What issues were of the greatest controversy(1625-29) Flashcards
The rise of Arminianism in England 1625-30
A change in religious tone was evident within weeks of Charles’ accession as the Arminians steadily gained ground
After William Laud became Bishop of London in 1628, all leading positions in the church were filled by Arminians
Calvinists were progressively excluded from the King’s council
What did Arminians believe in
-Arminians worshipped in buildings solely to the sacred
use
-They decorated their churches, centralise around the
role of communion, the minister would wear special
vestments in bright colours
-This was all very different to puritan/low parishes which
were very simple and many of the churches were in a
state of disrepair with
-Many Arminian beliefs and styles of worship correlated
very close to Roman Catholic’s and this was one of the
main reasons for disputes in England during this period
Why did Charles’ support for Arminians create so much dispute during this period
-The house of commons were majority Calvinist, fiercely
Anti-Catholic, and in support of a interventionist
protestant foreign policy
-The promotion of Arminians to positions of influence in
the Church led to parliamentary attacks on those who
were the most outspoken in support for the royal
prerogative
- An attempt to heal religious divisions with the
conference of Arminians and Puritans in 1626 ended
only with the confirmation for the commons that the
Arminians had the backing of Charles and Buckingham
-By 1629, religion was taking precedence over all other
business in the house of commons
-To the commons all they could gather was that
Arminians was the first step to ‘ tyrannical Catholicism’
What caused the Five Knights Case
-With the dissolution of parliament in 1626 parliament
was left with an enormous outgoings on the war with
France and no additional income.
-In 1626, it was decided to levy a forced loan worth five subsidies on Charles’ richer subjects
-Raised 260,000 pounds which removed the immediate
threat of bankruptcy for the crown, however this came
at a heavy political cost
How did the five knights case play out
-76 people, including prominent MP’s such as Sir
Thomas Wentworth, were imprisoned for refusing to pay
the loan
- In March 1627 5 knights were arrested for not paying
the loan
-It became of great debate in parliament with the Knights
demanding the Crown show cause for their
imprisonment or be released on bail
What were the effects of the Five Knights Case
-The loan was seen as attacking the fundamental right that taxation had to be agreed by parliament
-If the king could raise money without parliament, then
all other liberties were at risk.
-Charles subsequent actions made fears about
impositions of absolutism more accurate
