Chapter 9 - The Political Nation, 1640 Flashcards
The Political Nation, 1640
The Short Parliament
- no access to money to fight the Covenanters
- Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, advised the king to recall Parliament
- 13th April 1640
- Parliament needed to grant subsidies and then he would listen to grievances
- Parliament dissolved on the 5th of May, with nothing achieved
Why was the Short Parliament dissolved?
- Charles still had some expectation that he might get money from the Spanish king or Pope
- In a recent Privy Council meeting, Strafford had suggested using the Irish Army (which he had overhauled while Lord Deputy) to help put down the Covenanters
- Strafford himself was ill and therefore unable to help the king with political management
- Some in Parliament sympathised with the Covenanters and did not want them to be crushed
- Many in Parliament were desperate to discuss grievances and did not trust the king to keep his word once subsidies had been granted
The Long Parliament
- Events in Scotland led to the recall of Parliament in Novemeber 1640
- Truce of Ripon: 1) the king had to recall Parliament 2) the king could not dissolve Parliament until it had voted the subsidies that would enable the Scottish Army to be paid off, which would trigger its withdrawal from the north of England back into Scotland
Charles position in relation to the truse
- politically, financially and militarlity weak
- so couldn’t defy the terms
- ## Parliament not formally dissolved until 1660
England in the 17th century
- traditional and conservative
- order, hierarchy and Divine Right were all accepted, respected and even welcomed
- no public voices advocating for the overthrow of the monarchy
Support in the House of Lords
Sources of the king’s strength
- 1640, power lay in the Lords not the Commons
- natural allegiance of the majority of the Lords was with the King
- King could still rely on a majority of them to support his side during debates
Supremacy in the legal system
Sources of the king’s strength
- Charles = pinnacle of justice system, therefore able to use it for his own ends
- e.g. after the dissolution of the Short Parliament he arrested 3 Lords he regarded as his leading critics, Warwick, Brooke and Saye and Sele and two Commons, Sir John Pym and John Hampden
Command of the army
Sources of the king’s strength
- authority to call the militia in England
- Strafford had revitalsed the Irish Army and put it at the King’s disposal
- Charles could deploy the army at will
- His authority wasn’t challenged from his commanders
Censorship of the press
Sources of the king’s strength
- early 1640s, he retained command over what could be published
- and was able to extert pressure, even extreme punishment on those who offended him or challenged his authority
Authority over foreign policy
Sources of the king’s strength
- no restraints on the king’s pursuit of foreign policy
Determined and effective ministers
Sources of the king’s strength
- Laud and Wentworth, Earl of Strafford
- Laud backed him up with the 1640 Canons
- Strafford’s return from Ireland, now profitable and well managed, meant that he had his most ruthless and efficient adviser at hand
Resources of the 3 kingdoms
Sources of the king’s strength
- Charles was the king of 3 kingdoms, and so had access to all their resources
- Strafford in Ireland
- Laud’s episcopacy in Scotland
- Ireland was profitable; England should be able to finance war with Scotland
- Strafford might be able to bring the English parliament into line as he had achieved in Ireland
Charles’ weakness
- Charles’ style of rule
- feeling of alienation in the gentry
- ## Charles was overly reliant on consensus and good will to enforce his commands
Unity of purpose
Sources of strength for parliament
The majority of Commons and Lords were united in the goals they shared in opposition to the king
1) to remedy the abuses of the Personal Rule
2) to revive the relationship between the kings and the country, represented in Parliament
This unity made it possible for them to pass measures swiftly in order to address these two issues.
Measures taken to remedy grievanves from Personal Rule
Dismantle the prerogative courts of Star Chamber and High Commision
- Star Chamber abolished by Habeas Corpus Act 1640
- High Commission abolished by Triennial Act Feb 1641
Abolish the fiscal feudalism of Ship Money and Tonnage and Poundage
- Ship Money Act 1640
- T&P regulated by the Tonnage and Poundage Act 1641
Remove the king’s ‘evil councilors’
- Strafford impeached in Nov 1640
- Laud impeached in Dec 1640
- both accused of treaason and imprisoned in the Tower of London to await trial
Remove Laudian excesses from prison
- Prynne, Bastwick and Burton were released form prison
- Root and Branch petition presented to Commons in Dec 1640
Ensure regular Parliaments
- Triennial Act Feb 1641
Prevent dissolution without consent
- Act against Dissolution May 1641
Interconnections
Sources of strength for parliament
- ease of communication
- shared goals
Includes:
- Providence Island Commpany
- Hampden Case
- Drafted the Peition of RIght 1628
- etc etc
Quality of Intellect
Sources of strength for parliament
- opposition, particularly in Commons, were well edcuated, intelligent, professional men
Support from Londoners
Sources of strength for parliament
- 15,000 signatures added onto the end of Root and Branch Petition
- this gave indication of the extent on how many Londoners were vocal in their demands that Parliament should push through reforms
- numerous demonstrations and pamphlets supporting wide change
Sources of division in Parliament
- hard to decide what to put in place to disassemble the instruments of abuse during Personal Rule
- Pym = king wouldn’t willingly reach a negotiated settlement and therefore felt that they had no choice but to push forward a radical agenda that would force a settlement onto him
- Others wouldn’t abandon their conservatism and wanted to continue to pursue a negotiated settlement
- Some thought the king was in the right
Two issues stood out in the spring of 1641:
1) how to work effectively with the king
2) how to administer the Church
Bridge Appointments
Initiatives intended to restore a good working relationship with the king
- Earl of Bedford
- provide Charles with a workable financial settlement, Charles would agree to hold regular Parliaments and abolish the most hated tools of his Personal Rule
- Laud and Strafford to be replaced by Bedford and Pym - Parliament would be closely involved with the king’s finances
- 19th February 1641, Bedford, Saye and Sele, Essex were appointed to the Privy Council, and Oliver St John became Solicitor-General
Why didn’t the Bridge Appointments work?
- Bedford and his allies were collaborating with the Scottish Covenanters so that they could work together to broker and agreement that would be acceptable to the Scots and the King
- Covenanters wanted episcopacy abolished and Strafford executed
- Bedford feared that the Covenanters’ demands would make it impossible for the king to agree to his scheme
Initiative in the Commons
Initiatives intended to restore a good working relationship with the king
- after the failure of the Bridge Appointments, the impetus for reform was shifted into the Commons
- Pym was the leader of the Junto
The Ten Propositions
Initiatives intended to restore a good working relationship with the king
- a “confused and rambling” document JP Kenyon describes it
- Pym brought this list of suggestions to Parliament on 21st June
key terms would have dramatically reduced the king’s powers:
- disbandment of the army in the North
- Parliamentary input into who would be in the Privy Council
- oversight of the Queen’s household
- Parliamentary control over the education of the Royal Children
Root and Branch Bill
- presented in Commons in May 1641
- ‘put right’ Laudian reforms
- root out episcopacy, root and branch by abolising the offices of archbishop and bishop
- dismantle the structure of the CofE
- and redued the king’s power he appointed bishops and thus could ensure that he had loyal support in the Lords
