Charles's Parliaments

Question 1

what happened in the Parliament of 1625?

Answer 1

-anxious to demonstrate loyalty to Charles and granted him two subsidies of about 140,000, but was inadequate.
-Commons couldn’t vote tonnage and poundage as only a quarter of MPs were present due to the plague and decided that a temporary grant of only one year would be given to give time for a full discussion of reform including impositions.
-Charles continued to collect custom duties without Parliamentary sanction on a plea of necessity.
-Charles was adjourned but asked to reassemble in Oxford 3 weeks later and Charles asked for discussion on finance but Parliament turned to Buckingham who they blamed for mishandling the King’s affairs, Charles saw this as an attack on his authority.

Question 2

what made Charles angry in the Parliament of 1625?

Answer 2

-deeply offended by Parliament only granting him one year of tonnage and poundage.

Question 3

how did Parliament anger Charles in the Parliament of 1625 when it was reassembled?

Answer 3

-they turned their attention on Buckingham who they blamed for the mishandling of the Kings affairs
-the King saw this as an attack on his authority.

Question 4

what was the outcome of the 1626 Parliament?

Answer 4

-commons discussed subsidies but did not pass them
-the York house conference with the failure of the expedition to Cadiz led to criticism of crown policy.
-scapegoated Buckingham and put forward articles of impeachment

Question 5

why did Charles end the 1626 Parliament?

Answer 5

-to avert the threat against Buckingham.
-put his loyalty to Buckingham above good relations with Parliament

Question 6

what was the forced loan?

Answer 6

-1626 loan on all subsidy payers worth 5 subsidies.
-was in effect parliamentary taxation that had not been agreed by parliament.
-all subsidy payers were summoned to a meeting where they were pressed to individually pay
-by the end of 1627 over 260,000 had been raised

Question 7

what did parliament think of the forced loan?

Answer 7

-attacking the fundamental right that taxation had to be agreed by parliament.
-risk that all other liberties were at risk.
-fears of absolutism.

Question 8

what happened to those who didnt pay the forced loan?

Answer 8

-26 people including prominent MPs like Thomas Wentworth were imprisoned for not paying.

Question 9

what was the 5 knights case?

Answer 9

-5 knights challenged the forced loan on the basis on habeas corpus
-council stated that they were imprisoned by special command of our lord the king.

Question 10

what happened in the first session of the Parliament of 1628?

Answer 10

-commons offered 5 subsidies

Question 11

what was the petition of right?

Answer 11

-1628
-having demonstrated their loyalty by their subsidies the commons wanted to safeguard their liberties so presented a petition with the lords.
-it also asked for an end to non-parliamentary taxation, imprisonment without cause, billeting and martial law.

Question 12

how did Charles react to the petition of right?

Answer 12

-viewed it with deep disfavour as he wanted expressions of absolute trust and loyalty not restriction on his freedom of action.
-he believed that the commons brought the forced loan on themselves by their actions in refusing him money.

Question 13

what was the commons remonstrance?

Answer 13

-June 1628
-drew up a remonstrance identifying the threats that faced them which were:
- innovations in religion, innovation in government and the judgement of God on the government which had turned away from the true light of Protestantism and towards the false lure of Rome as shown by failures in foreign policy.

Question 14

what happened in the second of the 1628 parliament in 1629?

Answer 14

-started in Jan
-Charles made concessions over religion: recusancy laws were in place again and Abbot was readmitted to the privy council.
-when Charles tried to adjourn the Parliament as it became obvious that the commons were not going to grant any customs without major concessions by the court, two MPs held down the speaker while Sir john Elliot read out three resolutions which condemned anyone who:
-promoted innovation in religion, popery or Arminianism.
-counselled the collection of tonnage and poundage without parliamentary consent
-voluntarily paid the duties.

Question 15

what were the resolutions spoke by Elliot?

Answer 15

Arminianism.
-counselled the collection of tonnage and poundage without parliamentary consent
-voluntarily paid the duties.

Question 16

what happened in the short parliament?

Answer 16

-1640
-Parliament believed there were matters more pressing that the campaign against the Scots like: ship money, religious changes and the activities of the prerogative courts.
-commons were not prepared to make any new grant of money until the question of ship money was settled.

Question 17

what were the aims at first of the Long Parliament of 1640?

Answer 17

-degree of consensus over what Parliament needed to do, dismantle the financial and religious innovations of the 1630’s and punish those deemed responsible.

Question 18

what were the immediate actions of the Long Parliament?

Answer 18

-Stafford and Laud were imprisoned
-ship money judges were impeached
-two subsidies were voted in Dec to cover the immediate needs of the Scots.
-Parliament was dominated by the Junto.

Question 19

why was Strafford hated by Parliament?

Answer 19

-associated most closely with the attempt to rule without Parliament and feared because as Lord deputy of Ireland he had a large army at his disposal.

Question 20

how did they put Strafford on trial and why did it fail?

Answer 20

-together his actions amounted to constructive treason which threatened to make a division between the King and his people, a loose definition of treason as he couldn’t directly be tried for treason.
-held in large westminister hall 1000 public watching.
-he defended himself with skill and enabled him to attack his accusers and allowed many of the Lords to believe that flimsy nature of evidence against him that he wasn’t guilty.

Question 21

what did MPs do after they realised that Strafford might not be convicted?

Answer 21

-moved to have him attained, where the guilt was merely declared, by giving his consent the King was killing Strafford.
-Act of Attainder had 200 in favour with 59 against, army plot created fears that Charles was preparing to attack Parliament.
-the presence of a large angry mob outside whitehall, Henrietta Maria’s pleas and strafford advising that he sign the bill led to him signing it.

Question 22

when was Strafford executed?

Answer 22

-May 12 1640
-in front of 200,000 people

Question 23

what was the Triennial Act?

Answer 23

-1641
-first measure to dismantle prerogative government
-insisted there should be a Parliament every three years and laid down a mechanism for using the sheriffs should the King fail to do so.

Question 24

why did Charles pass the Triennial Act and what did he think about it?

Answer 24

-highly offensive to him, at first protested he wouldn’t sign it.
-financial pressure forced him to pass the bill

Question 25

what did Charles sign in May 1641?

Answer 25

-a bill which declared that the present Parliament could only be dissolved only with its consent.

Question 26

what else happened in 1641?

Answer 26

-tonnage and poundage was finally granted to Charles although all other forms of customs were forbidden.
-July 1641 court of high commission and the star chamber
-August ship money and distraint of the knighthood were outlawed

Question 27

what was the ten propositions?

Answer 27

-June 1641 urged the king to:
-postpone his journey until the armies were disbanded
-dismiss evil counsellors and replace them
-give control of the military forces of the countries to those who were faithful and trusty and careful of the peace of the kingdom.
-exclude catholics as the advisers of the queen and those responsible for the upbringing of the royal children.

Question 28

what was the grand remonstrance?

Answer 28

-Charles was keen to raise an army to suppress the Irish but Parliament feared it would be used against them and pushed them into a more radical course of action.
-list of grievances which stated all that they thought was wrong with royal government in 204 articles.
-purpose was to make climate for further reform
-passed only by a margin of 11, 159 to 148 votes.

Question 29

what did the commons do in 1641?

Answer 29

-passed a bill demanding that bishops be excluded from the house of lords.
-Lords were not prepared to accept this and angry mobs were convinced to keep Bishops from attending debates.
-when bishops returned in Dec 12 of them protested that everything done without them was void.
-this annoyed the Lords and they accepted Pym’s suggestion that they should be impeached

Question 30

what did Charles do to 5 members of the commons?

Answer 30

-accused 5 members: Pym, Hampden, Haselrig, Holles and Strode of treason and demanded their arrest.
-Lords refused to cooperate and instead appointed a committee to discuss whether the impeachment was according to precedent.
-Charles went with soldiers to the commons and tried to arrest them himself, but they had already been for-warned and were safely in the city.

Question 31

what happened as a result of the 5 members?

Answer 31

-confirmed that Charles could not be trusted and that he had always tried to restore his power by force.
-demonstrations against the king and queen led to Charles leaving London.

Question 32

what different measures did the radicals make in parliament after the King and his supporters left?

Answer 32

-militia ordinance was passed which gave parliament the Kings military authority.
-March raised money through the act of £400,000

Question 33

what was the nineteen propositions?

Answer 33

-effectively made Parliament the sovereign power as Parliament would control:
-Kings advisers, the army, the reform and government of the church, foreign policy etc.
-Charles obviously did not accept and many were dismayed at how extreme parliament had become.

Question 34

when did parliament vote to raise an army?

Answer 34

-July