Rule of Charles I: 1625-39 Flashcards
What were Charles I’s 3 main problems?
Foreign policy, finance and religion
What was foreign policy like during the Personal Rule?
Failure. Disastrous raid of Cadiz, Spain 1625. War= very costly.
When Charles sought to help the Protestant French Huguenots, defeated at La Rochelle 1627.
Who oversaw foreign policy?
Duke of Buckingham
Who did Parliament want impeached after the defeats at Cadiz and La Rochelle?
Duke of Buckingham (foreign policy). Charles I refused to sacrifice Buckingham as a scapegoat
When was Buckingham assassinated?
Buckingham was assassinated in 1628, the public rejoiced= increased Charles I’s hostility towards parliament
Why had Charles I’s religious policy created political tension?
King= Arminian (form of Protestantism) which alienated the majority of the political class. Arminianism= very similar to Catholicism.
What did the attempt to impose the new Prayer Book on Scotland lead to?
Bishops Wars
What was finance like during the Personal Rule?
Parliament refuses king taxation (Tonnage and Poundage) for life. Charles needed to finance foreign policy (wars) through taxation, which needed parliamentary approval. In 1625 parliament agreed to 2 subsidies amounting to £140,000 (Charles needed £1 million), so he asked Commons for more. Parliament refused so in 1626, when short of funds, he dissolved parliament and decided to raise income himself
How did Charles raise income?
Forced loan (refusal to pay led to Five Knights case), Ship money, monopolies, fines for distraint of knighthood, forest laws
What was the forced loan?
forced loan from all taxpayers (not been agreed by parliament). It was successful in raising money, but caused significant resentment
Describe the Five Knights Case
In 1627, Five knights who refused to pay the loan were imprisoned and refused bail. Sued for release under habeas corpus. Charles= absolutist
What was Ship Money?
Originally coastal to fund maintenance of ships for war; Charles tuned it national.
Raised £200,000 annually
Who refused to pay Ship Money and why?
1636, John Hampden (member of Buckinghamshire gentry), as he believed it was an illegal tax imposed without the consent of Parliament. His trial= test case on legality of Ship Money; Judges in court were in the king’s favour when they made their decision, but margin of decision= 7-5
What were monopolies?
gave an individual/ company the right to dominate production of certain products. In 1634, Charles issued a monopoly for the production of soap: many driven out of business and prices increased
What were fines for the distraint of knighthood?
medieval custom whereby all those with land over £40 per annum were expected to be knighted by the monarch; fined if didn’t go
What were forest laws?
fines for building on, or encroaching on, royal forests
When did Charles first dissolve parliament and why?
In 1626, to raise income himself
When did Charles recall parliament and why?
In 1628 to provide funds for foreign policy
What was the Petition of Right and why was it created?
1628; MPs decided no money would be granted unless their grievances were addressed: no taxation without consent of parliament, no imprisonment without cause shown, no martial law or forced billeting of soldiers upon households against will
Did Charles accept the Petition of Right?
The king accepted the Petition as he was desperate for parliamentary funds, but his written reply didn’t use traditional form of words. The Commons insisted on the correct response and Charles gave it. This forced MPs to make a more direct statement of their concerns with the Three Resolutions of 1629. These denounced Arminianism and encouraged merchants to refuse to pay tonnage and poundage
When did Charles announce the dissolution of parliament?
- He resolved to govern without parliament = eleven years of Personal Rule
When Charles began his Personal Rule, how did Charles seek to secure his financial position?
Peace with France in 1629 and Spain in 1630 (Treaty of Madrid) and feudal dues (forest laws, monopolies, Ship Money)
When was Laud appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury?
1633
What did the key measures of Laudianism focus on and what religious reforms take place in the Church?
the ‘beauty of holiness’
vestments, decorated with statues and colour, organs restores, altar moved to east end of Church