Chapter 1 - The Legacy of James I Flashcards
The Legacy of James I
When did James I succeed to the throne of England?
And, for how long had he been monarch?
1603
37 years
Description of James I…
- Vulgar and brash court
- Pursed young men
- “Wisest fool in all of Christendom”
Millenary Petition
- A list of reforms drafted by Puritans
- Contained +1,000 signatures
- They hoped James would look favourably on their requests as the Scottish Kirk had a stricter version of Protestantism than England’s Elizabethan settlement
How did James I react to the Millenary Petition?
- Convened a conference in January 1604 at Hampton Court to discuss the Petition
- Hopes of a Scottish-style Presbyterian restructure were dashed
“No Bishop! No King!” - James I response to a proposal that the Church should lose is episcopal structure
Causes of the Gunpower Plot
- James I promised not to ‘persecute any that will be quiet and give an outward obedience to the law’
- This was met with hostility
- Parliament forced him to reverse his tolerant approach by withholding money from him
The Gunpower Plot
Catholic terrorists attempted to kill the king and his government and replace him with a Catholic monarch
Consequences of the Gunpower Plot
- Recusancy (failure to attend church) fines increased
- Catholics were removed from government posts
- Catholics had to affirm a new Oath of Allegiance in 1606 (allowed James to identify Catholics who retained their faith but demonstrated political loyalty. For a time, Catholics became ‘quiet’)
- Public fear of Catholics grew stronger
Who was the Archbishop of Canterbury?
When was he appointed?
1604.
Anti-Puritan Richard Bancroft.
The new Archbishop of Canterbury’s approach? (clarify which Archbishop)
- Strict
- Religious conformity
- Removed only 9 Puritan clergy for non-conformity
The next Archbishop of Canterbury…
1611-1633.
George Abbot.
- Puritan (firmly)
- Helped draft the Book of Sports in 1618
- Outraged Puritans as it encouraged recreational activity for Sundays, which they condemned as unholy pastimes
When was the Book of Common Prayer revised?
What did it do?
1604.
Established an official liturgy in Ireland and England, but was flexible in Scotland.
The Book of Common Prayer in Scotland.
- Introduced much slower
- Revised it to include more Scottish elements
- Stopped pushing it through Parliament in 1619 due to resistance
James I’s hopes?
Unite Scotland and England under one government and one religion.
This wasn’t achieved. Instead, it contributed to political and religious problems in Charles I’s reign from 1625 onwards.
Role of parliament c.1603
- raise and approve legislation
- had to consent to certain forms of taxation when the king needed to raise money
- King could dissolve parliament - he could do this without consulting anyone
Scottish Parliament (S) v.s English Parliamet (E)
- Unicameral (S) | bicameral (E)
- King could use appointments and patronage to pack Parliament with loyal supporters including Officers of State and bishops (S) | King was limited in his ability to place supporters into the Commons and had to rely on allies among the Lords (who were closer to him in rank) to try to slow ot stop Commons initiatives) (E)
- KIng could intervene in the selection of elected members (S) | King very limited in his ability to influence local election - seats controlled by gentry families (E)
- Most debate and negotiation took place in committees before coming to Parliament (S) | Most debate and negotiation took place within Parliament (E)
- Sessions short (S) | Sessions prolonged (E)
- Not the only legislative body in Scotland (S) | The only legislative body in England (E)
