's was cousin of Elizabeth I making him closest heir
Character :
- intelligent
- 8 months after birth james father was murdered. Own mothers execution following catholic plots against Elizabeth, contributed to life long fear of threats to his throne
- through education and his tutors schooled him in Presbyterian doctrine
- vain, shallow spent huge amounts on clothes and artwork -> ante supper £3300 in 1622
- extremely trusting of scottish advisers & had a string of favourites

James I views on monarchy

believed strongly in divine right of kings:
- stated God places kings on throne & monarchs should be able to wield unrestrained
- kings are able to act above the law not subject to normal judicial procedures
- saw parliament as something that served him when he required rather than core element of political system

Charles I character

Born 1600 & 1612 brother unexpectedly died
Spent childhood away from royal court and unprepared for this role
Character shaped by early experience
- poor public speaker & suffered from stammer
- disapproved of fathers extravagance at court & favoured orderly hierarchical approach to govt
- one important trait that he did inherit was firm believer in divine right of kings
- angered easily

Charles I views on monarchy

Firm believer in divine right.
Believed political power should lie firmly in his hands on shared with select number of advisors
Belief evident in reforms made to royal court:
- ceremonies surrounding visits to king modelled on those exercised in france introduced
- charles made himself difficult to access and viewed outsiders with suspicion
- appointed arminian chaplains who believed strongly in divine right
- fondness fro ceremony and hierarchy reflected in preference for Arminian style worship & arminian advisers held in high regard

Charles I aims

- restore sense of order and decorum to royal court
- maintain order in the church
- establish a sound financial base in response to debt created by his fathers rule
- Secure authority of the monarchy
- Maintain a firm control over his 3 kingdoms England, Ireland and Scotland -> balancing religious and cultural difference

Charles I favourites

Like his father charles caused controversy by deferring to his favourites in order to make important decisions
Tendency to place complete trust in close advisers made parliament suspicious of him & later compelled to choose advisers who were acceptable to his legislature

Underlying finance problems - James I

Elizabeth faced difficulties before her death in 1603 = james struggled to raise adequate:
1. Elizabeth inherited a crown debt over £250,000 when becoming queen
2. Inflation affecting value of commodities and money throughout the Tudor period
3. A series of bad harvests in 1590's added to the rising price of crops
4. Elizabeth fighting intermittently with spin since 1585-> meant couldn't rely on ordinary revenue and forced to sell crown assists
5. Elizabeth resorted to forced loans totalling £100,000 in the late 1590's in order to pay for the war with Spain. Created resentment from political nation and a level of distrust surrounding future levying of taxes
6. Elizabeth shortfall of revenue stood at nearly £90,000 in 1600

Financial successes - James I

1. Robert Cecil (earl Salisbury) became james I chief financial adviser. Introduced the Book of Rates 1608, which outlined the amount of customs duties to be paid on various items
2. Cecil died 1612 and Cranfield became James' most high profile financial advisor 1618 -> established commissions to investigate royal finance and expenditure & able to reduce spending by half
3. Monopolies -> producing certain goods were sold to individuals and companies and james used this practice. He used it as a way to reward royal favourites -> Buckingham after 1618
4. 1603-1613 english economy was relatively buoyant & exports of the country's main export cloth increased steadily until the cockayne project 1614

Financial failure - james I

1. 1608 book of rates resented because new customs duties introduced for goods
2. 1610 great contract introduced by Cecil, james agree to abandoning right to claiming fuedal taxes (wardship & purveyance) return for inital grant £600,000 and annual grant £200,000 -> rejected terms and eventually fell through Cecil died
3. Had wife & child -> financial pressures Elizabeth never had to consider
4. James believed england provide him significantly more wealth than Scotland led to financial irresponsibility -> gave at least £100,000 to Scottish courtier 1606-11
5. Despite Cranfield reforms, trust shown to him by james resulted in power delegated to him -> controlled system of patronage and took bribes in exchange for appointments and titles
6. 1624 -> statue of monopolies reducing crowns ability to sell monopolies
7. Cockayne project 1614 -> intended to reduce Dutch influence over process and granted monopoly over cloth experts -> Dutch refused to purchase cloth and failed to recover

Charles I - economic inheritance

Economic depression accompanied by poor harvests in 1620's
Royal debt = £900,000 in 1620 -> parliament met in 1620/24 MP's reluctant to grant james subsidies
Charles succeed to the throne -> treasury virtually empty = james spending

Charles I finance -> impact of foreign policy

Charles involved england in 30 years war on Protestant side
Buckingham embarked number of foreign ventures (La Rochelle & Cadiz) ended in failure and financial ruin.
Excessive influence of Buckingham was main grievance the led to opposition attacking chales in parliament in 1628

Charles I finance - 1625

The inherited financial problems led to confrontation between charles & parliament:
- Charles asked for loan of £600,000 from city of london merchants
- commons met refused to grant Charles an excise tax, tonnage and poundage for life -> customary of new monarch granted this tax
- Mp only offer to grant T&P for 1 year -> contributed to his decision to dissolve parliament c

Charles I finance - 1626

Desperate for money to continue his foreign policy ventures, charles called another parliament and faced similar problems
- parliament refused to engage in debates over finance and instead attacked Buckingham -> viewed with suspicion due to foreign policy failures
- charles dissolved parliament & issued forced loan -> those refused to pay threaten with imprisonment or conscription into army

Charles I finance - 1627

- £200,000 successful raided from forced loan
- despite loan raising more money than parliament granted before, almost one-third of. The expected money not paid
- number of gentry who refused to pay the forced loan were imprisoned and 5 of them issued writs of habeas corpus
- gentry involved in 'five knights case' were told by court de trained by special command of king, decision that effectively approved royal tyranny

Charles I finance - 1628

In further need of funds chalres attempted to pass bill that provide him with 5 subsidies.
Delaying tactics from the commons, bill was passed only after chalres promised to give his assent on petition of right

Religious views - James I

- James held high authority of the church
- fiercely loyal to Protestantism -> suspicious of Catholicism
- james wanted to achieve stability and unity of religion across all 3 kingdoms -> attempting to find middle way between high church tradition, emphasised the authority of clergy and rituals similar to those found in Catholic Church & low church tradition, favoured simplicity

Milenary Petition & Puritans

Produced by group of puritans when james took the throne in 1603 -> signatures 1000 ministers. Authors made number of important statements regarding the state of church:
- respected james position and not interested in breaking up CofE
- despite Protestant reformation -> not left behind many catholic practices
- church services difficult for ordinary people to understand and decorations in church's distracted the congregation
As a king keen to be viewed who promoted debate -> james arranged Hampton court conference in response to petition -> representative from both sides invited

Hampton court conference 1604
Outcome

Anglican bishops who attended the conference were reluctant to give way to demands of puritans. James met bishops -> some changes made to millenarianism petition -> weakening authority of church courts
Suggestions that church reformed along Presbyterian lines rejected by james
New translation of bible should be made -> King James Bible completed in 1611
Bishops generally satisfied with outcome of conference -> more radical puritans weren't
Conformity to church as inherited by james in 1603 to be enforced

Hampton Court Conference 1604
Aftermath

Dissatisfaction from puritans continued after conference and in 1610 the commons presented james with a petition of religion.
Criticised james attacks on non-conformists and removal of puritan ministers
James did little to reassure the puritans in 1622 he issued edict attacking travelling puritan preachers and urged them to conform

Catholicism - James I

Intended victim of number of conspiracies -> Gunpowder plot 1605
Despite the alarm the caused james he lent towards catholics and a moderate oath of alleged e was issued in 1606, requiring catholics to dent the pope's pre-eminence

The Scottish Kirk - James I

James desired unity
1618 issued the 5 articles of Perth which stated that Holy Communion should be taken kneeling, religious holidays celebrated and confirmation performed by priests
Articles reluctantly passed by scottish parliament and no further reform tabled

Charles religious views

Naturally drawn towards high - church practices as they were compatible with his preference for order and ceremony. He inherited suspicion of Puritanism from father and so many of his opponents in parliament being drawn from this end of religious spectrum = conflict over CofE

Promotion of Arminianism

Charles demonstrated his close association with both Arminianism and Catholicism in a number of ways in the years 1625-29:
- 1625 the Arminian cleric Richard Montagu defended by charles when argued that Calvinist beliefs incomparable with pamphlet a new gag for an old goose
- montagu = personal Chaplin
- 1626 charles issued a proclamation that forbade the public discussion of sensitive religious topics
- William laud most influential of Arminian's appointed to privy council in 1628 -> bishop of london

York House Conference

Religious conference held a buckinghams home - Feb 1626, arminians pitted against puritan opposition & conference harden Charles's religious views
- both clergy and laymen represented at conference
- primary aim of conference was to resolve ongoing dispute between puritans and Arminians
- defend Richard Montagu
- Buckingham sided with Arminians
- charles refused to attend

First Parliament 1604-10
First session

First session : March - July 1604
- james king both england and scotland -> he wanted a closer legal union
Proposals for union drafted Robert Cecil & opposition in first parliament

First Parliament 1604-10
Second session

Second session Nov 1605 - May 06
Meeting in wake of gunpowder plot -> unity towards legislation against catholics
Financial settlement harder-> james granted £400,000 in subsidies

First parliament 1607-10

Parliament didnt meet between July 1607-1610 Cecil introduction of great contract ->main force of 1610 session but eventually shelved by both james and the commons

Addled parliament 1614

Issue of imposition raised -> commons sent message to lords asking for a conference -> petitioning to the king however lords refused to debate issue and that impositions matter of royal prerogative
Dissolved after 2 months james realised not give him subsidy

1621 parliament

Thirty years war begun in 1618-> foreign policy key issue. James ruled alone for 7 years, lack of consultation with parliament = resentment from MP's
James needed money assist son in law in the war james impeached finance advisor for corruption, announced intention to marry Charles to Spanish princess and dissolved parliament = vocal opposition

1624 Parliament

James broke off Spanish match. James now resolved on war with spain and needed funds so called parliament.
Commons attacked Cranfield viewed as corrupt and self serving. Relations between crown & pariament relatively positive -> james given subsidies to fund war & ended march 1625 when james died

Charles parliamentary inheritance

Number of problems never fully settled:
- royal finances cause considerable friction and realistic settlement was abandoned
- james choice of advisors = impeachment & resistance from parliament
- Buckingham became Charles favourite
- religious divisions evident

Early relations:
Charles & Parliament

Dominated by :
1. Attacks on Buckingham
2. Debates over funding of wars
3. Disputes about Charles right to collect certain taxes eg tonnage and poundage
Dissolved parliament 1626. Charles issued forced loan & faced opposition in the five knights case.
Buckinghams inept diplomacy led to war & failed support a Protestant rebellion in La Rochelle 1627.
Recruits sent to france port quality and lacked basic supplies, around half of soldiers sent to La Rochelle died -> most blamed Buckingham for the disaster
Recalled parliament in 1628 -> released some of those imprisoned -> refused to pay forced loan

The 1628 parliament

Parliament tried to impeach Buckingham in the past -> demanded they don't attack him
Charles wanted to send another force to La Rochelle and John Elliot MP insisted grievances be heard before taxes granted

The petition of right

Eliot, Edward Coke and Thomas Wentworth prepared a document and presented it to charles
Clauses of PoR:
- no imprisonment without trial & decision made in five knights case reversed
- no taxation without parliamentary consent
- citizens not be asked to pay forced loans
- forced billeting of soldiers shouldn't be allowed
- no martial law
Charles refused to agree to demands
June 1628 eventually agreed to demand -> believed continue ruling without repercussions
Parliament consented to tax but attacked Buckingham
Charles close parliament

State of relations 1629

Aug 1628, Buckingham assassinated in Portsmouth by a disgruntled sailor
Charles recalled parliament for second session in jan 1629 leaders hoped to make progress now that influence of Buckingham had been removed
Parliament criticised Charles methods of collecting money and his Arminian religion

Three resolutions

March 1629
- a denouement of charles Arminian advisers
- statement announcing levying of tonnage and poundage unacceptable
- those who paid tonnage and poundage were labelled enemies of the kingdom
Charles ordered parliament to be adjourned before resolutions had been read -> Mp's held speaker in his chair until he passed the resolutions
March 1629 dissolution of parliament and wouldn't meet for another 11 years