Ch 8 Political Divisions: the Personal Rule + the Short Parliament Flashcards
-What saw Charles embark on his personal rule 1629-40?
- collapse in relationship between Charles + Political Nation by 1629
- Charles’ belief in his own divine right to rule
-How did the Privy Council benefit in Charles’ Personal Rule 1629-40?
- there wasn’t a Parliament to govern, so Privy Council gained even greater importance
- though Charles’ Personal Rule led to opposition + discontent in England, Scotland + Ireland
What were the 2 key prerogative courts + what did they do?
- Court of Star Chamber = made up of privy councillors selected by monarch; Charles could hold cases in secret before them
- Court of High Commission = chief court of the Church used by Laud to enforce conformity; if defendant was found guilty in this court, he/she was then sentenced by Star Chamber, of which Laud was also a member
-Why was finance a problem for Charles? And what did debt equal by 1629?
- Charles failed to secure subsidies from Parliament
- by 1629, Charles had debt of £2million; so first chief financial ministers @ start of personal rule faced continual problem of raising revenue + cutting expenditure
- How were savings achieved?
- What was the problem with these?
- securing peace w/ France (1629) + Spain (1630) through the Treaties of Susa + Madrid
- Weston’s reforms of court finance in order to lower the cost of running Charles’ court
- both measures had negative political consequences; Charles withdrawal from the Thirty Years War sat uncomfortably w/ many, particularly Puritans who regarded destruction of Catholicism as a crusade
- the reduction in court costs also alienated some of the Political Nation who were used to the decadence of James I’s court
-Source of Crown Income:
CUSTOMS DUTIES (INCLUDING TONNAGE + POUNDAGE)
= Charles’ management of these sources during Personal Rule
(methods of Charles to increase income through royal prerogative)
- tonnage + poundage granted to Charles for only 1 year in 1625, but he continued to collect it
- in 1631-1635 this form of income brought Charles £270,000 per year
- 1635 a new Book of Rates updated the amount paid on goods as customs duty to be more in line w/ market value (due to inflation) thus increasing amount Crown received
- by end of 1630s, amount coming in from customs duties had risen to £425,000 a year
-Source of Crown Income:
FEUDAL DUES (INCLUDING WARDSHIP)
= Charles’ management of these sources during Personal Rule
(methods of Charles to increase income through royal prerogative)
- Crown had right to run any estate inherited by heir under 21yrs
- during Personal Rule, income from this increased by 1/3rd to approx £75,000 a year
-Source of Crown Income:
MONOPOLIES
= Charles’ management of these sources during Personal Rule
(methods of Charles to increase income through royal prerogative)
-loophole in the Monopoly Act allowed grants to corporations, the most notorious granting of monopoly for soap to a group of Catholics (nicknamed the Popish Soap) which earned Charles £33,000
-Source of Crown Income:
RECUSANCY FINES
= Charles’ management of these sources during Personal Rule
(methods of Charles to increase income through royal prerogative)
-income from these fines increased from £5,300 a year in 1620s to £26,866 in 1634
-Source of Crown Income:
DISTRAINT OF KNIGHTHOOD
= Charles’ management of these sources during Personal Rule
(methods of Charles to increase income through royal prerogative)
- anyone holding land w/ income of £40 per year or more who had not received a knighthood at Charles’ coronation was fined
- by 1636 Charles had raised nearly £175,000 in this way
-Source of Crown Income:
OTHER FINES
= Charles’ management of these sources during Personal Rule
(methods of Charles to increase income through royal prerogative)
- forest fines = fines for any landowners said to have encroached on areas of royal forest; Charles used rather dubious maps + documents to impose fines on major landowners (ALIENATED LAND OWNERS)
- land titles = fines imposed on those who rented land from the Crown but lacked a clear title to the land or could not prove continuous occupation for the previous 60yrs
- enclosure fines = fines imposed on those who had illegally enclosed off common land
-What were Charles’ methods to increase income through royal prerogative termed as?
- fiscal feudalism
- raised annual income during Personal Rule from £600,000 to £900,000; yet was still in serious financial trouble
-What was Ship Money?
- prerogative form of income levied in times of emergency to fund the navy
- Oct 1634 = was levied on coastal towns + counties
- Aug 1635 = was extended to inland counties + levied annually until 1639
- raised an average of nearly £200,000 a year (equivalent of nearly 3 parliamentary subsidies)
- on the surface, ship money cold be judged as a financial success
- majority of those who had to pay this tax did so out of fear of punishment + to demonstrate acceptance of monarch’s powers; concern had been voiced in Parliament, but without Parliament during Personal Rule, there was less scope for grievances of the Political Nation to be expressed; adding to what historian John Morrill referred to as a “coiled spring” of underlying discontent
-How was Charles the cause of the Scottish Revolution?
multiple kingdom crisis of 1637-42: extent of opposition to personal rule in Scotland, Ireland + England
- he cut himself off from influential Scottish opinion
- became less aware of / ignored the growing discontent
- his imposition of religious uniformity, especially w/ role of bishops, alienated Scots
- as predominantly presbyterian population the Scots had always regarded bishops w/ suspicion
-Economic Policies during Personal Rule Timeline: 1629 = 1630 = 1633 = 1634 = 1635 = 1636 = 1638 = 1639 =
1629 = £2mil debt; peace w/ France 1630 = peace w/ Spain; distraint of knighthood fines 1633 = proclamation for nobility + gentry to return to counties 1634 = forest fines; ship money on coastal towns + counties 1635 = new Book of Rates issued; Ship money extended inland + levied annually until 1639 1636 = bishop Juxon appointed Lord Treasurer 1638 = John Hampden's case 1639 = growing resistance to ship money
-What happened the first time the new Laudian prayer book was read in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh?
(multiple kingdom crisis of 1637-42: extent of opposition to personal rule in Scotland, Ireland + England)
- an organised protest became a full-blown riot; help maintain control of the opposition to Laudianism
- further riots occurred in Glasgow + Edinburgh, + Charles’ Scottish Privy Council was forced to abandon Edinburgh in Oct 1637
- Charles would not back down in response to the October revolt + thus pushed moderates to become radicals
-What was the Scottish National Covenant?
multiple kingdom crisis of 1637-42: extent of opposition to personal rule in Scotland, Ireland + England
- Feb 1638 a Scottish petitioning movement formulated document known as Scottish National Convenant
- written mainly by Presbyterians radicals
- was a manifesto to unite those against Charles’ religious policy + to maintain Presbyterianism as the main Scottish religion
- those those who signed the document were known as Convenanters
-How did Charles seek to face the Scottish Covenanters?
multiple kingdom crisis of 1637-42: extent of opposition to personal rule in Scotland, Ireland + England
- had to fund an army to face Convenanters rebelling against imposition of Laudian prayer book
- to do this, he sought legal confirmation of his right to collect ship money; was this action that brought English opposition to ship money into the open
-Why was the turning of the Scottish Rebellion to armed conflict known as the Bishops’ Wars?
- known as the Bishops’ Wars because Scots were opposing Charles’ imposition of Laudianism
- in order to give himself time to raise an army, Charles had allowed the Scots to call a religious General Assembly in Glasgow in Sept 1638
- in Nov 1638 this Assembly proceeded to annul the canon laws + abolish episcopacy (government of a church by bishops, in this instance the Church of England)
- Charles’ army was not ready until April 1639 because he encountered problems in collecting ship money for finance
- by then the Scots were even more prepared to face the King’s 15,000 untrained + unruly soldiers
-What was the Truce of Berwick in June 1639?
- not wanting to recall Parliament to resolve financial issues, Charles negotiated the Truce of Berwick (June1639) agreeing to a meeting of a General Assembly of the Church of Scotland at Edinburgh + Parliament; as well as a disbandment of both armies
- Convenanters did not trust Charles so they did not disband their army, + the Edinburgh Assembly + Parliament set about reducing royal power in Scotland
-How can the scale of continuing crisis be seen?
- with Charles decision to recall Thomas Wentworth, Lord Deputy of Ireland
- on his return in Sept 1639, Wentworth advised Charles to call an English Parliament as the only means of raising money to fight Scots
- this Parliament became known as the Short Parliament, because when it met Charles refused to compromise + dissolved it
- Scots crossed the river Tweed & entered England in Aug 1640 to little resistance, they also occupied Newcastle after a minor encounter
-What was the Treaty of Ripon?
- Oct 1639 Charles reluctantly agreed to the Treaty of Ripon, stating Charles would pay the Scottish army’s living costs while they occupied English soil
- meant Charles needed to call another Parliament to help fund this
-What really changed Charles’ position in England?
- ultimately the continuing opposition in Scotland really changed Charles’ position in England
- not the acts of overt opposition among the Political Nation in England or Ireland
-How was the nature of the armies key in the Scottish victory in the Bishops’ Wars?
- the Convenanter army was boosted by the return of many Scots who had been serving as professional soldiers on the Continent in the Thirty Years War; the troops were used to train those recruited to the Convenanter cause; also it was policy that the mid-rank positions of every regiment were given to professional soldiers (in this way there was a core group w/ real expertise directing the army)
- contrastingly, Charles used conscripts or local militia rather than mobilising trained bands, perhaps because he did not trust their political loyalty; the result was his army was made up of the ‘dregs of society’ often rioting as well as committing robberies + murder
-By 1629, how was Ireland politically divided?
- Irish Catholics
- Catholic Old English
- Protestant New English
- Presbyterian Scots
-What was the policy of ‘plantation’ in Northern Ireland?
-land was taken by English Crown + given to English settlers - which had brought more Protestant settlers into the country since 1608
-How was English control limited in Ireland?
- limited to Dublin + surrounding area (known as the Pale)
- beyond the Pale, the Irish Catholic traditional ruling elite still controlled most of the country
-What was Thomas Wentworth appointed to in 1632?
- appointed to Lord Deputy of Ireland (King’s representative there)
- role was to stand outside the different factions in Ireland in order to rule them
-Key info on Thomas Wentworth?
- prominent opponent of forced loan of 1626
- President of the Council of the North 1628
- Lord Deputy of Ireland 1632
- Recalled to England 1639 to deal w/ brewing crisis in Scotland + England
- became Charles Chief Advisor
- appointed Earl of Stanford, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland + Lieutenant-General of the army
- advised Charles to call what was to become the Short Parliament (convened April1640) to help him crush the Scots
-What did Wentworth succeed in within Ireland?
- enhancing the authority of the English Crown + Church over the Irish
- allowing the English Crown to profit more from Ireland by increasing customs duty
-Why was the religious context of Ireland a problem?
- for Protestants in Ireland, Laudianism was seen as too close to Catholicism (same as view in England)
- the Protestants were a besieged minority + thus generally felt more threatened by the imposition of Laudianism
- furthermore, those who were ‘planted’ in Ireland tended to be more radical Protestants who felt threatended by Laudian impositions
-How did Thomas Wentworth make the situation worse in Ireland in 1641?
-he succeed in alienating all the different groups in Ireland (tensions came to the forefront after Wentworth was called back to England to deal w/ the political crisis)
-Why did the Scottish Rebellion of 1637 + Wentworth’s return to England prompt the Irish Catholics to act?
- because Presbyterian Scots were controlling Scotland + were in alliance w/ English Puritans; their growing influence threatened Catholic Ireland
- because w/ Wentworth removed, the Irish sought to pre-emptively prevent radical outsiders imposing harsh Protestant rules on them
-When did the Irish Rebellion begin?
- Oct 1641
- lasted over the winter of 1641-42
- seizing the opportunity offered by the absence of Crown authority, Irish Catholics launched a pre-emptive strike against Protestants in Ulster, massacring at least 3,000
-What year was the turning point of Charles reign + why?
- 1637
- English opposition to Charles’ financial position + religious policies all occurred against the backdrop of the Scottish Rebellion
- nobles like William Fiennes had opposed ship money; went as far as to start legal action against the Crown deliberately w/ the aim of creating a show trial over the issue
- Charles chose not to give him such a platform + merely ignored his refusal to pay ship money
-What happened in the John Hampden case, 1637?
- Nov 1637, Charles took Hampden to court for his refusal to pay ship money, hoping his prosecution would make a point to all that Charles’ authority should be obeyed
- the wider circulated facts of the case fanned the debate on wider constitutional issues
- the judgement for the Crown by a narrow majority, 7 judges to 5, was too politically costly a victory for Charles
- alongside the Scottish Rebellion + growing examples of religious opposition, the slim victory shows that Charles’ Personal Rule was under strain
-Key info on John Hampden?
- minor member of Buckinghamshire gentry
- refused to pay the forced loan of 1626 + was briefly imprisoned
- refused to pay ship money in 1635
- prosecuted by Charles in 1637 for his refusal + his trial made him a leading public opponent of the regime
- by 1642, Hampden was among 5 men whom Charles regarded as his leading opponents
- died in a Civil War battle in 1643
-What was opposition in England + Scotland a reaction to?
-Predominantly a Puritan reaction to Charles’ imposition of Laudianism
-Why should all cases of open religious opposition to the regime be considered in the light of wider, underlying discontent?
-Those of less committed faith than Puritans may not have been prepared to openly oppose the Crown, but once the Scottish Rebellion started to clearly undermine Charles’ authority (+ the fact he had to call a Parliament) underlying discontent came to the surface in all 3 kingdoms
-What was a way opponents expressed their discontent?
- Emigration; particularly to North America
- leaving England gave the advantage of being away from Laudian impositions + the freedom of North America enabled godly Puritan communities to establish control/power
-What is an example of a company that supported emigration? And what was its significance?
- the Providence Island Company
- the formation of such companies supporting emigration were an expression of disgust at Charles I’s Laudianism
- the meetings could also act as a guise for people to come together + actually share ideas on the political situation; especially during the Scottish crisis of 1637
-What helped lead to the collapse of Charles’ Personal Rule (1629-40)?
-while there were cases of individual opposition in Ireland + England to Charles’ Personal Rule, it was only w/ the continued rebellion of the Covenanters in Scotland in 1637-40 that his personal rule collapsed
-What acted as a trigger for Irish Catholics to rebel in October 1641?
-the removal of Wentworth from Ireland to deal w/ the Scottish crisis + the obvious pressure Charles came under in the Long Parliament
-What was the significance of opposition to Charles’ policies? And what did Conrad Russell refer to this as?
- opposition to Charles’ policies was an interrelated multiple-kingdom event across the years 1637-42
- Conrad Russell refers to as the ‘Collapse of the British Monarchies’
Key details on the Short Parliament?
- needed to deal w/ the Scottish Rebellion as Charles needed finance
- lasted less than a month (hence the name)
- 13 April 1640 - 5 May 1640
- despite a sense of unity about ending the abuses of the Personal Rule, there was limited organisation among the representatives of the Political Nation who were returned as MPs in 1640
- the King could still rely on a majority in the House of Lords
- as part of Charles strategy to secure parliamentary funding with which to fight the Scots, he announced the illegality of ship money; which won him support in the Commons
- it became clear however that MPs were not going to vote subsidies for the Bishops’ Wars in Scotland; key figures like Pym + Fiennes were actually in league w. the Scottish Covenanters = both they + the Scots recognised that a long-term solution could only be achieved if Charles made concessions to an English Parliament
- it is a mark of how far Charles had alienated the English political elite that many MPs were less concerned w/ their traditional Scottish enemy (who had an army on English borders) than concerned w/ their own King!!!
- Charles recognising that only significant concession would gain him the 12 subsidies he wanted to fight the Scots, dissolved Parliament
-Which 3 members of the House of Lords + 2 members of the Commons did Charles arrest + why?
- Warwick (HoL)
- Brooke (HoL)
- Fiennes (HoL)
- Pym (Commons)
- Hampden (Commons)
-What did Charles’ decision to face the Scots without parliamentary backing lead to?
-increased tensions + the development of the crisis that was to result in English civil war (1642)
Summarise this chapter?
- 20 Aug 1640 = Scots crossed River Tweed to little resistance
- within 10 days they had occupied Newcastle
- Treaty of Ripon = Charles had agreed to pay the Scots £850 a day while they occupied English soil
- unfortunately for Charles, the Council of Peers (made up of English Lords) would not provide the money needed to pay the Scots unless another parliament was called
- they instead produced the Petition of Twelve Peers at end of Aug 1640
- Charles called another parliament which was to become the Long Parliament
- the seizure of initiative in Scotland + England by radical Protestants escalated the growing tension in Ireland to the point where the Irish Catholics rebelled in Oct 1641
-What were some of the grievances against the Crown in the Petition of Twelve Peers?
- innovation in religion
- increase in property
- the bringing in of Irish + foreign forces
- the attempts to collect ship money
- the length of time without a parliament
What were the Key Chronology events leading to the Long Parliament?
- May=after dissolving Short Parliament, Charles resolves to fight Scots w/ the resources he had (no parliament)
- 20 Aug=Scotts cross border at River Tweed; key defeat for Charles
- Aug=Lords issued the Petition of Twelve Peers
- Sept=Council of Peers (Lords) assembles at York + refuses to cooperate w/ Charles
- 12 Oct=Treaty of Ripon in which Charles agrees to pay Scots for their time in England; in order to raise funds for these payments Charles is forced to call parliament
- 3 Nov=New Parliament known as Long Parliament began
