Personal Rule (1629 - 1640) Flashcards
When Charles dissolved Parliament he wasn’t being…….or ………: he was exerting his right as king to rule as he saw fit
Radical
Innovative
The king ruled without Parliament but not without………..
Advisors
Give the impact of harvest failures
Common in Early Modern England as more people oved to the town leaving less to work the land.
Times of famine tended to lead to periods of social unrest, instability and sometimes riots
What was the Star Chamber
Made up of privy councillors selected by the monarch
The king could remove cases from the common-law and bring them to the Star Chamber where they could be fined, questioned in private, imprisoned or punished.
What was the Privy Council
Although chiefly an advisory body, the Privy council could function as a prerogative court
What was the Book of Orders and did ti cast Charles in a good light
The twelfth version was published in response to chronic poverty due to harvest failures
Gave instructions for: preventing vagrancy, allocating poor children to apprenticeships, employing the idle, repairing roads
In 1629, Charles had a debt of £……….., far exceeding his income
2 million
Give two ways Charles focused on cutting expenditure
Reduce spending on foreign affairs by concluding peace with:
France, 1629 = Treaty of Susa
Spain, 1630 = Treaty of Madrid
Reform Charles’ household. In 1628, the royal household cost 40% Charles’ ordinary income, dramatically dropping 1629-30, only to double the following year
Give an example of an economic success in 1635
The debt had been substantially reduced
Crown income was running, ahead of crown expenditure, an undeniable success and the first time this had been accomplished in decades
What was the official Book of Rates
Indicated the value of each product that had customs duty and the tax levied on it
Custom Duty includes Tonnage and Poundage
Whys did Charles benefit from updating the Book of Rates
It had failed to keep in rate with inflation and so dramatically increased his revenue from customs
Fair fiscal reform
How much revenue was received from Custom Duties
Trade improved once England was no longer at war with France so revenue increased.
1631-35 = £270,000 1635 = £425,000
Give 5 fiscal measures + what they are
Customs Duty - Tax on imports and exports
Recuscancy fines - Fines on no Sunday church attendance
Distraint of knighthoods - Those who held land over £40 pa had to be knighted or attend a fine
Monopolies - sole right to sell a product
Forest fines - fines for landowners who extended their boundaries into a royal forest
How much had the Distraint of knighthoods raised by 1635
£175,000, raised by gentlemen including Cromwell
How much did forest fines raise
£38,667, significantly angered rich + powerful landowners
Earl of Salisbury raised £20,000 alone
Who was William Noy
Cornish lawyer, first attacked monopolies but became Attorney General in 1631 and located forgotten sources of prerogative income (Noy’s Report)
When was ship money extended to the whole country and how much was raised
1634, raised £300,000 pa with 90% compliance (the equivalent of 3 Parliamentary subsidies)
What and when was the Hampden case
1637, Sir John Hampden (prominent Puritan MP) refused to pay his ship money dues and went to court
The case became a test case for the king’s prerogative and was championed by some of the finest legal minds in the country for Hampden (Puritan lawyer Oliver St John)
The verdict was close with 5 out of 12 judges declaring Ship Money was unlawful
Why was there 90% compliance in 1635
Widely accepted + caused little unrest
However, the only safe and acceptable way to oppose the king at the time was through Parliament, which was not in session
Individual criticism might have led to royal anger; gathering opposition outside Parliament would have felt dangerously radical in such a conservative, hierarchical society
What was the compliance of ship money by 1639
25%
The Hampden case raised the debate of wider constitutional issues as the opinions of judges was widely circulated
When was Laud promoted to Archbishop
1633
When was the trial of Prynne, Burton and Bastwick
1637
Strict uniformity to the……………………………………….was enforced by law
Book of Common Prayers
Give 3 controversial Laud policies in the church
Altar rails were put in place to separate the altar from the rest of the church, creating a sacred area where only the priest was allowed
Removal of gentry pews, leading to much of the gentry to feel humiliated - total disrespect towards social class
Enforcement was checked by annual visitations
What were the consequences of Lauds alter + Church policies
Some thought it might spark a return to the Catholic mass
Many felt alarmed by the sudden break from tradition - most churchgoers sta in the same place each week
Strict enforcement narrowed the broad tolerance that was essential for religious stability
Why was the Beauty of Holiness needed and what did it entail
- Many churches were dilapidated after years of neglect
- St Pauls Cathedral was of particular concern with one man going to the toilet in it, not realising it was a church
- 1633, the king launched a special levy for the restoration of St Pauls and kept records of those who didn’t pay
- Laud tried to address the fundamental economic reasons for the impoverishment of the church
What did Laud try to stop to in the Beauty of Holiness
The practice of local gentry being able to buy the right to collect church tax - great hostility from the gentry
Give a quote from Bastwick at his trial
Had he a thousand lives, he would give them all up for this cause
Give two major reasons for the growth of opposition to Laudinism
Laudinism specifically challenged the beliefs and practices central to Puritanism. Sensing an increasing threat, many Puritans began to be more radical and dogmatic
Laudinism looked perilously close to Catholicism and raised fears that Charles was steering towards Rome. This united the majority of Protestants against the spectre of a Popish plot
Give two direct assaults on Puritanism
Book of Sports (1633)
Abolition of the Feoffees for Impropriations (1633(
What was the Book of Sports
Outlined a range of activities that people could do after attending the compulsory Sunday morning service
Directly challenged Puritan ideas for the purpose of Sundays which was to pray and read the bible
What was the Abolition of the Feoffees for Impropriations
Old church law that allowed a member of the laity to buy the right to collect the tithe of the parish
In the past, it had been used for a rich person to gain control of a church - open to corruption.
A group of Puritan merchants and landowners began to buy these rights so that they could put well trained and vigorous Puritan ministers into parishes
What did Prynne and Bastwick publish
Prynne = Histriomastrix
Bastwick = The Letancy - an attack on bishops
Give 3 ways the church was used to promote the king’s divine right
- Arminianism was adopted and manipulated to justify a monarch increasingly inclined towards absolutism
- Laud encouraged the clergy to preach sermons supporting divine nature and royal authority
Bishops were given prominent places in Charles’ government
What angered the Scottish in 1629
All Scottish subjects were told that they had to kneel to take communion at least once a year.
To a Scottish protestant, kneeling carried dangerously connotations towards Catholicism
What new canons were imposed on Scotland in 1636
For the first time, they were based on English canons
How many Puritans escaped Laudisnism by heading to Massachusets
20,000
What was the public’s reaction to the trial of Burton, Prynne and Bastwick
Vast crowd spreading flowers in their path and dipped their handkerchiefs in the blood of their severed ears - generally regarded as martyrs for the Protestant Puritan cause
Give some problems with Henrietta Maria
- Unable to persuade her to the church of England’s religious views so sent many of her Catholic followers back to France
- After Buckingham, Charles’ court developed in a tighter inner circle and her influence grew
- Maryland derives its name from Maria and became a refuge for Catholics
Why and how did Charles deal with religious resistance
Some opponents attempted to refuse conformity like resisting moving of the Communion table
Charles dealt with this by bringing them into account of the Privy Council. If they continued then they were dismissed of their posts
Give some major reasons for Scottish resentment of Charles (pre bishops war)
- 1625, Charles issued an Act of Revocation cancelling all grants of royal and church land made since 1540.
Nobility feared they would not be able to keep their land - if returned to church could create a strong, rich church like Catholic times. Only did it to acquire tithes - badly done
English nobles feared it would happen to them
- Charles’ coronation in Edinburgh in 1633 was conducted with a Laudian ceremony - offensive
What sparked the bishops’ war
1637 - a new version of the English prayer book was introduced to Scotland
St Giles cathedral = riots “the mass has come against us “
What did Scotland do in response to the prayer book
1638 - Scottish National Convent rejected Laud canons and prayer book and promoted the presbyterian system. The exact wording was vague so everyone signed it as it did not explicitly outlaw bishops
Removed bishops later that year - Charles viewed this as open rebellion
What was wrong with the Eglish army compared to the Scottish
Despite Charles’s attempts to create ‘perfect militias’ in 1628, not successful as paid for by local taxes - equipment+ training = low quality
Charles’ plans for the perfect militias highlight the gap between appearance and reality within Persanol Rule, without wholehearted co-operation Charles could not create a viable military force, most important element in a powerful, independent monarchy
Practiced without gunpowder to save money
Not motivated, few wanted to fight to save the hated Ladian Prayer Book
Scottish = good percentage of professional soldiers who had been fighting in the 30 years war
When was the first Bishops war and what happened
1639 - English commander travelled to meet his troops in a coach lant by the pope - demonstrates English were fighting for the pope against innocent protestants
Highlights how out of touch Charles and his minister was from the grievances they were facing
Military costs expected at £600,000
What happened in the Short Parliament
MP’s reluctant to support a war against fellow protestants who had rebelled against Laudinism
Laud inflamed tensions by issuing new canons with the clear support of the divine right
Charles felt like haggling with parliament was beneath his dignity and dissolved it after only 3 weeks. Big mistake as negative attitudes towards him increased as a result - more radical
What was the Second Bishops war
1640 - Charles desperate for money and so confiscated bullion held in the Tower of London
Scots won the battle of Newburn and captured Newcastle, cutting off London’s coal supply
Treaty of Ripon - Charles had to pay £850 a day for upkeep of Scottish army
Defeated and humiliated Charles had to recall parliament
