Charles I of England

Charles I (19 November 1600–30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625, until his death. He famously engaged in a struggle for power with Parliament; he was an advocate of the divine right of kings. Some in Parliament, however, feared that he was attempting to gain absolute power. There was widespread opposition to many of his actions, especially the levying of taxes without Parliament's consent.

Buckingham's leadership

Charles's first Parliament was dissolved in August 1625. Charles pressed for war with Spain, but the naval attack on Cadiz was appallingly executed, and discredited Charles. Once again in need of money, Charles summoned his second Parliament in February 1626. To keep his foes out of Parliament, Charles appointed them sheriffs; as officers of the Crown, they were immediately disqualified from service in the House of Commons. As far as the upper House was concerned, Charles refused to grant a writ of summons—without which no person could be admitted to the House of Lords—to John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol. He also imprisoned Henry Howard, 25th Earl of Arundel, whom he charged with a misdemeanour. The House of Lords, upon learning of the plight of these two Earls, declared that there was no precedent for denying a peer his writ or for imprisoning a peer for a mere misdemeanour.

Related Topics:
August 1625 - Cadiz - February 1626 - Sheriffs - Writ of summons - House of Lords - John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol - Henry Howard, 25th Earl of Arundel

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The King's attempts to deprive some individuals of their positions in Parliament infuriated many members of that body, as did the collection of taxes without their consent. The Duke of Buckingham, meanwhile, was blamed for the disaster at Cadiz. The House of Commons tried to impeach him for high treason, and threatened to delay all votes on taxation until after the House of Lords found him guilty. The protests of the House of Lords had forced Charles to release Bristol and Arundel, and with these two peers in attendance, a parliamentary majority against the Duke of Buckingham seemed likely. Thus, in June 1626, Charles ordered the dissolution of Parliament.

Related Topics:
Duke of Buckingham - Impeach - June 1626

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In the next year, the Duke of Buckingham led an expedition to aid the Huguenots—French Protestants who were persecuted by their King—at La Rochelle, but failed abysmally, increasing his own unpopularity. Moreover, England came to be at war with France, whilst still continuing its earlier war against Spain. Charles's treasury, meanwhile, continued to dwindle. To reduce expenditure related to the military, Charles ordered several Englishmen to billet, or board and lodge, his soldiers. He also demanded that his subjects grant him "loans," which he had no intention of repaying. Charles's scheme was declared illegal by the courts in 1627; in response, he removed and imprisoned the Lord Chief Justice, Sir Ranulph Crewe, and appointed Sir Nicholas Hyde in his place. He encouraged his clergy to deliver sermons encouraging such loans, and also encouraging obedience to all royal commands. When George Abbot, the Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to officially sanction one such sermon, he was stripped of his powers, although he was not formally removed from office. The Archbishop's functions were instead transferred to a commission of bishops, led by William Laud, the Bishop of Bath and Wells (afterwards Bishop of London).

Related Topics:
Huguenot - La Rochelle - 1627 - Lord Chief Justice - Sir Ranulph Crewe - Sir Nicholas Hyde - George Abbot - Archbishop of Canterbury - William Laud - Bishop of Bath and Wells - Bishop of London

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Those who still refused to contribute to Charles's treasury were imprisoned by the royal command, although not explicitly charged with any crimes. In the celebrated case known as the "Five Knights' Case" or "Darnel's Case," the new Lord Chief Justice, Sir Nicholas Hyde, held that it was permissible for the King to order the detention of individuals without charging them and without offering them the opportunity to post bail.

Related Topics:
Five Knights' Case - Nicholas Hyde

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Charles's wars with France had been crippling to his exchequer. Finding himself in dire need of funds to continue the war, Charles summoned the third Parliament of his reign in March 1628. Immediately, instead of addressing Charles's financial problems, the House of Commons proceeded to consider the abuse of power in the preceding years. It passed the Petition of Right, in which it sought to redress forced loans, arbitrary arrest, imprisonment without due process of law, billetting and taxation without parliamentary consent. Though initially opposed to the petition, Charles granted his Assent to it in June, after ensuring that his judges would not interpret it in a manner contrary to his wishes. At length, Parliament agreed to grant Charles the subsidies he desired, and was subsequently prorogued.

Related Topics:
March 1628 - Petition of Right

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The Duke of Buckingham, in the meantime, planned another attack on La Rochelle in France, but a naval officer, John Felton, assassinated him on 23 August. Charles and his advisors sought to have Felton tortured on the rack, but were foiled by an opinion of an unanimous panel of judges. Instead, Felton was hanged for his crime.

Related Topics:
John Felton - 23 August - Rack

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