1629-1640 Flashcards
What do historians claim are Charles’ I negative traits? (4)
- Introverted, uncommunicative and unapproachable
- Didn’t trust his subjects’ loyalty
- Uncompromising and inflexible (had absolute values)
- Lack of self confidence meant he constantly felt the need to prove the power of his royal prerogative
What do historians claim are Charles I’s positive traits? (3)
- Strong and stable family life
- Extremely important patron of the arts and aesthetics
- Strong sense of conscience and honour: conviction politician
Was Charles I entirely unpopular? Evidence for answer.
No- There was a civil war, meaning that he must have had a large support base who fought for him
–> If he was entirely unpopular, a revolution would’ve taken place rather than a civil war
How did Charles I treat the church throughout his reign? (3)
- Church was arguably his most consistent priority
- He was greatly devoted to producing and maintaining a hierarchical, non-calvinist church
- Leadership of the church was the only area that Charles shared control (with advisor, William Laud) –> Significant that Charles’ greatest priority had shared leadership whilst he monopolised control in other policy (?)
Did Charles I think that only the King should be involved in the leadership of the country? Give Evidence (3).
No- He felt the leadership should be made up of the King and close advisors.
- Summoned the ‘Great Noble Council’ in 1639 before invading Scotland
- Attempting to re-establish the ‘Order of Garter’
- Close advisors, such as Buckingham, were supported unconditionally by the King
What did Courtly masques display about Charles I’s rule? (3)
- The King had ultimate power and divine leadership: he should merely have to set an example to his people and they should aim to emulate it
- The King did not aim to work alone and needed trusted advisors (the masques displayed the King with orderly accomplices)
- The King was slightly out of touch with his people and political reality (confusion of fiction and reality)
Give an example, in terms of church and papal policy, in which Charles was out of touch with his people.
- He discussed the potential reunification of the Church of England with Rome in the mid 1630’s.
- -> There was large anti-papal sentiment in England at the time and a reunification with Rome would have been deeply opposed by the people at this time
What was the state of the size of the population during Charles I’s reign? What impact did this have (1)?
- Population of London grew from 55,000 from 400,000 from 1520 to 1650
- -> This brought with it social, economic and political effects eg. more political participation, overcrowding, economic growth etc.
What was the state of religion during Charles I’s reign?
Society was centred around religion and it remained the most important aspect of people’s lives.
What was the state of living conditions and poverty during Charles I’s reign?
- In 1625, 43% of people lived on or below the poverty line
- Living standards were still higher than in France and Germany, where people were starving
What was the importance of Parliament in regards to government and society? (2)
- Was the intermediary between government and society
- -> Allowed pressure from constituents to reach the lords and royal councillors and vice versa.
What were the major limits to the King’s power in this time? (4)
- Bureaucracy, such as the Order of the Seals, added time and difficulty to passing laws
- Monarch could not claim tax without parliamentary consent
- No standing army or police force meant the King relied on the local gentry to maintain law and order
- No specific administration and politicians had to fulfil administrative duties
When and what was the Book of Orders? Why did Charles implement it? (3)
- January 31, 1631
- It was a method of having all JP’s report how they were carrying out the laws in their local constituencies
- Aimed at providing accountability to the administrative sectors of government and so increase efficiency
What were the positives and negatives of the Book of Orders?
+ves: Some JP’s were encouraged to work harder and create a connection between central government and the localities
-ves: Some JPs felt attacked and some had established local methods and laws which conflicted with national laws but worked in their local regions –> created some alienation and conflict
When and what was the ‘Exact Militia’? Why did Charles attempt to implement it?
-program between 1625-1638
- A policy of improving the training and resources of the militia
- To create a more efficient militia (England had no standing army) and so a stronger, more powerful gvt and state
What were the Positives and negatives of the ‘exact militia’?
+ves: Led to some improvements in the quality of the militia
-ves: Large financial cost and also alienated the nobility who were being forced to train more militia only through prerogative rather than law
What was the ‘Popish Soap’ issue?
The monopolisation of soap production in England by Lord Treasurer Portland
Why did the Crown issue patent monopolies, such as the ‘Popish soap’?
-The crown was able to sell patents for great financial reward eg. sold the ‘Popish Soap’ patent for £30,000/year by the late 1630’s.
What were the positives and negatives of Charles selling patents, such as the ‘Popish Soap’?
+ves: Created financial support for the monarchy during the Personal Rule when taxation was impossible
-ves: Caused issues within the economic market (monopolisation) and made the crown seem tyrannical
What was the Fenland Drainage scheme? Why was it implemented?
- Charles gave sir Anthony Thomas and some of his friends the power of draining the fenland and then getting to keep the land
- Allowed Charles to gain 57,000 acres of new land for the crown and the drained land could also be used for economic benefit
What were the positives and negatives of the Fenland Drainage scheme? (2+2)
+ves: Allowed Charles to make financial gain
- Allowed Charles to distribute patronage and hence increased the support of the nobility
- ves: Seen as tyrannical and used by Long Parliament to show the selfishness of Charles
- Removed hundreds of thousands of acres of common land from peasants
When did Charles I end parliament and embark on his 11 years tyranny?
2nd March, 1629
Explain the series of events of Charles I’s closure of parliament? (3)
- Charles sent his messenger, Black Rod, to dissolve parliament (as it was his constitutional right and he had done in the past)
- The MPs denied access to the messenger and stopped the speaker from announcing the closure of parliament
- Denzil Holles shouted resolutions against the King
What are the four theories for the breakdown between Charles and Parliament and the 1629 closure of parliament?
1- Evil influence of Duke of Buckingham over the King
2- Parliament attempted to abuse Charles’ inexperience and tried to remove the King’s power (prerogative)
3- Charles’ inexperience and arrogance led him to take issue with parliament
4- Inevitability: The tension between the monarchy and parliament had become so great that whoever came to power in the 1620s would have had issues
What did Charles’ closure of parliament and his personal rule display about his idea of kingship?
Exemplified Charles’ tendency to prefer the idealised position of court and the Divine leadership of the King
When was the Petition of Rights produced?
1628
What was the 1628 Petition of Rights?
Several MPs provided 4 points for Charles to acknowledge that they felt had been at the centre of law for centuries
What were the 4 tenets of the 1628 Petition of Rights?
1- Illegal to raise taxes without parliamentary consent
2- Illegal to imprison people without reason
3- Forced billeting of troops was illegal
4- Illegal to impose martial law
What was Charles’ response to the 1628 Petition of Rights?
Charles accepted the petition
–> Parliament hoped that he was now aware of the limits of his power
What did the 1628 Petition of Rights display about the relationship between Charles and Parliament?
1- Displayed the growing tensions between Charles and Parliament
2- Emphasised how Charles wanted to restrict the absolute power of the monarch
What were some of the causes of tension between Charles and Parliament before the closure in 1629? (5)
- 1628 ‘Petition of Rights’
- 1527 ‘Five Knights case’
- Dislike of the Duke of Buckingham
- 1626 Forced Loan
- Disastrous Foreign Policy
When and what was the ‘Five Knights’ Case’ (3)?
- 1627
- Five noble gentlemen were imprisoned for refusing to pay the 1626 Forced Loan
- They challenged this imprisonment by questioning ‘Habeus Corpus’ (The Just Cause) of imprisonment
- The case focused on the 1215 Magna Carta, which issued the basic and fundamental freedoms and rights of Englishmen
What was the outcome of the ‘Five Knights’ Case’ and what was its significance? (3)
- Charles won the case
- Reaffirmed his belief that he could rule simply by divine right
- Large degree of opposition to the King on this ruling displayed the consensus that Charles was pushing his rights to their limits- and beyond.
Who was the Duke of Buckingham?
Both James I and Charles I’s favourite councillor
–> He held great influence over Charles
What was Parliaments opinion of the Duke of Buckingham? (2)
- Parliament was calling for his downfall from 1625 onwards
- Parliament attempted to impeach Buckingham but Charles dissolved parliament to protect him
What happened to the Duke of Buckingham and what is the historical significance of this? (3)
- He was assassinated in 1628
- Emphasised Charles’ misuse of patronage and favouritism
- Issues still continued after his death, emphasising how he was not solely responsible for Charles’ shortcomings
Why Did Charles implement a Forced Loan in 1626?
-He needed money after dissolving parliament in 1626
What was the outcome (2) of the 1626 Forced Loan and what was it’s significance (2)?
- Those who refused to pay were imprisoned
- -> Creating a deal of tension between the Monarch and his subjects
- In the end, the Forced Loan raised 4x what Parliament would have been able to make through subsidy
- -> Charles felt it was more efficient than parliamentary taxation and hence was encouraged to use ‘Personal Rule’
What are some examples of the failure of Charles’ foreign policy 1626-1627? (2)
- Charles marries the sister of the French King to gain French support, which he doesnt get (1626)
- In 1627, Charles launches simultaneous wars against France and Spain- He fails to win any battles, before retreating
What was societal response to the failures of Charles’ foreign policy 1626-1627?
Anger at the money spent and the failures of the expeditions.
What was Ship Money?
A financial request from maritime and coastal cities for money to finance the navy and coastal protection
How did Charles manipulate the use of Ship Money?
He tried to extend the financial request to all inland counties in order to raise more money
When did Charles first try to extend Ship Money inland and what was the outcome?
- 1628: requested £173,000
- He withdrew after serious opposition and hostile reactions
What happened with Charles I’s calling of Ship Money in 1635?
- Requested £219,000 (Nearly as much as Parliament’s 5 subsidies from 1628-1629)
- Despite serious opposition, 97.5% of the Ship Money was collected that year
What was Charles I’s Ship Money policy in the mid 1630’s? What did this display about his overall policy?
1635: Requested £219,000, moving Ship Money inland
1636: Further writs in 1636 implied that Ship Money was becoming an annual payment
1637: 90% of the £195,000 was collected –> Payments becoming slower and smaller
Was Ship Money successful financially?
- By Early Modern Standards, it was an extremely successful financial policy as it collected masses of money
- However, whilst it was paid obediently, it was not paid willingly and so there was a large amount of social opposition
What two factors greatly increased the resistance to Ship Money?
- Scotland’s progress towards rebellion and the threat of violence and force
- John Hampden’s trial
How did Scottish rebellion impact the payment of Ship Money?
- The payment essentially collapsed as citizens could not afford to pay for it simultaneously with the cost of fielding an army against the Scots.
- The Country went on a tax strike in 1639 (Largely because of the cost of Scottish invasion and as sheriffs had given up on collection)
When and what was the Hampden Case? (3)
- John Hampden refused to pay Ship Money
- Nov 1637 was brought to trial
- 9 out of 12 of the judges supported the King, and so he won the case –> The display of some opposition to the King from the Judges represented a moral blow to Charles
–>Led to increasing opposition to Ship Money: less than 20% of the requested money was paid in 1639
What was the impact of The Hampden trial? (2)
- Slightness of the victory represented a moral loss for the monarchy
- Previously citizens feared outright refusal to pay (they had no parliament to fall back on for support) but the relative success of Hampden gave them hope
What was the significance of a lack of parliament on reception of Ship Money?
-Citizens were afraid to refuse to pay Ship Money as they had no parliament to fall back on
- looked like an extra parliamentary tax, which had recently been declared illegal by the 1628 petition of rights
- ->social discontent and anger
What impact did Ship Money have on Charles’ ability to rule? (2)
- Damaged support for the King’s prerogative as the policy was greatly opposed
- The collection of Ship Money was reliant on collection enforced by County Sheriffs –> The collection of this money put a great deal of pressure on the sheriffs and so discouraged many noble families from taking up the role –> Damaged the delicate system of co-operation between the central gvt and the localities
What were the positives of Ship Money? (2)
- All the money gained was genuinely spent on improving the navy: bolster trade, protection from privacy and stronger military (meaning more negotiating power)
- The amount paid individually was not high as the tax was split amongst a greater number of people than usual (eg. Hampden’s trial came from refusing to pay £1)
What were some of the ways in which Charles I tried to gain additional revenue without parliament? (3)
- Ship Money
- Rents and Custom’s revenue
- Revival of ancient laws
What was the issue with Charles’ revenue from rents of Crown lands?
- Inflation ate away at the real value of rents, which were renegotiated at fix rates over 99 year periods
- -> Led Charles to seek alternative methods of gaining money without parliament
What were some examples of Charles revival of ancient laws to gain additional revenue? (2)
- Distraint of Knighthood: Gentlemen were fined for failing to present themselves to the King to be knighted if they had at least £40 (£40 was not a huge amount anymore and this caught many people out)
- Revival of Forest Laws: Fined landowners who built over ancient boundaries (eg. Earl of Salisbury was fined £20,000)
Where did Charles stand in terms of his religious beliefs?
He was an Arminian/Laudian and a non-Calvinist
What were the major beliefs of the Puritans? (3)
- Wanted a ‘Reformation of Manners’ to enforce moral standards
- Believed in predestination
- Wanted rid of priests wearing vestments and religious symbolism
What were the major beliefs of the Mainstream Conformists (the largest religious group in England)? (3)
- Held strong affections to the prayer book
- Were often more lukewarm and apathetical towards their beliefs than The Puritans or The Laudians
- Argued against predestination
What were the major beliefs of the Arminians? (3)
- Felt the altar should be out of reach for normal people
- Wished to see more ritual and decoration
- Strongly opposed the idea of predestination
What were the impacts of greater protestantism/lutherism in England? (3)
- Nuns were allowed to marry
- Church services held in English and Bible translated to English –> Led to varying interpretations of Christianity
- By Elizabeth I, there was an uneasy equilibrium between protestants and catholics
