1.1 Why Did Monarchical Government Fail in the years 1625-1649? Flashcards
10 reasons why Monarchical Government failed in the years 1625-1649
- Charles and Parliament 1625-1629
- Buckingham
- Foreign policy 1625-1629
- Financial reforms of Personal Rule
- Laudian Reforms, Order and Uniformity
- Bishop’s Wars
- Parliamentary Opposition / Long Parliament
- Divisions in Parliament
- Civil War
- Politicalisation of Army
6 reasons why did charles 1 and parliament argue 1625-1629 brief
- Divine right of kings
- royal prerogative
- royal finance
- parliaments privileges
- impeachment
- church of england
divine right of kings argument
king = gods regent on earth (accountable only to god)
vs
King may be divine but must still act within the law
royal prerogative argument
king could make decisions beyond competence of parliament (foreign policy, army, dissolving parliament, judges and ministers)
vs
parliament had freedom of speech and parliamentary privileges = free to critisize inside the buildings of parliament
royal finance argument
king had right to raise money without parliaments consent (sell land, taxation, forced loan)
vs
king to live of his own (increasingly difficult in time of luxury/less land /inflation)
money = parliaments leverage over the king
parliaments privileges argument
crown had right to formulate policy (kings prerogative clashed with parliaments legitimate interests)
vs
parliament had own rights and king not allowed to enter commons
right to discuss the issues regarding the commonwealth
impeachment argument
choice of ministers was part of royal prerogative
vs
parliament turning itself into a court of law able to move to bring ministers to account
church of england argument
king was supreme governor of the church (made appointments and set church policy) King was high church vs parliaments freedoms of speech parliament = low church
Foreign policy up to 1625
James 1: started war with spain (religious conflicts in central europe resulting in war in 1618)
need subsidies for war
Wanted to restore daughter elizabeth and her husband to the Palatinate
Buckingham negotiates marriage of Charles to Catholic Henrrietta Maria
Mansfield expedition 1624 = troops dispatched to help the protestant cause in germany, disastrous, wasted away on Belgian coast
james dies and charles now had to deal with the consequences
1625 parliament
Charles= Limited credit - failure to secure loans from city of london
Must now seek parliaments help
parliament rejected tonnage and pundage for life, ind=stead on a one year rolling renewal (king now must open parliament every year, kings power snubbed)
When began discussions to impeach Buckingham Chalres dissolves parliament
1626 parliament
parliament summoned for a subsidy to continue the war
impeachment against buckingham
Charles dissolves parliament again
Charles in need of money
1628 parliaments
parliament follows new strategy
in return for accepting petition of right parliament will grant charles subsidy
Charles agreed, subsides passed
buckingham assassinated August 1628
June 1928 - charles passes petition of right by ‘his grace’ not ‘of parliaments right’ therefore could be revoked by royal prerogative
Parliament now cross
jan 1629 parliament attempts investigation into charles’ actions, charles suspends parliament
black rod
Petition of right
crown may not arbitrarily impose -taxes -imprison -billet troops -martial law -act outside of the law without the consent of parliament divine right severely challenged
Assassination of buckingham
assassinated by disgruntled army officer John Felton
(blamed buckingham for englands military failure in august 1628)
celebration
bonfires lit across south of england in celebration
parliament very happy
king appalled, had just lost a figure who acted like a father figure
black rod insident
1629, 2nd march black rid sent by king to close parliament
door is slammed in his face
inside the house, speaker attempts to end debate
several MPs grab him and forcibly hold him in his chair
MP Denzil Holles shouts 3 resolutions:
-against the growth of arminiasnism
-levying of tonnage and poundage
-actions of those who paid tonnage and poundage
King = furious
Parliament dissolved for 11 years
Foreign policy 1625-1629
War continued with spain
September 1625 - cadiz expedition
Conscription and billeting of soldiers 1625-1626 (already in hard times + plague)
La rocheele expedition october 1627 (relationship with france dented)
who was and background Buckingham
George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham 1592-1628
gentry family
introduced to king in 1614 as an attempt to undermine Robert Carr (kings favourite)
james became found of this charming young man….
bukingham and charles to spain (to try and woo the spanish infanta) failed miserably but strong bond formed between the two men
why hated?
Parliament hinnks buckingham leads king astray
king = divine right, therefore all kings faults placed on buckingham?
charles overly loyal (will dissolve parliament over letting buckingham be impeached)
Moonopolised patronage
gained wealth and titles from pleasing the monarch
teachers pet
created huge numbers of enemies
religoius early problems with charles
wife ; Henrietta Mari brought own catholic entourage
charles promoted Arminian men
Finance 1625-1629
In desperate need of finance - war with spain
1625 parliament- tonnage and poundage on yearly basis
1626 parliament called to fund war
impeachment = closed parliament,
July 1926 letter to JPs telling subjects ‘lovingly, freely, and voluntarily’ to give him money. (failed)
Forced loan September 1626
1628 parliament called for another subsidy
subsidy for petition of right
Forced loan
September 1626
anyone who refused to loan charles the money could be imprisoned or conscripted
£250,000 raised
Used billeting troops as form of punishment (Banbury = puritan stronghold and nowhere near the sea)
- five knights case
five Knights case
76 gentlemen and earl of lincon were imprisoned
but didnt take case to court as charles worried about legality of forced loan
BUT 5 imprisoned knights applied to the court of the kings bench for a writ of ‘habeas corpus’
charles won case (royal prerogative to imprison) but politically ruined himself
used a sledge hammer to swat a fly
3 bodies responsible closing of aprliament 1629 (brief)
parliament
king
buckingham
buckingham responsible for closing parliament 1629
responsible for foreign policy
= king having to go back to parliament time and time again
king responsible for closing parliament 1629
bad king?
remains unreasonably loyal to buckingham
obsessive divine right
duplicitous (petition of right)
parliament responsible for closing parliament 1629
petition of right was too far jealousy royal prerogative infringement dealt first blow, tonnage and poundage power hungry
long term impact of closing parliament 1629
autocracy fears
foundation of mistrust laid
short term impact of closing parliament 1629
charles needs money
unhappy political nation (MPs)
resentment
free to do as he chooses
finance 1629- 1636
Treaty of Susa 29 - peace with france treaty of madrid 29 - peace with spain annual spending from £500,000 -> £70,000 (Pre 1629 wartime to 1630s) Recusancy laws (illegal to practice catholocism = fine) royal forest fines distraint of knight hood fines tonnage and poundage collection made more efficient monopoly lisences (inc soap?!) Ship money
Ship money
worth £200,000 pa
supposedly a prerogative tax to be collected from coastal counties once / twice during a monarchs rule
collected 1634
again 1635 (to inland counties as well)
1636 was an annual tax
(big controversy as all parts of society effected. also charles counld now survive without parliament forever?)
Laudian reforms and uniformity during 11 years tyranny
Archbishop of Canterbury = William Laud 1633-45
arminian
uniformity
hierarchy
adherence to rules, ritual and formality
charles introduced because wanted a well ordered regime that respected the monarchy and the religious root of his power
or heading towards an absolute catholic monarchy
church; statues, colour, organs, altars moved to east of church
book of common prayer
puritan clergy disbanded
1935 - an ambassador of the pope was welcomed at court
Reaction and resistance to personal rule 1636-1640
a small group of Puritan gentry set out to test legality of ship money
Hampden Case
Hampden refused to pay ship money 1636 = legal challenge
judges in court of kings bench found narrowly in kings favour (7 to 5)
Court of star chamber = Pyrnne, Burton and Bastwick criticized religious reforms of Laud
laud imposed punishment of having ears cut of, cheeks branded,imprisoned
why was hampden case significant
5 experts said ship money to be illegal (all had been put there by the king)
why was pyrnne burton and batwick case significant
demonstrated church involvement in legality and court
Charles and scotland pre bishops war
didnt understand scotland
didnt trust scottish privy council therefore relied on a few scottish exiles living permanently in london
did understand Presbyterian scottish Kirk
only visited scotland 8 years into his rule in order to be crowned
1633 = heavily laudian ceremony whereas scotland = heavily protestant
scottish kirk
1560 led by john knox, had undergone a calvanist reformation
now a presbyterian church
very low church
charles interference in scotland during personal rule
1636 - book of canons to scottish clergy. how their church should be more like cofe
july 1637 - english prayer book to scottish churches. when first read in St Giles cathedral, edinburgh, riots broke out
both sides (charles and the covenanters) raised armies
national covenant
declaration of alliance to scottish nationalism and calvanism
how first bishops war occured
Spring 1639 charles - 20,000 men on scottish border
(first time since 1323 king had attempted to go to war without calling a parliament)
once crossed border became clearly this poor, badly equipped and badly trained (as from county militias) were no match to the scots
before any fighting occured charles signed Pacification of Berwick agreeing both sides would disband
scots agreed to disband as long as king agreed to call a scottish general assembly and an english parliament to resolve the crisisp
aftermath of first bishops war
scotland abolished the prayer book and bishops
didnt disband their army as distrust for charles
1640 under advice from wentworth called the short parliament
predictably charles faced with dozens of petitions regarding aspects of the personal rule
dissolved after only 3 weeks
second bishops war
second bishops war
charles initiated
ill-equipped, badly trained army )majority of whom sympathized with scots)
defeated at battle of Newburn october 1640
treaty of ripon october 1640 forced charles to pay the scots £850 every day they occupied newcastle until issue resolved = charles forced to call a parliament
long parliament dates
november 1640-1642
aim of long parliament
dismantle the tools of personal rule
united and determined
spearheaded by Pym’s Junto
parliament had now cornered charles via his desperate need for money
4 targets of the long parliament
ministers
courts
financial advantage
personal rule
evil councellors - parliaments actions
1640 wentworth = lord lt of ireland
charles wanted his ally back in london to support him
but wentworth couldnt leave ireland as ireland unstable and he feared impeachment
‘they shall not harm a hair on your head’ charles to wentworth
impeached immediately
impeachment droped when it became clear lords would not support
=act of attainder (convict without trial)
Pym revealed ‘Army plot’
house of lords passed act of attainder out of fear
charles then had to sign act of attainder
12 may 1641, wentworth executed
1640 laud impeached
no trial,imprisoned in tower of london
executed 1645
army plot
rumour catholic officers (encouraged by the queen were raising an army to dissolve parliament and release wentworth
a mob then surrounded parliament demanding wentworths execution
forced lorads and king into signing act of attainder and ensuring wentworths death
dismantling the tools of personal rule
june 1641 - tonnage and poundage, ship money and other fiscal innovations declared illegal without parliaments consent
prerogative courts abolished at same time
also
parliametn could no longer be dissolved without its own consent
triennial act passed feb 1641
1641 chaarles finally granted…
parliament to grant charles tonnage and poundage every 2 months for a year
opposition to pyms junto
worries pyms junto had infinged on royal prerogative and divine right too far
led by Sir Edward Hyde
root and branch bill helped to cause this divide
root and branch bill
1641 abolish bishops in the church of england vigorously opposed dropped but served to divide parliament pym had now stepped too far
1641, what happened before charles left for scotland
the opposition drew up Ten propsitions
-power to chose kings advisors
-parliament able to protect itself from royal vengance
charles rejected and left for scotland to negotiate peace
the road to war breif
October 1641, parliament returns from ‘summer break’
rumors of risings among catholics in ireland
Charles remains in scotland
Grand remonstrance passed 22nd november
Militia bill presented (failed as moderates flocked to charles’ side)
charles eventually returns in november
militia bill december
1642
january, rumors pym planning to impeach the king
3rd jan - charles orders lords to begin impeachment against the opposition leaders
4th jan - attempt on the five members
march - militia ordinance
june - commision of array
June 19 propositions
both sides raise armies
august: charles raises his standard at Nottingham and war is declared
irish rebellion
october 1641- parliament returns to rumours of irish catholic uprisings
tales of massacre with 200,000 deaths
tales of irish army in north west engalnd
in reality maybe a few thousand dead and contained in ireland but still served its purpose
impact of irish rebellion
charles potential use ireland as source of army
catholics unite?
fear in uncertain times
militarization of the conflict
panic as charles in scotland
parliament needs an army to tackle irish
but army would be under kings command
therefore pym devises grand remonstrate
grand remonstrate
november 1641
outlined parliaments grievances with the king
unite parliament by reminding them all of the kings mistakes
passed by only 11 votes
so pym prints, without bothering to take it to the lords
(momentum now heading charles’ way)
militia bill
militia bill failed december 1641 = feeling now moving in charles’ favour
the attempt on the five members
jan 42 - rumors pym going to impeach queen
3rd - charles orders lords to begin impeachment of the opposition leaders
4th - charles enters house of commons with 300 soldiers to arrest ‘the five’
they had already fled
charles now proved he couldnt be trusted with an army
had to move his family out of london to ensure their safety
march 1642
palriament issues militia ordinance
to raise and command an army to deal with irish issue
issued without kings consent
commission of array
june - charles calls on lord lieutenants to raise an army for him to command
now had to chose sides
both sides now have an army
19 propositions
june - parliament passes as a basis for negotiation with the king
too radical
-parliament oversee education of kings children
chalres rejects
armies raised
July 1642, parliament raises its army
august 1642 charles raises his standard in nottingham
in doing so charles declares war on parliament
long term issues resulting in civil war
economy
henry 8th church divides
personal rule bitterness
parliaments escalation in power
short term issues resulting in civil war
Irish
Scottish
charles = inept king (5 members)
Pym going to far
three main phases of civil war
1642-1643 king in control 1643-1644 pym tries to regain control 1645-1646 new model army and parliament dominance
phase 1 :king in control 1642-3
nobility and gentry support
has most of uk except london
majority of battle hardy officers supported him - skill
had officer corps
Prince Rupert and Maurice of Nassau = supported charles and both had experienced thiry years war so were skilled
first battle of civil war : Battle of Edgehill = royalist forces made some advances
phase 2 : pym attempts to take control 1643-4
excise tax in parliament controlled areas to maintain army
maintains parliamentary unity even thought peace and war factions emerge
Peace negotiations at oxford (prevents peace party making extreme concessions)
1643 pym now very ill with a form of cancer
commons signs Solemn league and covenant
parliamentary voctory at Marston Moor july 1644
solemn league and covenant
unites scottish forces with parliament
parliament now has a battle trained and strong force aiding parliament in the north
instrumental in the victory at Marston Moor
third phase ; new model army 1645-6
crisis develops within parliamentary forces due to poor performances by leaders such as the Earl of Essex
failed peace talks at uxbridge 1645
Self- Denying Ordinance
all military leaders would resign their command and form the New Model Army
-22,000 men created by Sir Thomas Fairfax
-fairfax = strong soldier with little political interest and was therefore acceptable to both peace and war parties
another notable commander = oliver cromwell
major victory at Battle of Naseby june 1645
gained godly sataus but in reality came down to harsh discipline, training and good leadership
search for settlement
no thoughts of getting rid of charles or forming a republic
- was charles’ advisors fault, not the divine monarch
charles got offered 2 peace settlement
scottish settlemnt = kinder, as scotlamd pnly interested in securing the future of the Presbyterian church
but charles delayed therefore the scots handed charles over the english in february 1645
peace proposals offered to charles by parliament after first civil war
July 1646 at Newcastle
called Newcastle propositions
Political presbyterians
restrict religious freedoms
bring radical elements under control
demands
-parliament would nominate key officers of state
-parliament would control the militia for next 20 years
-bishops abolished and a presbyterian church be created for experimental 30 years
charles’s response to newcastle propositions
delayed
whilst waiting for response levellers developed a political programme
levellers leading to politicization of the army
began as a group advocating religious toleration
developed a political program
had support within new model army
main concern from most soldiers
-arrears of pay had not been given to them
parliament voted to disband the army without pay (despite cromwell speaking in their defence in parliament)
army now became a political force electing their own political spokesmen known as agitators
Leveller action with the king
4th june 1647
cornet joyce arrived with escort to take possession of the king from Holdenby House
transferred to hampton court
5th june
leading officer (inc oliver) signed an engagement to support army = general council (of both officers and agitators)
cromwell quickly supported by leading officers inc son in law Ireton
Representation of the Army published june
demanded expulsion of 11 MPs, religious toleration and fresh elections with a wider electorate
heads of proposals
august 2 1647
army settlement with king
-triennial act replaced with biennial parliaments
-parliament nominate key officers of state for 10 years
-parliament control militia for 10 years
-continued use of bishops in church but restriciton on their powers
politicalisaiton of the army brief
Case of the army truly stated
-potential settlement presented to army general counil by agitators
debates at putney
divisions widened
cromwell tried to maintain peace
charles escapes captivity at hampton court
agitators had to return to their regiments
Ware (a place in hertfordshire) army muster, troops had copies of the agreement of the people and tried to spread message, cromwell restored orders and punished the leaders
second civil war how it started
26th december charles signs secret Engagement with the scots = scots give charles military assistance whilst charles promises to establish a presbyterian church in engalnd for three ears
january, parliament = angry and votes for no more negotiations with charles
second civil war events
scots enter england april 1648
easily defeated by army commanded by cromwell in august
negotiations begin…
commons attempting to make peace with charles
try negotiations but charles refuses to abolish bishops for more than three years
Remonstrance to the commons november 20th
-ireton written
-demands charles be brought to justice
parliament sends four bills to chales (modified versions of newcastle propositions)
charles replied stating he would consider parliament to have some control of the militia
commons then voted the kings reply to be a basis for further negotiation
5th december 1648
colonel thomas pride surrounds parliament wiht his troops
exclude 186 MPs and arrests a further 45
leaves a rump house pretty united against charles
A High Court Justice created to try charles
found guilty
beheaded 30th january 1649
