CH 7 Flashcards
1633 Wentworth
1633 Wentworth promoted to role of lord of deputy of Ireland – due to reputation for loyal and efficient service
Unusual = normally from Irelands elite families,wentowrth was an outsider
Charles = wary of his personality, kept him at distance
Strafford not happy about distance, enemies at court so hard to counteract them
Ireland = graveyard of political reputation
King ensured complete control over distribution of royal patronage and office in Ireland
Complicated situation in Ireland – 3 ethnic groups with different interests and perceptions wheres English based on traditional one ethnic group to govern others
Wentworth’s three aims
- Impose authority of English crown firmly on Ireland
- To make Ireland into a profitable source of income
- Impose laudian religious uniformity on Irish church
Challenges to Wentworth
- Sent to make irish exchequer balance the books
- Meant raising revenue in Ireland without causing rebellion and high defence costs
The ‘graces’s
Ready-made deal to generate funds from old Irish and old English
During 1620s Charles worried Ireland would be used as backdoor
Previous lord deputy and catholic representatives reached agreement
Charles funds army in Ireland,
to defend and remove causes of catholic resentment in Ireland that might provoke rebellion
parl grant 3 subsidies of £120,000 over 3 years if agreed
- No recusancy fines collected
- Relaxation of requirement for Catholics in public office to take oath of supremacy
- Guarantee land title in English common law
Scheduled to be confirmed irish parl 1628 but new English opposed, with was coming to end Charles didn’t need money anymore nor army so deal = shelved
Demanded all three ethnic groups be subservient to the crown,
- Demanded all three ethnic groups be subservient to the crown, reformed administration to be more efficient, removed self-serving New English Officials replaced with trusted advisers from England BUT alienated New English political elites
Court of castle chamber
– Irish counterpart of star chamber transformed into regular and efficient part of Irish administration = quick decisions, used regularly, stopped new English lords protecting one another, body that could consider complaints on legal issues
overcome resistance
overcome resistance, against catholics, harsh treatment sheriff martin darcy fined £4000 and died in prison
Castle chamber accused of brutal and arbitrary proceedings
- Castle chamber accused of brutal and arbitrary proceedings, wentworth accused of false charges against Robert Esmonde for personal reasons then beating him with a cane causing death, Wentworth claims he only shook the cane
Ruthless suppression critics
- Ruthless suppression critics, Mount Norris organised opposition , court-martialized for treason words of disrespect, Wentworth denied him a lawyer or hearing before irish house of lords , sentenced to death, wife begged on knees for forgiveness = pardoned but alienated new English political elites + embarrassed king
Loftus-Wentworth dispute
- Loftus-Wentworth dispute, power struggles between established Irish nobility and the English administration during that period. Wentworth accused Loftus of various irregular practices, One notable incident involved a farmer named John Fitzgerald, who claimed Loftus had unjustly ruled against him without a proper hearing and subsequently imprisoned him. used this case to challenge Loftus’s conduct, leading to Loftus’s temporary imprisonment
Building up royal army
- Building up royal army, used increased tax funds, could conduct its own defence rather than expense of lots of English troops , made up of 3-4000 prots, Ireland became countyr simmering with rage, popular discontent intensified by bad harvests, aggravated by high taxes = eruptions of violence easily suppressed, 1639 expanded with 8000 catholic infantry BUT misjudged the fear this would cause in England
Recognised majority of population were catholic
- Recognised majority of population were catholic, , new policy was to delay any attack on Catholicism until church of Ireland equipped to take on evangelism, saw persecution as futile, denied catholic the Graces , Catholics realised religious freedom was temporary but protestants alarmed
Imposition of laudianism on church of Ireland
- Imposition of laudianism on church of Ireland , 39 articles of Elizabethan church settlement introduced into Irish church to impose laudianism, faced widespread non-compliance= forced to compromise and change Dublin cathedral
New irish court of high commission
- New irish court of high commission to enforce, strengthen jurisdiction of other church courts, antagonised prot irish who saw laudianisn as quasi-catholicism, catholics further isolated due to Anglican enforced more strictly
Introduction of laudian clergy
- Introduction of laudian clergy, Strafford bypassed james usher, appointed his former chaplain as bishop of derry to bring in laudian changes to transform the church BUT only slowly replaced others with laudians due to widespread resistance
Pressurised juries in court
- Pressurised juries in court such as commission for defective titles and court of castle chamber to agree with crown over land disputes = restore wealth of church of Ireland , triggered stream of successful claims by clergy even Richard Boyle leading prot landowner forced to reutn land taken from the church BUT alienated landowners who had gained land as result of the reformation
Alteration of church interior
- Alteration of church interior, east end wall for altar and decorations , ordered earl of cork to take down tomb of wife in st patricks cathedral
Resistance + scottish national covenant
- Resistance + scottish national covenant = concerned of rebellion so antagnoised scots by forcing ‘Black Oath ‘ rejecting covenant and swearing obedience to king , most complied but many abandoned their settlements and returned to Scotland
Manipulated the irish parliament thru promise of granting the ‘Graces’
- Manipulated the irish parliament thru promise of granting the ‘Graces’ in 1634 to vote 3 subsidies over 3 years worth £120000, secured co-operation thru other legislation enactments- gaining control of levying of subisides,exploiting authority to ensure subsidies produced revenues of £250000. Graces were meant to be passed second session but Wentworth didn’t honour
Ruthless methods did work
- Ruthless methods did work,ordered commons to elect Nathaniel Catelyn as speaker BUT backlash during parl, started to reassert right of parl for subsidies = undermined charles key financial pillars = shook kings confidence
Peace with Spain =
- Peace with Spain = end of raids by spanish privateers , developed good relations by allowing spanish to recruit irish soldiers, wentowrth used imporved navy from ship money to patrol coast from north African pirates = reduced piracy and imporved trade and industry
Planned large scale confiscations of catholic owned land
- Planned large scale confiscations of catholic owned land = to raise money for corwn + break political power of old English + irish catholic gentry , ignored charles promise of no plantation of Connaught by protestant settlers, resurrected ancient medieval claims of English corwn to be feudal lord of Connaught , wentworth gave land to English courtiers = poor irish peasantry at mercy of ruthless lords
Book of rates reissued
- Book of rates reissued, customs duties rose from £25000 to £57000 1633-4 to 1637-38 , boosted by peace wirth spain = trade boom
sale of monopolies
- Sale of monopolies to raise funds , personally purchased a tobacco monopoly for Ireland
