James I

Question 1

James and finance - extravagant spending, for

Answer 1

• Where Elizabeth was frugal in giving gifts to friends and supporters, James was magnanimous and generous. By 1610 he was giving away £80,000 a year compared with £30,000 under Elizabeth (he particularly favoured James Hay and Robert Carr)
  
  • His total annual expenditure rose to £500,000 compared to Elizabeth’s £300,000
  • Not only was the scale of this spending unpopular, but it was largely directed towards Scots which attracted widespread English resentment
• James expanded the personnel in the royal household
  
  • Gentlemen of the privy chamber increased from 18 in 1603 to 48 in 1624
  • 200 extra gentlemen in court
  • James Hay was appointed Master of the Robes, overspending his 1614 allocation by 75%
• James was fond of masques and chivalric pageantry - £6,467 was spent on Prince Charles’ debut in the tiltyard in 1621, Masques cost around £3000 for one night

Question 2

James and finance - extravagant spending, against

Answer 2

• Elizabeth had been very sparing in her gifts in her later years so there was some pent-up demand to satisfy, but James went much too far.
• James had more family to support - his wife and eldest son Henry both had their own households
  
  • Therefore it was inevitable that spending would increase as she was a single monarch whereas James was a man with a family and several households to support
  • Prince Henry was similar to his father and over a decade his expenditure rose tenfold.
  • When he died from typhoid in 1612 he was given an elaborate funeral, while the next year James had to pay for the wedding of his daughter, Elizabeth. These two events cost him £116,000.
  • These were unavoidable costs that were one-offs rather than long term issues, showing that this spending was not very significant
• Some foreign policy spending was out of James’ control
  
  • Charles and Buckingham visited Madrid for 7 months in 1623
    
    • Cost the crown £46,668
  • Bohemian crisis of 1623 forced an escalation of spending on foreign and defence services

Question 3

James and finance - extravagant spending, conclusion and Kishlansky quotation

Answer 3

Kishlansky - “the financial acumen of a child in a sweetshop”

Therefore, although one could argue that James had very little choice in terms of his expenditure due to his large family and years worth of austerity from Elizabeth in terms of a lack of giving gifts, ultimately his extravagant spending was a significant factor for his dire financial situation with his love of generosity and extension of the royal household totalling a considerable amount of money. However this extravagance only disguised fundamental issues with the financial system and allowed Parliament to reject his pleas for more money.

Question 4

James and finance - inherited problems, for

Answer 4

• Upon his ascension in March of 1603, James saw he had been bequeathed a substantial debt of about £420,000, which was considerably more than the Crown income
• Under Elizabeth £800,000 worth of crown lands had been alienated which meant that in the long term there was less money produced from crown estates and so the crown finances were diminishing greatly when James became King
  
  • Coupled with limited amounts of land, the income generated from it was staggeringly low with Crown Rents in 1608 being 60% below an economic rental
• The tax on land was very low, and tended not to affect the richer classes much
  
  • Only 10% of households were required to pay the subsidy
  • Only 4s on the pound was paid for landed incomes
  • Local assessors undervalued themselves greatly and realistic assessments became difficult due to the difficulty of making continual re-evaluations to offset inflation
    
    • Buckingham assessed at £400 when his income in 1623 was almost £20,000 a year
    • In Sussex, the average sum the 78 gentry families paid fell from £48 each in 1560 to £14 in 1626

Question 5

James and finance - inherited problems, against

Answer 5

• However, the debt was not as serious as it appeared. There was still £300,000 of the grant made by parliament in 1601 to come in and £100,000 of the debt was owed to the landowners who had paid a forced loan in the 1590s and who had long given up any expectation that it would be repaid.
  
  • Once more, Elizabeth had also lent large sums to Henry IV of France and the Dutch and when she was a creditor her expectations were that there would be repayment.
• Rents were easily re-assessed and managed - Robert Cecil tried to improve standards of stewardship and managed to increase rental income by about £100,000 a year

Question 6

James and finance - inherited problems, conclusion and Russell quotation

Answer 6

Russell - the financial system was “already close to the point of breakdown” when James ascended

Although the royal finances could be improved by schemes like the Great Farm of 1604 (which raised £120,000 p.a by 1607) and selling off titles, these were not as reliable as Crown land rental which had been greatly devalued by the short-term expediency of Elizabeth when she sold them off. This left James with a significant deficit in Royal finances to which a sustainable answer was not easily found, and meant that he had to run a debt from the beginning of his reign.

Question 7

James and finance - unwillingness of Parliament, for

Answer 7

• Many believed that the King should rely entirely on his own income with the limited number of subsidiaries sanctioned being designed for emergencies such as war - ‘live of his own’
  
  • The agrarian economy had seen unprecedented levels of coin debasement over the last hundred years (agricultural prices rising over 300%), escalating during Elizabeth’s reign, making this impossible
• Income from one-off grants by Parliament had decreased rapidly
  
  • Elizabeth had received £137,000 at the beginning of her reign whilst James only received £72,500
  • Inflation over Elizabeth’s reign which meant that James could buy about a ⅕ of what Elizabeth had been able to fund
• Great Contract of 1610 could have solved financial difficulties, with Parliament paying the crown £200,000 per annum and writing off James’ debts of £600,000 in return for an end to wardship and purveyance
  
  • Contract collapse due to its unpopularity among those who voted in MPs and their reluctance to grant such large and regular tax - worried Parliaments might no longer be called
• All those who voted were keen for Parliament not to make any reforms that would increase their tax, so Parliament held back the attempts of James due to entrenched interests
• Parliament could argue that the King should reduce his vast spending
  
  • In 1610, Parliament criticised the Crown for extravagant expenditure on royal household and criticised the collection of customs duties (impositions) on goods. James dissolved Parliament.

Question 8

James and finance - unwillingness of parliament, against

Answer 8

• Problem of not receiving enough subsidies was partially James’ fault - clashed with Parliament from 1604 about contentious issue of purveyance
• James also rejected contract so partially responsible + his image of a reckless and extravagant king made MPs less willing to give him money, one describing him as a ‘leaky cistern’

Question 9

James and finance - unwillingness of parliament, conclusion and Houston quotation

Answer 9

S.J.Houston - “pay the crippling costs of kingship from his ordinary revenue”

The unwillingness of Parliament to make fundamental and necessary changes to the system of land taxes in order to give the king a steady revenue is key to why he struggled to deal with his finances. Parliament forced James to remain on an unsteady revenue stream based on a flawed idea of self sufficiency that was not applicable to the economic climate James encountered.

Question 10

James and finance - ineffective Lord Treasurers, for

Answer 10

• The Great Farm of Customs under the Earl of Dorset (1603-1608)
  
  • In the Great Farm of Customs, the right to collect customs duties was sold to a merchant syndicate in December 1604 on a seven year lease for £112,400 per year which meant that if trade boomed and increased significantly, then farmers would benefit at the expense of the government
    
    • By 1607 they were making so much money they agreed to pay £120,000 in fear of losing the lease
• Dorset could never raise enough money to balance the accounts, so ran on credit, leaving a debt of £597,000 when he died in 1608
• The Earl of Suffolk began selling peerages in 1615 (from 1615-1628 the number increased from 81-126) , however much of the money generated by selling peerages fell into the hands of courtiers.
  
  • The value of the peerage also depreciated, which in turn annoyed holders of ancient titles who despised the up and coming new noblemen.
• In December 1614 James allowed himself to be persuaded to agree to a project put forward by a rich merchant, Alderman Sir William Cockayne, under the supervision of Suffolk
  
  • The justification for the scheme was that the profit made from cloth exports could be much increased if Cockayne claimed that at least an extra £40,000 a year could flow to the treasury if his syndicate took over the trade
  • James was taken in and he cancelled the charter of the Merchant Adventurers, who controlled the cloth trade to Germany and the Netherlands
  • Cockayne’s company then turned out to be unable to find the capital to develop the dyeing industry or even sufficient skilled dyers
    
    • In 1616 the Dutch, whose cloth markets had been disrupted, refused to accept any more English cloth.
  • The bales piled up in warehouses, weavers became unemployed and there were riots in the West Country wool towns.
• By 1618 Lord Treasurer Suffolk had been charged with corruption and dismissed
  
  • By 1619 the ordinary account was balanced, but the King’s debt was approaching £900,000

Question 11

James and finance - ineffective Lord Treasurers, against

Answer 11

• The Great Farm meant the government could have a known expected income and an idea of what income to expect from the future of Customs
• The contributions of Robert Cecil, The Earl of Salisbury (1608-1612) were largely positive
  
  • Salisbury dealt with King’s debts by selling of Crown land
    
    • He introduced a survey and raised £445,000 by selling off the least profitable land
  • Salisbury increased Customs tariffs and levied impositions on a number of items including raisins
    
    • Salisbury drew up a list of 1400 luxury items on which impositions could be charged in a new Book of Rates published in 1608 and adjusted the Great Farm to do this, which raised an extra £70,000 a year
    • By the late 1630’s, impositions were bringing in £218,000 p.a.
• The Earl of Middlesex was even able to balance the books soon after his promotion in 1621 through a ruthless policy of cutting expenditure

Question 12

James and finance - ineffective Lord Treasurers, conclusion

Answer 12

Although the actions of poor Lord Treasurers such as Suffolk compounded James’ financial issues, they were not the most significant factor in causing them and the Lords could only achieve limited results when the monarch was spending at such a high rate. Furthermore, the effective restructuring of royal finances by Cecil was highly significant in lightening the weight of James’ financial problems.

Question 13

James and finance - overall conclusion

Answer 13

Kishlansky - ‘James worsened his financial problems, but he did not cause them’

James’ financial extravagance overshadowed the deeper structural issues with royal finance, many of which were inherited from Elizabeth and which Parliament was unwilling to solve

Question 14

James and foreign policy - aims

Answer 14

• James disliked war of any kind, especially religious, and saw himself as rex pacificus, he wanted to end the war with Europe and improve relations with the Spanish.
• Europe was dominated by the power struggle between Spain and France, England’s role was to be an ally to one or the other, meaning foreign policy was more reactive than proactive.
• James believed that war could be legitimate, but would only fight in a ‘just’ war and preferred diplomacy and negotiating.
• James faced problems with improved relations with Spain as many of his subjects were suspicious of Roman catholics and did not understand the foreign policy as it was part of the royal prerogative, and so instead wanted a war with Spain.

Question 15

James and foreign policy - rex pacificus (peace for England and others), for

Answer 15

• The Treaty of London was negotiated between Spain and England in 1604 as there was no reason for the war to continue other than the insistence of the Dutch that they would continue to fight Spain.
  
  • English soldiers in the Netherlands were transferred to Dutch regiments and England continued to be a trading partner with the Low Countries and expanded into Mediterranean markets
  • There was a trade boom and expenses reduced at the same time
• James acted as an arbiter and mediator abroad
  
  • In 1613 James helped to settle the war between Sweden and Denmark.
  • In 1614 James negotiated a settlement of the Julich-Cleves dispute which was very complex.
• 30 year war began in 1618, extremely violent and divisive in Europe
  
  • Largely out of his hands however, and Davies asserts his decision to stay out of it “may have served England well”

Question 16

James and foreign policy - rex pacificus (peace for England and others), against

Answer 16

• Not even his commitment to act as a check on both sides of the Thirty Years War was lived up to, and under pressure James sent an expedition led by Mansfeld in 1624 to intervene
  
  • Foreign policy thus became inconsistent and in disarray
• Left England in a state where it was preparing to go to war with Spain and both Parliament and his subjects were calling for it (Catholic hysteria)

Question 17

James and foreign policy - rex pacificus (peace for England and others), conclusion

Answer 17

James considered himself a Rex Pacificus, stating “blessed are the peacemakers”

James excelled as a man of peace - managing to settle a plethora of otherwise serious foreign conflicts, and despite the uncertain legacy he left in terms of peace in Europe, his achievements in key treaties such as the Treaty of London largely outweigh this. James was far more successful in his actions as an arbiter and mediator than his extension of alliances or ‘just’ expeditions.

Question 18

James and foreign policy - creation of alliances through marriages, for

Answer 18

• In 1612 James married his daughter Elizabeth to Frederick, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, whose excellent Protestant pedigree delighted his Puritan subjects
• James also created an alliance with France through his son Charles’ 1625 marriage to Henrietta Maria of France

Question 19

James and foreign policy - creation of alliances through marriages, against

Answer 19

• However these successful marriages are overshadowed by the tremendous failure that was the ‘Spanish Match’, an attempt to marry Charles to the Spanish Infanta Maria
  
  • James’ negotiations with the Spanish ambassador, Gondomar, proved ineffective
  • Charles and Buckingham’s voyage to Spain in February 1623 to see the Infanta Maria was great failure, as both the Infanta Maria and Philip III strongly opposed the match
    
    • They also demanded ludicrous concessions such as that Charles become a Catholic and laws and discrimination against Catholics be ended, as well as refusing to give any concessions regarding the Palatinate, one of James’ key aims from the match
    • Furthermore, this foreign policy exacerbated financial issues, with the 7 month trip costing the crown over £46,000
  • Not only did the policy fail, it was also deeply unpopular - staunch Protestants on the council such as Winwood and Neville vehemently opposed it
• Despite the peacemaking potential of Charles’ eventually marriage to Henrietta Maria, it too was deeply opposed across the country due to her insistence on practicing Catholicism upon her entry to England

Question 20

James and foreign policy - creation of alliances through marriages, conclusion

Answer 20

Although the eventual outcome of the marriages arranged by James were largely positive, the attempted ‘Spanish Match’ was hugely damaging to his Kingship, inflaming both religious and financial issues. As such, his success in negotiating marriage contracts was very limited. The bitter feeling left by the Spanish Match also served to undermine his earlier peacemaking attempts with Spain.

Question 21

Reasons for conflict between James and Parliament - finance, for

Answer 21

• Upon his accession to the throne in 1603, James inherited a debt amassing to £400,000, and financial issues acted as a rift between James and parliament. Over the course of his reign, Parliament proved unwilling to grant further subsidies or consider a reformed taxation system, due to James’ royal extravagance acting as a mask for underlying tensions.
• Parliament displayed continued concern at the level of James’ spending - driven to some extent by anti-Scottish sentiment
  
  • James was perceived by Parliament as an extortionate spender - he spent over £400,000 on one of his favourites James Hay and would give away around 3 times as much as Elizabeth would
    
    • Led to severe political problems with Parliament - one MP referred to him as a “leaky cistern” - partially caused the failure of the Grand Contract 1610
  • Spending on favourites, with Clarendon claiming James Hay received a sum of £400,000. Exaggeration, but one which reflects tensions.
  • High tension over finance during the 1604-1610 parliaments: James’ expenditure increased from £64,000/year in 1603 to £114,000/year in 1610.
  • In 1610, Parliament criticised the Crown for extravagant expenditure on royal household and criticised the collection of customs duties (impositions) on goods. James dissolved Parliament.
• Financial extravagance translated into an unwillingness to provide subsidies (also influenced by the antiquated belief that the King should “live of his own”)
  
  • Royal extravagance provided grounds for Parliament not to offer James subsidies e.g. spending over £165,000 on jewels.
  • In 1614, James requested a parliamentary subsidy for funeral of Prince Henry and marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Frederick. Parliament presented petitions against customs duties (impositions) and complained again about James’ extravagance. Parliament voted no subsidies, resulting in James dissolving Parliament again, resulted in name -Addled Parliament. Parliament was not called again until 1621

Question 22

Reasons for conflict between James and Parliament - finance, against

Answer 22

• However, Parliament was not always difficult for James to work with, granting him £400,000 of subsidies in 1606

Question 23

Reasons for conflict between James and Parliament - finance, conclusion

Answer 23

Although not as volatile as the religious issues he experienced, James’ financial disagreements with parliament were extremely serious and worsened as his reign continued. Because of the more disputed nature of royal prerogative surrounding finance, it was more bitterly argued than foreign policy, and as such is a key cause of tension.

Question 24

Reasons for conflict between James and Parliament - foreign policy, for

Answer 24

• James saw himself as ‘rex pacificus’, preferring to end disputes rather than start them. Nevertheless, many of James’ foreign policy actions acted to worsen relations with Parliament.
• Spanish Match – attempted between 1614 and 1622, with James aiming to marry Charles to the Spanish Infanta Maria
  
  • Opposed by Parliament, as they urged that he should be married ‘to one of our religion’. An underlying issue was that further, children would have been raised as Catholics
• Issues in later parliaments surrounding the raising of funds for war
  
  • James did not go into war in 1621 because Parliament were unwilling to vote funds - at the time England was experiencing economic downturn.
    
    • Initially MPs supported entering the Palatinate, and the anti-Spanish group on the Council urged war with Spain, however due to fears of angering constituents if they raised taxes only a single subsidy was offered
  • James refused to undertake policies which could not be financed, and in 1624 claimed that he needed £780.000 to fund war, but Parliament gave him less than half this amount
    
    • Not only did Parliament grant James insufficient revenue, it also stipulated that it was to be spent solely on defending England, securing Ireland and helping the Dutch, and also that it must be spent under the supervision of a parliamentary commission

Question 25

Reasons for conflict between James and Parliament - foreign policy, against

Answer 25

• However, note that James successfully preserved the peace on occasions:
  
  • Treaty of London in 1604 ended war between England and Spain thereby reducing expenses. This stimulated a trade boom, and thus James fulfilled his ideals, without making serious concessions to Spain.
  • Arbiter and mediator. James settled war between Sweden and Denmark in 1613 and arranged marriage between his daughter, Elizabeth, and Frederick V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, a leading Protestant. This was greeted favourably by Parliament
• Parliament’s attitudes in this theatre were more flexible, and they begrudgingly accepted that foreign policy lay within the sphere of royal prerogative - Parliament provided James with subsidies when he was proposing the Spanish match, despite their fears he may convert to Catholicism - as more compromise was had, less tension was created

Question 26

Reasons for conflict between James and Parliament - foreign policy, conclusion

Answer 26

As such, despite the significant role played by foreign policy disagreements in creating tensions between James and Parliament, they were less contentious than finance, and through effective diplomacy James mitigated many potential grievances. Furthermore, many of the conflicts of foreign policy arose from issues of constitutional powers, indicating that they were more significant in precipitating disagreement.

Question 27

Reasons for conflict between James and Parliament - constitutional powers, for

Answer 27

• James had a firm belief in the Divine Right of Kings, which stipulated that a king ruled because God had chosen him for that role, as God’s earthly representative. James’ position led many Parliamentary members to believe that he strayed perilously close to absolutism, as indicated by the numerous debates between James and Parliament over Parliament’s constitutional powers.
• Parliament consistently attacked revenue made from purveyance and monopolies
• 1607: Purveyance was the right of the King to buy goods for the royal household at a discounted price. This was a traditional privilege of the Crown, but widely viewed as corrupt.
• The House of Lords proposed an end to the system in return for the King being granted £50,000 annually in compensation
• House of Commons divided, but suggested £20,000 instead
• James promised to look into cases of corruption and punished some royal agents, however, no agreement on system of purveyance.
• 1621 and 1624: Monopolies.
• The resulting rising prices from the continual granting of monopolies aroused strong feeling in the 1621 Parliament, with Mitchell and Mompesson attacked for corruption
• A key area of disagreement, the Great Contract of 1610, was based around James sacrificing rights to purveyance and diminution of rights of wardship in return for paying off his debts (roughly £600,000) and annual grant of £200,000
• Drawn up by Earl of Salisbury. James was displeased about bargaining with Parliament over his prerogative
• The Commons refused James’ demands for a grant as part of the contract – no agreement made
• Issues surrounding corruption plagued parliaments
• Lord Chancellor, Francis Bacon was accused of corruption and mismanaging monopolies, resulting in him being impeached, fined £40,000, and imprisoned
• In the 1624 Parliament, grievances were raised again, and legislation passed to end the grant of monopolies to individuals (although chartered companies could still be granted monopolies
• Blow to royal prerogative.
• Foreign policy led to issues of prerogative
• 1621: James told MPs not to meddle in matters of state – MPs claimed their privileges were ‘an ancient and undoubted right and inheritance’ – James responded that ‘your privileges were derived from the grace and permission of our ancestors and us’
• The House of Commons responded by drawing up a Protestation which asserted its rights, although only a third of its 470 members signed it
• James rejected this and dissolved Parliament in December, thereby sacrificing all the bills that had been passed.
• 1624: James made it clear that detailed foreign policy decisions were his prerogative– ‘whether I send 2000 or 10,000, whether by land or by sea, you must leave to the king’
• However, he did show some willingness to ask for advice from Parliament.

Question 28

Reasons for conflict between James and Parliament - religion, for

Answer 28

• In general James dealt successfully with religion given circumstances, and it did not create anywhere near as much tension as finance did
• There were a growing number of Puritans in Parliament who pushed for their cause
• They were certainly antagonised by the Book of Sports 1618 and Spanish match, but were§ generally kept quiet by James’ conciliatory approach - far more conflicts over finance arose
• Issues arose surrounding enforcement of recusancy laws
  
  • In the aftermath of the Bye and Main Plots of 1603, James relaxed recusancy laws which attracted criticism in Parliament
  • Despite tightening anti-Catholic laws in 1605, James had soon relaxed them again and later Parliaments consistently opposed this lenient position
• Arminian favouritism also caused issues in Parliament
  
  • In 1614 Neile contributed to the collapse of the ‘Addled Parliament” when he reacted strongly to the criticism of the clergy by the House of Commons.
    
    • The MPs wanted to consult with the House of Lords about impositions but Neile advised his fellows not to do as the MPs were “turbulent and factious”, and they would only hear undutiful and seditious speeches.

Question 29

Reasons for conflict between James and Parliament - religion, against

Answer 29

• James did contain religious grievances to a greater extent
  
  • Early in the reign James had managed to balance out the religious groups - 1604 Hampton Court Conference pleased Puritans with concessions and satisfied some of the terms of their Millenary Petition
  • 1611 appointment of the Calvinist Abbot to post of Archbishop of Canterbury kept Parliamentary challenges to episcopacy low
• Religious opposition decreased over the course of James’ reign
  
  • Over 70 reform bills in the first two parliaments
  • By 1621 there were much fewer bills, and James was more likely to accept them

Question 30

Reasons for conflict between James and Parliament - religion, conclusion

Answer 30

Although James’ foreign policy aroused a certain amount of opposition in Parliament, he largely maintained a balance in the Church of England that was reflected by more limited parliamentary opposition. The central position of foreign policy in religious issues indicates that it was a more substantial divider of King and Parliament.

Question 31

Success in managing parliaments - finance, for

Answer 31

• Some success - shown from substantial subsidy
  
  • Granted him £400,000 of subsidies in 1606 - largest ever peacetime sum
• Effort made to improve financial situation through the Great Contract
  
  • This 1610 proposition attempted to create a sustainable relationship between the monarch and Parliament through annual granting of money in return for an end to feudal dues

Question 32

Success in managing parliaments - finance, against

Answer 32

• Contract was a failure, greatly worsened relations
  
  • James was not satisfied with £200,000 a year so partially responsible for failure
• Made little effort to reduce spending and tolerated little parliamentary complaint
  
  • High tension over finance during the 1604-1610 parliaments: James’ expenditure increased from £64,000/year in 1603 to £114,000/year in 1610.
  • In 1610, Parliament criticised the Crown for extravagant expenditure on royal household and criticised the collection of customs duties (impositions) on goods. James dissolved Parliament.
  • In 1614, James requested a parliamentary subsidy for funeral of Prince Henry and marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Frederick. Parliament presented petitions against customs duties (impositions) and complained again about James’ extravagance. Parliament voted no subsidies, resulting in James dissolving Parliament again, resulted in name -Addled Parliament. Parliament was not called again until 1621

Question 33

Success in managing parliaments - finance, conclusion

Answer 33

• Overall, James’ success in managing financial issues was extremely limited. While the problems it created were not as widespread as those associated with wider constitutional powers, his failure to curb spending or effectively reform his financial system led to continued issues.

Question 34

Success in managing parliaments - constitutional powers, for

Answer 34

• Some compromise shown in cases like Goodwin vs. Fortesque
  
  • Regarded the election of an MP for Buckinghamshire, with Goodwin winning – however, the Chancery Office (the King’s office) declared Goodwin’s election invalid because he failed to pay his debts – Parliament was upset by the fact that the Chancery Office had made the decision, with Parliament claiming that they were traditionally the judges of disputed elections
  • Compromise reached, whereby Parliament agreed to a new election and the King agreed that it was Parliament’s privilege to judge election results

Question 35

Success in managing parliaments - constitutional powers, against

Answer 35

• Largely problematic due to James’ attitude - firm belief in the Divine Right of Kings
  
  • 1607: Purveyance was the right of the King to buy goods for the royal household at a discounted price. This was a traditional privilege of the Crown, but widely viewed as corrupt.
    
    • The House of Lords proposed an end to the system in return for the King being granted £50,000 annually in compensation
    • House of Commons divided, but suggested £20,000 instead
    • James promised to look into cases of corruption and punished some royal agents, however, no agreement on system of purveyance.
  • 1621 and 1624: Monopolies.
    
    • The resulting rising prices from the continual granting of monopolies aroused strong feeling in the 1621 Parliament, with Mitchell and Mompesson attacked for corruption
• Also manifested itself in intense debates around foreign policy
  
  • 1621: James told MPs not to meddle in matters of state – MPs claimed their privileges were ‘an ancient and undoubted right and inheritance’ – James responded that ‘your privileges were derived from the grace and permission of our ancestors and us’
    
    • The House of Commons responded by drawing up a Protestation which asserted its rights, although only a third of its 470 members signed it
    • James rejected this and dissolved Parliament in December, thereby sacrificing all the bills that had been passed.
  • 1624: James made it clear that detailed foreign policy decisions were his prerogative– ‘whether I send 2000 or 10,000, whether by land or by sea, you must leave to the king’

Question 36

Success in managing parliaments - constitutional powers, conclusion

Answer 36

• James was largely unsuccessful in his management of Parliament in relation to constitutional powers. While his religious flexibility allowed him to maintain a balance in this area, his firm belief in the Divine RIght of Kings restricted his management of constitutional issues, leading them to become increasingly contentious over the course of his reign.

Question 37

Success in managing parliaments - religion, for

Answer 37

• In general James dealt successfully with religion given circumstances, and it did not create anywhere near as much tension as finance did
• James did contain religious grievances to a greater extent
  
  • Early in the reign James had managed to balance out the religious groups - 1604 Hampton Court Conference pleased Puritans with concessions and satisfied some of the terms of their Millenary Petition
  • 1611 appointment of the Calvinist Abbot to post of Archbishop of Canterbury kept Parliamentary challenges to episcopacy low
• Religious opposition decreased over the course of James’ reign
  
  • Over 70 reform bills in the first two parliaments
  • By 1621 there were much fewer bills, and James was more likely to accept them

Question 38

Success in managing parliaments - religion, against

Answer 38

• Issues arose surrounding enforcement of recusancy laws
  
  • In the aftermath of the Bye and Main Plots of 1603, James relaxed recusancy laws which attracted criticism in Parliament
  • Despite tightening anti-Catholic laws in 1605, James had soon relaxed them again and later Parliaments consistently opposed this lenient position
• Arminian favouritism also caused issues in Parliament
  
  • In 1614 Neile contributed to the collapse of the ‘Addled Parliament” when he reacted strongly to the criticism of the clergy by the House of Commons.
    
    • The MPs wanted to consult with the House of Lords about impositions but Neile advised his fellows not to do as the MPs were “turbulent and factious”, and they would only hear undutiful and seditious speeches.

Question 39

Success in managing parliaments - religion, conclusion

Answer 39

• James was largely successful in his management of Parliament in religious terms. Despite his occasionally schizophrenic policies in relation to Catholicism, he generally balanced religious appointments, meaning that he attracted far less criticism from Parliament in this area than over finance or constitutional powers.

Question 40

James and religion - inheritance

Answer 40

• In 1603 the Church was suffering from a lack of resources
  
  • Parish priests often made as little as £10 a year or less
  • They would take on several parishes and so became pluralists who could not serve all their parishioners well
  • There was a small proportion of priests with university degrees, so ignorance was high
  • Members of the laity had bought the right to appoint clergy so gave vicars only a small pittance from of the tithes they received (3,849 out of 9,244 parish livings were possessed by laymen)
• Bishops remained important figures in both state and Church
  
  • 26 sat at the House of Lords and consistently supported the crown
  • The Archbishop in 1603 - John Whitgift - had enforced uniformity since 1583

Question 41

James and religion - intro

Answer 41

• James’ aims
• Avoid religious conflict
• Include as many subjects in the Church as possible
• Make concessions to Puritans and Catholics, but eliminate radicals
• James in reality
  
  • Quite tolerant towards Puritans
  • Tolerant to Catholics until Gunpowder Plot in 1605
    
    • Used to root out radical Catholics
• Foreign policy aroused strong feelings
  
  • Spanish Match was unpopular
• Overall James was successful
  
  • Managed to isolate radicals and stop the church breaking apart

Question 42

James and religion - Catholics, for

Answer 42

• Whilst King of Scotland he had a conciliatory attitude. Anxious to conciliate groups that would support him in his claim to the English throne. Assured visiting English Catholics of his intentions of toleration. Gained support from the Catholic Howard family in England (Lord Henry Howard)
  
  • James understood that the majority of Catholics were loyal subjects (1% of population)
  • Disliked Jesuits ( a strict religious order founded in the 16th century to preserve Catholicism). Described them as ‘venomous wasps’
  • Disliked religious persecution
• As long as Catholics were prepared to conform outwardly by attending Church of England services, then he was happy.
  
  • Did not want Secular Priests in his realm (but did not despise them like Jesuits)
• James dealt effectively with a number of Catholic plots in his reign
  
  • The Bye plot of 1603 planned to kidnap James and hold him in the Tower of London, until he promised a greater degree of toleration towards the Catholics.
    
    • The plot was betrayed to Cecil by George Blackwell, the archpriest or leader, of Jesuit priests in England, who was eager to betray the secular priests who were the rivals of the Jesuits.
  • While investigating the conspiracy, the Main plot was discovered which imposed a much bigger danger.
    
    • Two Catholic priests, William Watson and William Clarke, were involved in these plots, but the leader was Henry Brooke, Lord Cobham
    • The plotters were tried at Winchester in November and Watson and Clarke were duly executed, by being hanged, drawn and quartered, while Brooke was beheaded, as befitted a number of the aristocracy.
  • The Gunpowder Plot was uncovered on 4th November 1605 when Guido Fawkes was discovered in the cellars under Parliament
    
    • There had been suspicions after the Monteagle letter
    • Guido Fawkes was tortured severely before giving up the names of the other conspirators, who were all put on trial and killed
      
      • The effects of the Gunpowder plot were short-lived and James’ attitude to Catholics depended much more on what was going on in Europe, than on events at home.
• James removed and isolated a large number of radical catholics including Father Henry Garnet, one the superior Jesuits in England, and Father Edward Oldcorne
  
  • James did devise an oath of allegiance in 1606, hoping that those who refused to take it could be identified as possible plotters
    
    • Some Catholics refused to take it, but others did so divisions among them widened.
• In total 25 Catholics were executed in his reign, far fewer than under Elizabeth I, and none after 1619
  
  • The number of Catholics did increase, rising to 50,000 by 1625 and there were more priests active in England.

Question 43

James and religion - Catholics, against

Answer 43

• Schizophrenic attitude towards enforcing recusancy laws was ineffectual and confusing
  
  • James was pleased the Bye and Main plots had been betrayed and suspended the recusancy fines
    
    • The lessening of recusancy fines had the effect of increasing Catholic observance
  • Cecil told the Venetian ambassador that the King’s excessive clemency had led to widespread expression of Catholicism
  • Early in 1605 James then went the other way and enforced the laws stringently, so much so that 5560 people were convicted and fined for recusancy in 1605, providing some useful income.
  • Parliament responded to the discovery of the Gunpowder plot with expressions of joy that the King had been saved and passed ferocious legislation against Catholics - guise of action against Catholics, in reality reversed
    
    • They were forbidden to be doctors or lawyers
    • Recusants could have up to two-thirds of their property confiscated
      
      • However, once the memory of the plot began to fade, James returned to his former leniency and later parliaments were always urging him to be more forthright in enforcing the penal laws
      • 10,000 more Catholics at end than start of reign
• James’ foreign policy stimulated widespread anti-Catholic hysteria, as people worried that Catholic influence on England would increase greatly
  
  • Most notable piece of foreign policy was the Spanish Match from 1614-1623

Question 44

James and religion - Catholics, Wilson quote and conclusion

Answer 44

• Whilst D.H Wilson admits James was “more enlightened and more tolerant” in dealing with Catholics than many other groups, “in practice his policy was a failure”
• It is obvious that James’ policy towards Catholics was a failure, as it fluctuated between moderate and extreme repeatedly, with no overall policy direction of how to deal with Catholics, meaning that over the course of his reign, Catholicism was still persecuted heavily yet still grew, a contradiction that epitomises his inability to control this religious group. James was able to isolate Catholic radicals to a certain extent, but he was more successful with Puritans in this respect. As such, despite this compromise being viable in the short-term, it was highly unsustainable in the long-term.

Question 45

James and religion - Puritans, for

Answer 45

• Believed in Calvinist theory based around predestination
  
  • Emphasis on preaching, based on bible rather than 1559 Book of Common Prayer
• James initially dealt very fairly with Puritan petitions and campaigning
  
  • As he was en route from Scotland to England in 1603, James was presented with the Millenary Petition (allegedly signed by 1,000 members of the clergy), based around removal of ‘popish remnants’ + called for good quality clergy
    
    • James dealt with this petition diplomatically by agreeing to hold a conference to discuss the issues raised
    • James also banned religious petitions, making himself less available to extreme members of the church
  • Hampton Court Conference - held in 1604, included several of James’ bishops and a handful of more moderate Puritans such as John Reynolds
    
    • Divide-and-rule strategy adopted to isolate radical Puritans
    • James distanced himself from his bishops and accepted some reform would be necessary, agreeing to
      
      • Reform of the High Court of Commission
      • The Thirty Nine Articles would be explained more fully
      • A new, accurate bible would be provided (King James Bible, published 1611)
• James was also successful in asserting his authority over the Church of England whilst isolating radical Puritans
  
  • The Canons of 1604 were published by Bancroft to set out the key features of the English Church so as to increase uniformity. They stated:
  • The King was the Supreme Governor
  • The Prayer Book, Thirty Nine Articles and hierarchy of bishops were in accordance with the word of God
  • Priests would wear a surplice and the signing of the cross at baptism and kneeling whilst receiving communion would continue
  • The clergy had to subscribe to the canons by November, meaning that around 1% resigned
    
    • This removed many of the most extreme ministers from the Church
• Appointed many bishops to maintain a balanced Church - consecrated over 40 in his reign
  
  • Tended to be devoted Calvinists, so not only pleased the Puritans but succeeded in increasing the religiosity of remote parts of Britain
  • E.g. John Jegon, Bishop of Norwich
  • George Abbot made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1610 - evangelical Calvinist
• James dealt in an even-handed way with Puritan issues such as Sabbatarianism
  
  • Published the Book of Sports in 1618 to regulate sports on Sunday, but preferred people to do sport than frequent taverns
• Fewer reforms bills in Parliament indicated that Puritans were increasingly satisfied with James’ governance
  
  • Over 70 in the first two parliaments
  • By 1621 there were much fewer bills, and James was more likely to accept them

Question 46

James and religion - Puritans, against

Answer 46

• James failed to deal with several glaring issues in the Church of England
  
  • Pluralism was a hard issue to resolve as bishops effectively nullified some of the reforms agreed at the Hampton Court Conference and the Commons were reluctant to restore lost tithes
  • Clergy largely remained uneducated
  • More extreme Puritans objected to the Book of Sports - didn’t strictly adhere to Old Testament
• Puritan bishops did not appreciate the position and therefore the influence of this position is questionable
  
  • The influence of George Abbot diminished after 1621, when he killed a gamekeeper, withdrew from court
• The Puritans wanted a foreign policy, which would exemplify James’ status as the leading Protestant monarch in Europe
  
  • James’ pursuit of the Spanish Match led to a great outpouring of radical opinion in pamphlets and sermons and to opposition from Abbot and other Calvinist bishops.
  • James’ intentions of becoming closer towards Spain saw an increase in Puritan opposition as the Spanish were seen as old Catholic enemies.
• Arminians seen as crypto-Catholics, their success with James was objected to and this was only exacerbated when he became increasingly reliant on them towards the end of his reign

Question 47

James and religion - Puritans, conclusion

Answer 47

• James’ initial fairness with the Puritans and acceptance of reforms were counteracted by his increasing favouritism of the unpopular Arminians, and his reluctance to enforce meaningful reforms to address key issues such as pluralism and recusancy fines for Catholics. This meant that overall, James was unsuccessful with Puritans and faced high levels of opposition to them by the end of his reign, most strongly against his pro-Spanish foreign policy, an ineffective and deeply unpopular approach.

Question 48

James and religion - Arminians, for

Answer 48

• Arminianism derived from a Dutch theologian who emphasised the role of free will in the salvation of an individual as opposed to the double predestination favoured by Calvinists
• James gave noticeable patronage to Arminians and consecrated many as bishops
  
  • Arminians were notable for their devotion to a more orderly Church and were represented by bishops such as Lancelot Andrewes, made Bishop of Winchester in 1618, and Richard Neile, made Bishop of Durham in 1617
    
    • Both were favoured by James because of their support of the monarchy and became members of the Privy Council
  • Once a few Arminians had been appointed, more were and their numbers grew
    
    • Arminians believed in the apostolic succession, meaning that becoming bishops was very important to them
  • James showed his growing trust in the Arminians by taking Andrewes and Neile with him when he went to Scotland in 1617, on a mission to reform the Scottish Church in.
• James promoted Arminian bishops because he wanted to maintain a balance in his Church, but there were never more than a few of them
  
  • Any favouritism was arguably perceived
• Given the religious beliefs of his most trusted courtiers, James took a relatively moderate stance with Arminians
  
  • He came under pressure from Charles and Buckingham to promote more Arminians.
    
    • Charles liked a reverent and sacramental service and Buckingham’s mother had become a Roman Catholic.
    • William Laud received patronage from Buckingham and was made Dean of Gloucester in 1616

Question 49

James and religion - Arminians, against

Answer 49

• James preference of Arminians exacerbated divisions within the Church of England
  
  • As James did not want divisive discussion about predestination, the attack of an increasingly large number of Arminian bishops was focused on the Calvinist emphasis on preaching at the expense of prayer and the sacraments in worship.
    
    • This was a clear example of division within the Church, and although James tried to mitigate it, it is clear he had a favourite side
• Arminian favouritism also caused issues in Parliament
  
  • In 1614 Neile contributed to the collapse of the ‘Addled Parliament” when he reacted strongly to the criticism of the clergy by the House of Commons.
    
    • The MPs wanted to consult with the House of Lords about impositions but Neile advised his fellows not to do as the MPs were “turbulent and factious”, and they would only hear undutiful and seditious speeches.
• James’ foreign policy exacerbated the Arminian issue
  
  • After 1618, James followed a seemingly pro-Spanish foreign policy and this aroused widespread opposition. In 1622 he issued a ‘Declaration for Preachers’, forbidding the discussion of matters of state in sermons. The Arminians were strong proponents of the need to maintain order in the Church and also ready to back the pro-Spanish policy and so began to be more influential
    
    • This not only made James more unpopular as a monarch, but increased divisions in the Church as a conflict of interest had isolated James from other factions

Question 50

James and religion - Arminians, conclusion

Answer 50

• Although James initially supported Arminians to balance the Church of England and create a variety of opinions, he soon favoured them due to their support of his foreign policy and his natural adhesion to their interpretation of the Bible, meaning over time he gave disproportionate favour to them and they contributed to deep-rooted divisions by 1625. Therefore, although James was successful in his direct dealings with Arminians, the effect of this was to alienate other factions (especially the Puritans) and as such his policy was unsuccessful on balance.

Question 51

James and religion - conclusion

Answer 51

• Overall, despite James’ success in superficially containing the various conflicting religious movements he faced, he made little groundbreaking reform in any sector, meaning that by his death the problems he had faced had not been solved, but merely delayed by minor episcopal and legislative appeasements.
• Fincham and Lake - “merely incorporated inherently antipathetic religious tendencies within his refurbished regime

Question 52

Success of James as a king - religion, for

Answer 52

• Largely successful in dealing fairly with various factions
  
  • 1604 Hampton Court Conference and appointment of 1611 appointment of George Abbot as Archbishop of Canterbury appeased Puritans
  • Allowed Catholics to be free, as long as they gave the impression of “outward obedience”
• Also able to isolate and crush radical minorities opposing him
  
  • The Canons of 1604 were published by Bancroft to set out the key features of the English Church so as to increase uniformity.
  • The clergy had to subscribe to the canons by November, meaning that around 1% resigned
    
    • This removed many of the most extreme ministers from the Church
• Success as a king seen from reduced opposition from Puritans
  
  • Fewer reforms bills in Parliament indicated that Puritans were increasingly satisfied with James’ governance
    
    • Over 70 in the first two parliaments
    • By 1621 there were much fewer bills, and James was more likely to accept them

Question 53

Success of James as a king - religion, against

Answer 53

• James preference of Arminians exacerbated divisions within the Church of England
  
  • As James did not want divisive discussion about predestination, the attack of an increasingly large number of Arminian bishops was focused on the Calvinist emphasis on preaching at the expense of prayer and the sacraments in worship.
    
    • This was a clear example of division within the Church, and although James tried to mitigate it, it is clear he had a favourite side
• Arminian favouritism also caused issues in Parliament
  
  • In 1614 Neile contributed to the collapse of the ‘Addled Parliament” when he reacted strongly to the criticism of the clergy by the House of Commons.
    
    • The MPs wanted to consult with the House of Lords about impositions but Neile advised his fellows not to do as the MPs were “turbulent and factious”, and they would only hear undutiful and seditious speeches.

Question 54

Success of James as a king - foreign policy, for

Answer 54

• Did have some success as an arbiter and mediator
  
  • The Treaty of London was negotiated between Spain and England in 1604 as there was no reason for the war to continue other than the insistence of the Dutch that they would continue to fight Spain.
    
    • English soldiers in the Netherlands were transferred to Dutch regiments and England continued to be a trading partner with the Low Countries and expanded into Mediterranean markets
    • There was a trade boom and expenses reduced at the same time
  • James acted as an arbiter and mediator abroad
    
    • In 1613 James helped to settle the war between Sweden and Denmark.
    • In 1614 James negotiated a settlement of the Julich-Cleves dispute which was very complex.
• Avoiding European war may have been beneficial - saved money
  
  • Davies asserts his decision to stay out of it “may have served England well”
• Made a reasonable marriage of his daughter
  
  • In 1612 James married his daughter Elizabeth to Frederick, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, whose excellent Protestant pedigree delighted his Puritan subjects

Question 55

Success of James as a king - foreign polic, against

Answer 55

• Successes undermined by questionable policy of the ‘Spanish Math’
  
  • James’ negotiations with the Spanish ambassador, Gondomar, proved ineffective
  • Charles and Buckingham’s voyage to Spain in February 1623 to see the Infanta Maria was great failure, as both the Infanta Maria and Philip III strongly opposed the match
    
    • They also demanded ludicrous concessions such as that Charles become a Catholic and laws and discrimination against Catholics be ended, as well as refusing to give any concessions regarding the Palatinate, one of James’ key aims from the match
    • Furthermore, this foreign policy exacerbated financial issues, with the 7 month trip costing the crown over £46,000
  • Not only did the policy fail, it was also deeply unpopular - staunch Protestants on the council such as Winwood and Neville vehemently opposed it
• Largest military expedition in 1618 was an unprecedented failure
  
  • His 4.000 troops were defeated, and by 1620 Frederick had lost Bohemia and half of the Palatinate.
• Britain failed to help European situation - stayed out of the 30 years war

Question 56

Success of James as a king - finance, for

Answer 56

• Did manage to achieve some reform to finances
  
  • Rents were easily re-assessed and managed - Robert Cecil tried to improve standards of stewardship and managed to increase rental income by about £100,000 a year

Question 57

Success of James as a king - finance, against

Answer 57

• Parliament displayed continued concern at the level of James’ spending
  
  • James was perceived by Parliament as an extortionate spender - he spent over £400,000 on one of his favourites James Hay and would give away around 3 times as much as Elizabeth would
    
    • Led to severe political problems with Parliament - one MP referred to him as a “leaky cistern” - partially caused the failure of the Grand Contract 1610
  • Spending on favourites, with Clarendon claiming James Hay received a sum of £400,000. Exaggeration, but one which reflects tensions.
  • High tension over finance during the 1604-1610 parliaments: James’ expenditure increased from £64,000/year in 1603 to £114,000/year in 1610.
  • In 1610, Parliament criticised the Crown for extravagant expenditure on royal household and criticised the collection of customs duties (impositions) on goods. James dissolved Parliament.
• Financial extravagance translated into an unwillingness to provide subsidies (also influenced by the antiquated belief that the King should “live of his own”)
  
  • Royal extravagance provided grounds for Parliament not to offer James subsidies e.g. spending over £165,000 on jewels.
  • In 1614, James requested a parliamentary subsidy for funeral of Prince Henry and marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Frederick. Parliament presented petitions against customs duties (impositions) and complained again about James’ extravagance. Parliament voted no subsidies, resulting in James dissolving Parliament again, resulted in name -Addled Parliament. Parliament was not called again until 1621