Stuart Britain

  • James' Ascension

    James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England.
    Millenary Petition- list of requests calling for modifications in church services.
  • Recusancy fines

    Fines on Catholics who refused to attend church
  • Millenary Petition

    • List of requests calling for modifications to services, freedom of ministers to not wear ceremonial robes, education requirements, reform of ecclesiastical courts.
    • James was a firm believer in predestination - not sympathetic to some of these requests
  • Period: to

    Royal Debt

    1617: £726,000
    1620: £900,000
    1629: £2 Million
  • Hampton Court Conference

    • In response to Millenary Petition, James calls religious conference at Hampton Court -Led to the beginning of a new translation of the Bible known as King James Bible, completed in 1611
  • Treaty of London

    Brings an end to the Anglo-Spanish War.
  • Bancroft's Canons

    • Richard Bancroft installed as Archbishop of Canterbury
    • Canons passed by convocation of Church of England Clergymen, to uphold many orthodox doctrines and liturgies of the church. -Seemingly anti-puritan
  • Period: to

    James' First Parliament

    • Buckinghamshire election (1604)- People were against royal interference with elections, however James did not want the outlaw John Fortescue to be an MP. Both F and Goodwin were dismissed.
    • Shirley's case (1604)- MP Thomas S was arrested for debt. governor of prison where TS was kept was sent to Tower of London until his release.
    • Union of England and Scotland (1606)- unsuccessful
    • The Great Contract (1610)- unsuccessful
  • The Gunpowder Plot

    Catholic Plot made executed by Guy Fawkes to kill the King. Leads to Oath of Allegiance in 1606.
  • Subsidies

    James grants three subsidies; gives away £44,000 to three scottish friends
  • Bate's Case

    Duty on imported currents hadn’t been approved by Parliament so John Bate claimed it was illegal - was ruled in favour of king - highlighted tension as Parliament saw it as undermining its control over taxation.
  • Book of Rates

    Cecil introduces the Book of Rates, which increases James' income and reduced royal debt
  • The Great Contract

    • Loan of £100,000 from city of London
    • Unsuccessful due to he parliament's unwillingness to give subsidies unless the King relinquished his rights to impositions.
    • Planned by Cecil, who was appointed as Lor Treasurer in 1608.
  • King James Bible

    The Geneva Bible was used previously (was in English as well) - it undermined certain scriptural evidence James used to define Kingship
  • The Cockayne Project

    William Cockayne tries to finish clothes in England. Dutch refuse to buy the cloth, reducing income. Negative impact of monopolies on economy of Britain.
  • Addled Parliament

    • Financial pressure
    • Factional conflict
    • Manipulation of MPs
    • James' indecisiveness
    • Impositions (see pg 41)
  • Thirty Years War

    God for finance of the king. Spanish Match, foreign policy- didn’t want to disturb peace with Spain, and therefore could not make Protestant reforms.
  • Cranfield Reforms

    Cranfield took control of Crown finances 1618
    Aimed to curb waste and corruption in court - e.g. wardrobe and ordinance office
    Short term financial gain but developed resentment towards Cranfield from Court
  • Subsidies

    • 100 monopolies granted by King. 2 Subsidies given to king, totaling £140,000
  • Statute of Monopolies

    Limits crows ability to grant monopolies
  • Subsidy Act

    £300,000 to be used for specified areas of foreign policy supervised by Parliament
  • The 1625 Parliament

    • Charles is granted 2 subsidies totalling £140,000
    • He is granted the ability to collect tonnage and poundage for ONE year, but continued to collect it after this year
    • Buckingham is promoted to Gentleman of the Bedchamber
    • Charles shows support for Richard Montagu, arminian
    • Foreign Policy failure at Cadiz
  • Cadiz Failure

    Troops raised by force and sent to the Netherlands without training and limited equipment.
    Planned by Buckingham, actual expedition under the command of Cecil (not Robert)

    4000/6000 died of disease and starvation
    English fleet then failed to take the port of Cadiz and did not manage to capture the Spanish treasure fleet
    Charles had to call another Parliament for finance
    Failure provided backdrop for 1626 Parliament
  • Period: to

    Charles

    Key Issues:
    Financial
    Religious
    Key Individuals/Growing Opposition
  • 1626 Parliament

    • Charles allows William Laud to preach the opening sermon, Laud is Arminian
    • Removes opposition such as Edward Coke by appointing them as Sheriffs
    • Dissolves parliament when impeachment trials against Buckingham are begun
    • Forced Loan
    • Foreign Policy failure at La Rochelle, blame placed on Buckingham
  • 5 Knights Case

    Five people who refused to pay the forced loan were put on trial. Charles underhandedly changed the judgement from imprisonment without trial being a specific right to one that is a general right of the monarch, which was seen as absolutist.
  • La Rochelle failure

    Buckingham reversed the crown policy of aiding the Catholic French monarch against the Protestant Huguenots.
    Buckingham’s direct assault on Ile de Re failed
    3000 English soldiers died
    Buckingham was blamed extensively
    Commons issued a remonstrance attacking Buckingham’s failures even after Charles demanded they not attack or impeach him
    1628 Parliament was called as Charles wanted to send more troops to La Rochelle
  • Petition of Right

    • Parliament felt they had to write up a constitution outlining the boundaries of the King's rights as a result of the 5 knights Case
    • No Billeting, No illegal Taxation, no imprisonment without trial etc.
  • Buckingham's Assassination

  • Three Resolutions

    Passes in Parliament condemning actions of the king, declaring anyone who paid the taxes he imposed on them and enemy of the kingdom. Start of his Personal Rule.
  • Providence Island Company founded

    Emigration - to North America - escape Laudianism - signified Charles’ loss of support
    Meetings for companies like Providence Island Company, could act as covers for political discussions
    Led by figures like Pym and Fiennes
  • Wentworth became Lord Deputy of Ireland

    • Enhanced authority of English Crown and Church
    • Allowed Crown to profit more from Ireland by increasing customs duties
  • Ship Money

    • Extended to whole country 1635
    • Raised around £200,000 annually until 1639 (equivalent of 3 subsidies)
  • Laudian reforms

    Increased emphasis on ceremony, decoration, music etc during services
    Communion table moved and placed as an altar in the east end of the Church
    Charles never gave a justification for this
    Church services focused on the catechism
    Campaign against unlicensed preaching
    Puritan preaching further limited by the direct legal attack on the Feoffees for Impropriations in 1633
    Reissue of the Book of Sports 1633
    Measures were enforced through visitations
  • Scottish rebellion

    Charles was the cause of the rebellion
    He cut himself off from Scottish opinion and was unaware of growing discontent
    Imposition of religious uniformity alienated the Scots
    Predominantly Presbyterian and so regarded bishops with suspicion.
    Riots broke out in July 1637 when some Scottish bishops read the new Laudian prayer book (St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh)
    The organisers (nobles) gained support
  • Hampden's Case

    • John Hampden taken to Court for Refusal to pay Ship Money
    • Crown won by a narrow majority of 7-5
  • Bishops War

    The Bishops’ Wars (1639-40) and the start of the Civil Wars
    Scottish rebellion - armed conflict
    Nov 1638 - Glasgow General Assembly annulled canon laws and abolished episcopacy
    Charles’ army wasn’t ready until April 1639 as they needed ship money
    Scots became more prepared
    Charles didn’t want to recall Parliament to solve his financial issues
    Called for disbandment of both armies and a meeting
    They didn't trust him and didn't disband
  • Scottish National Covenant

    • Written by Presbyterian radicals - Covenanters
    • Manifesto to unite those against Charles' religious policy, and maintain Presbyterianism
  • Scottish entry into England

    Scots entered England in 1640 with little resistance
    They occupied Newcastle
    Charles agreed to the Treaty of Ripon, where he would pay for the scots to stay in England
    Had to call Parliament to fund this
  • Bedford Proposal

    With allies in Commons incl Pym
    Abolition of most confrontational aspects of PR
    Return to Elizabethan broad Protestant Church
    Separate financial settlement agreed by P
    Pym to become Chancellor of Exchequer, Bedford Lord Treasurer
  • Short Parliament

    Lasted less than a month in 1640, lack of organisation
    Charles arrested Warwick, Brooke and Fiennes who were his leading critics
    Illegalising ship money won him some support
    MPs wouldn't subsidise Bishops War
    Decision to face the Scots without Parliamentary support increased tensioned and developed crisis that led to the civil war 1642
  • Root and Branch Petition

    Signed by 15,000 Londoners, demanding end to episcopacy and bishops
    Puritanism was the force behind it
    Debated in Parliament in 41 and caused division
    Pym was seen as a chief supporter, but didn’t want to destroy the church
    Wanted to replace bishops with lay patronage
    As Arminians were a minority - this would essentially restore puritanism
    Undermining the structure of society?
    Moderates were pushed to the royalists
    Exclusion bill - bishops couldn't sit and vote in Lords - rejected in June 41
  • Wentworth's attempted impeachment

    Parliament thought Charles would see the need to rule with them and accept reform
    Rather than completely change, they wanted to replace certain ‘evil councillors’
    Pym was one of the leading figures in the impeachment
    Bedford didn’t want it to lead to execution - was trying to negotiate bridge appointments
    (he had limited influence as Scots refused to make peace unless no bishops in Scotland and Wentworth died)
  • Irish Rebellion

    • Wentworth alienated all different groups
    • His return to England prompted Irish Catholics to act
    • Growing influence of Presbyterian Scots threatened Catholic Ireland
    • Wanted to remove radical outsiders
    • Massacre of at least 3000
  • Wentworth's Bill of Attainder

    Allows anyone to be removed by Parliament without a trial if they were a threat to the state
    Some MP’s like Warwick fully supported it, but some were cautious
    204:59 votes in favour of executing Wentworth, in light of Army Plot and Oath
  • Execution of Wentworth

  • Army Plot

    Pym revealed rumours that there would be a royalist attempt to seize Tower of London, release Wentworth, and dissolve Parliament
    Many MP’s thought Charles was involved, but there was no proof
    Parliament passed a bill stating only they could dissolve Parliament, which Charles agreed to
  • Death of Bedford

  • Triennial Act

    Abolishment of ship money without Parliament’s consent
    Charles had to call Parliament every 3 years and it should last at least 50 days
    If King failed, Lord Chancellor would immediately write the legal order
    Ensured no long personal rule
  • 10 Propositions

    Forced King to make concessions
    Parliamentary input into who was in his Privy Council
    P control of those around the Queen
    P control over religious education for royal children
    Charles didn't agree
  • Grand Remonstrance

    Introduced by Pym to Commons
    Criticisms of Charles’ govt.
    Came immediately before C’s return from Scotland
    Strongly Anti-Catholic
    Language alarmed moderates
    Primarily addressed religious concerns
    Also stated that an Assembly of Divines was to be held separately to discuss religious settlement
    Allowed them to avoid the radical MPs who made it difficult to resolve
    Didn’t meet until 1643, allowed them to focus on religious settlement
  • Charles goes to Scotland

    Charles accepted abolishment of episcopacy and Scottish reforms in order to remove the occupying scots.
    Some HoCommons organised a committee of defence (one of which was Hampden) to follow and check up on him
    This led to controversy + fuelled division in Parliament
  • The Incident

    Royalist plot to kidnap radical Scottish Covenanters when Charles was away
    Involved those like Earl of Crawford
    Wanted to get rid of leaders like Archibald Campbell
    Destroyed C’s hope for gaining further support by Scots
  • Militia Bill

    forced MPs to take sides on who to command the army
    Introduced by Sir Arthur Haselrig
    It would remove the King’s power over the trained bands
    And give Parliament the power to appoint army commanders
  • 5 members coup

    Charles announced the impeachment of his key opponents - Pam, Hampden, Haselrig, holes, Strode, Montagu
    Lords accepted a commons vote
    Charles’ coup failed as they were forewarned, and fled
  • Bishops Exclusion Bill

    Support encouraged by a petition
    Lords accepted it on 5th Feb
    Removed bishops from HoL because puritans were against episcopacy
  • Charles raises his standard (flag) at Nottingham

  • 19 Propositions

    Demands for a negotiated settlement
    All Privy Councillors to be approved by Parliament
    5 impeached MPs to be pardoned
    Charles had to accept the Triennial Act and Militia Ordinance
    Parliament would direct a reformation of Church
    Constitutional royalists wrote ‘The Answer to the Nineteen Propositions’ for the King
    Portrayed the King as the force that would prevent anarchy