James I

Question 1

Structural issues were a problem for James’ finance

Answer 1

• Between 1530 and 1619 income from crown estates had lowered from £200,000 pa to £72,000
• Subsidies were only levied on 10% the population
• Without being addressed this was an increasing issue

Question 2

Structural issues were not a problem for James’ finance

Answer 2

• Cecil’s reform of the stewardship system, increasing revenue by £100,000 pa is evidence of development in the financial system

Question 3

Personal extravagance and patronage was a problem for James’ finance

Answer 3

• The cost of the twelfth night feast was £3,000
• When given the largest peace time subsidy ever of £400,000, James spent £44,000 paying off the debts
• He once gave £400,000 to Lord Hay
• James’ patronage was save for very few courtiers who he far overspent on

Question 4

Personal extravagance and patronage was not a problem for James’ finance

Answer 4

• Elizabeth left many dissatisfied courtiers due to her piety with regards to patronage
• This trend over over spending seemed to lesson over time, he learnt from his mistakes earlier in the period, in a speech to Parliament in 1610 he recognised his behaviour linking it to the relative poverty his time in Scotland

Question 5

Issues with Parliament was a problem for James’ finance

Answer 5

• Evidence of non agreement with Parliament such as the Addled Parliament of 1614 refusing to pass subsidies due to fears of corruption of the election system

Question 6

Issues with Parliament was not a problem for James’ finance

Answer 6

• This event could be more seen as a debate over the alleged election rigging in 1614
• Could well be considered as pretty amicable with much evidence of cooperation, for example in 1621 two grants of £160,000 were granted despite disagreements over Charles’ marital plans
• In addition the £400,000 loan of 1606 the largest ever peacetime subsidy demonstrating spread over the period

Question 7

Reasons for James’ financial issues summary of argument

Answer 7

• Structural issues were the most significant, England’s ancient finance system not being fit for purpose, this was an an ever increasing issue as the kingdom grew and modernised
• Personal extravagance was dwarfed by the scale of the structural issue and was a diminishing issue post 1610
• Despite aggression over other issues and finance being used as a bargaining tool for those ends Parliament was not a utterly negative element

Question 8

The aim of being an arbiter and mediator was successful in James’ foreign policy

Answer 8

• Peace between Sweden and Denmark was secured in 1613
• The Treaty of London 1604 ended the war with Spain
• Ultimately England managed to stay out of European war

Question 9

The aim of being an arbiter and mediator was not successful in James’ foreign policy

Answer 9

• Europe did fall into war, sparked by an event which was certainly under his influence, the 1618 Palatine Crisis
• This sparked the 30 years war in which 20% of all Germanic people perished
• Initial success is marred by the events of 1618

Question 10

The aim finding good marital matches for his children was successful in James’ foreign policy

Answer 10

• Elizabeth married to Frederick Elector of the Palatine 1613
• Early success

Question 11

The aim finding good marital matches for his children was not successful in James’ foreign policy

Answer 11

• Charles marital plans was an absolute failure with speculation in 1615 leading to fears of Catholicism in England
• The famous Cadiz Expedition of 1623 was equally an abject failure
• Unresolved this was an increasing issue

Question 12

The aim just war was successful in James’ foreign policy

Answer 12

• Committing 4,000 troops to the Palatine is certainly in keeping with the aim of just war

Question 13

The aim just war was not successful in James’ foreign policy

Answer 13

• The failure of the 4,000 troops must be appreciated
• The defending of Frederick who by taking the throne of Bohemia undermined divine right raise the just war into question, encouraging usurpation of monarchy

Question 14

Success of James’ foreign policy summary of argument

Answer 14

• Whilst there was initial success in all James’ aims, this deteriorate with failure of some degree in every one of his aims
• However it must also be appreciated that in a time of such terbulence in Europe, with the 30 years war, England remained for the most part untouched. This must be seen as a success

Question 15

Financial issues caused conflict between James and Parliament

Answer 15

• A constant issue throughout his reign
• Subsidies was the most fundamental role of parliament in the eyes of the King
• In 1606 Parliament granted £400,000 in response to the Gunpowder Plot
• However James further demonstrated his untrustworthiness by paying off £44,000 of Sir James Hay’s debts with the money
• This early in his reign this lead to a conflict of mistrust

Question 16

Financial issues did not cause conflict between James and Parliament

Answer 16

• Could be said that James and parliament could work together
• For example in 1621 the two subsidies of £160,000 and the very fact that £400,000 was granted
• This is a story of relative cooperation with some examples of conflict

Question 17

Debate over constitutional powers caused conflict between James and Parliament

Answer 17

• The first Parliament 1604-1611 was closed with the ‘Kings are justly called gods’ speech’ over talks of wardship and purveyance reform
• Increasing speech as foreign relations soured and marriage matches came up
• This was a constant cause of debate
• The imprisonment of Coke, Phellips, Pym and Mallory over discussing monopolies and Charles’ marital prospects in 1621

Question 18

Foreign policy caused conflict between James and Parliament

Answer 18

• For example in the addled Parliament of 1614 MPs talked about Charles marriage, wanting it to be protestant, to much resistance to James who saw the best match being Catholic

Question 19

Foreign policy did not caused conflict between James and Parliament

Answer 19

• Counterpoint to the 1614 Addled Parliament
• This was not a debate on who the marriage should be to, James did not engage on it at that level, the conflict is over wether or not they could debate
• Also in an atmosphere of alleged election fraud
• This can also be seen in the disagreements over Charles’ marriage leading to the imprisonment of Pym, Coke, Mallory and Phellips in 1621

Question 20

Summary of argument about causes of conflict between James and Parliament

Answer 20

• Finance was significant as in James’ eyes Parliaments role is that of a money bank not a place to discuss matters of state
• Foreign policy is significant as it was a sour debate in many parliaments, an increasing issue
• However underlying all these issues is an issue over constitutional power. Parliamentary privilege v. Royal prerogative. The ferocity of these arguments increasing leading to Charles’ issue
• You could write the history of the early stuarts as the events leading to the Civil War as these constitutional debates boil over

Question 21

Catholicism was a problem faced by James

Answer 21

• In the early part of his reign there was a serious threat
• The 5th of November 1605 was the Gunpowder Plot, a serious attempt which should it have worked would have threatened the stability of England and potentially James’ life
• Jesuit priests were constantly arriving from Europe leading to the fears of Popery

Question 22

Catholicism was not a problem faced by James

Answer 22

• The distinction between the Catholic laity and the radicals
• Only 1% of the nation was actually Catholic, only 25 Catholics were executed for treason in his reign compared with 189 between 1570 and 1603.
• James’ policy of ‘a mass in the corner’ allowed the Catholic laity to go about their business not persecuted posing few actual problems whilst being tied to the Crown by the Oath of Allegiance 1606.
• Catholicism was a decreasing issue with no real threats once the Northern Catholic circles had been stamped out post 1605

Question 23

Puritanism was a problem faced by James

Answer 23

• Unlike Catholics Purtians were widespread and a growing religious movement
• From the offset was the Millenary Petition of 1603, signed by 1,000 members of the clergy Puritans attempted to force change in the Church the get rid of the popish remnants such as the surplice and tighten up recusancy fines against Catholics
• Thus they posed a challenge to James’ religious settlement

Question 24

Puritanism was not a problem faced by James

Answer 24

• James was very astute in reducing the threat
• Holding the Hampton Court Conferences in 1604 James made concessions over private baptism and pluralism whilst remaining firm on his policies about Bishops and the structure of the Church, famously stating ‘No Bishops No King’.
• He therefore drove a wedge between the moderate and more radical puritans taking power away from the potentially more problem creating radicals.
• Evidenced by the fact that there were next to no religious bills for ecclesiastical reform by the Parliament of 1621

Question 25

Arminianism was a problem faced by James

Answer 25

• Arminians themselves were never a problem for James who actively liked them, the reaction to them was
• they inflamed the Puritans in the Church, especially archbishop George Abbot who disliked how this quasi Catholic sect could disproportionately hold positions of power
• This only increased throughout James’ reign as men like William Laud grew to prominence, becoming Dean of Gloucester in 1616.

Question 26

Arminianism was not a problem faced by James

Answer 26

• This arguably was a problem with puritans, the blame for which much be on James
• An increasing problem but one that never reached a level of fruition great enough to cause James any real problems.

Question 27

Argument for religious problems faced by James

Answer 27

• Religious problems were not a big issue for James
• Arminianism itself cannot be seen as a real problem, neither can Catholicism
• Puritanism was the largest, the most widespread however the only threat was slight pressure to change the religious settlement which he dealt with well