Why did James and parliament fall out? Flashcards
Issues over religion
- James wanted to be tolerant with the Catholics
- In 1606 after the initial concerns of Catholic extremism
had died penal laws against Catholics deteriorated. - parliament continued to make their unhappiness
towards Catholics made apparent. MP’s complained
about papists in high places, the spread of popery and
the slack enforcement of the penal laws.
-
James’ economic difficulties
- Parliament disapproved of James’ extravagant lifestyle
- Pushed James into substantial amounts of debt while
also meant that it cloaked the real issue of the lack of
regular income. As MPs witnessed James’ excessive
spending they were able to argue that if he was more
frugal them there would be no issues. - Resulted in the breakdown of the Great contract,
parliament feared with an independent income James
would call no more parliaments - James needed money, he was in debt and in
increasingly desperate need of it, yet parliament
refused to provide it
Foreign policy (Spanish Match )
- The growth of faction in court added to James’
difficulties with parliament - The factions were largely divided by foreign policy,
some favoured a peaceful FP , some wanted a more
hostile FP to Spain to whom that they still saw as a
serious threat - James was prepared only to fight in a just war, he
preferred diplomacy and negotiations - James believed the best way to make amendments
with Spain was through a Spanish match, yet parliament
would not allow this as it was clear any children as a
result of the match would be brought up as Catholics, - This was stressed in 1921 parliament in which the
commons stressed that they wanted to see Charles
married to a protestant. In fact they accused James of
breaching his royal prerogative by discussing the
personal affairs of the monarchy with a foreign nation
Foreign policy (30 years war)
- Engulfed much of Europe after the protestant nobility of
Bohemia revolted against their newly elected king - They offered the throne to Frederick of the palatinate ,
James Gods son - Frederick was quickly attacked by Spanish Habsburgs
and Archduke Ferdinands forces, defeating them
rapidly - James made it clear that over a million pounds would
be needed to send an army to the Palatinate, yet the
commons only voted for two subsidies adding up to
140,000 pounds - The Mps feared a backlash from their freinds if they
increased taxes in order to support a war subsidy. A
single subsidy was all they offered. - This seriously angered James, parliament demanded
James take action yet refused to help fund it
What were the four fundamental reasons for the strained relationship between parliament and James
- Religion
- Economic difficulties
- Foreign policy
- James’ favourites
How did James’ relationship with his favourites also add to the discontent with parliament
- When James I travelled to London in 1603 he brought
with him his favourites from Scotland. - While it would have been natural for James to bring
with him his favourites, these men were to play a major
part in alienating James from Parliament and the
people. - Many MP’s were greatly angered that they were being
bypassed in the decision-making process and that a
huge amount of the advice given to James came from
non-elected men – who also came from Scotland. - What caused the most resentment in London and n
among the influential rural gentry was when Scottish
favourites gained a title. The most notorious was when
Robert Carr of Ferniehurst who was knighted in 1607
and then made Viscount Rochester in 1611. Carr was a
coarse man who brought discredit on the English court. - Carr was relatively poor, however James changed this
gifting him Sherbourne castle to elevate is social
standing - Parliament resented this, that a Scottish man of lower
class was given so much power
Explain the outcomes in the most significant parliament across James’ reign
1604: Went poorly, disputes over the Buckinghamshire election - led to angry speeches from James and MPs. The situation worsened when James emphasised his wish for a full union between his two kingdoms. The English cordially detested their northern neighbours in Scotland and regarded the Scot’s presence at court with deep suspicion and loathing
1606: Atmosphere of patriotic thankfulness filled the session when it resumed, after the Gunpowder Plot of November 1605. Doubts over the King’s extravagance were overcome in a desire to show him how relieved they were that the Plot had failed. However, quickly their suspicions resumed.
1610: Dominated by negotiations surrounding the 1610 Great Contract.
1621: The most pressing means was the Palatinate and the best means of securing it for Frederick. However, parliament were more concerned with the Spanish Match and eager to see England take the lead in the Protestant cause - petitioning that James’ son Charles may be timely and happily married to one of his own religion. This clear infringement of James’ prerogative led to a series of sharp exchanges.
1624: Conditions were worse in the 1624 parliament - Charles and Buckingham had returned from Madrid bent on war revenge - and their mood fitted the nations. James had lost control over both his throne and parliament - Charles held strong influence in the Subsidy Act, Statue of monopolies and the Impeachment of Cranfield.
