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.

Personal Rule

In January 1629, Charles opened the second session of the Parliament which had been prorogued in June 1628. He hoped that, with the Duke of Buckingham gone, Parliament would finally cooperate with him and grant him further subsidies. Instead, members of the House of Commons began to voice their opposition to the levying of tonnage and poundage without parliamentary consent. When he requested a parliamentary adjournment in March, members held the Speaker down in his chair whilst three resolutions against Charles were read aloud. The last of these resolutions declared that anyone who paid tonnage or poundage not authorised by Parliament would "be reputed a betrayer of the liberties of England, and an enemy to the same". Though the resolution was not formally passed, many members declared their approval. Afterwards, when the Commons passed further measures obnoxious to the King, Charles commanded the dissolution of Parliament.

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Charles resolved not to be forced to rely on Parliament for further monetary aid. Immediately, he made peace with France and Spain. The following eleven years, during which Charles ruled without a Parliament, were known as the Personal Rule, or, to the King's enemies, the Eleven Years Tyranny. Charles's attempt to rule without Parliament was not unlawful; on the contrary, it constituted a valid exercise of the royal prerogative.

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The King still had to acquire funds in order to maintain his treasury. Relying on an all but forgotten feudal statute passed in 1278, requiring anyone who earned £40 or more each year to present himself at the King's coronation so that he may join the royal army as a knight, Charles fined all individuals who failed to attend his coronation in 1626. Even more unpopularly, he reintroduced the obsolete feudal tax known as ship money. A writ issued in 1634 ordered the collection of ship money in peacetime, notwithstanding statutes of Edward I and Edward III that had prohibited the levying of such a tax except during wars. This first writ of 1634, however, did not encourage much opposition on legal grounds, but a second writ of 1635 did. Charles's third writ demanding ship money, issued in 1636, made it clear that the ancient prohibition on collecting ship money during peacetime had been swept away. Many attempted to resist payment, but Charles I's judges declared that the tax was within the King's prerogative.

Related Topics:
1278 - Ship money - 1634 - Edward I - Edward III - 1635 - 1636

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At the same time, religious reform was conducted under William Laud, who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633. Laud attempted to ensure religious uniformity by dismissing non-conformist clergyman and closing Puritan organisations. In order to punish those who refused to conform to the religious norms established by the Church of England he used the two most feared and most arbitrary courts in the land, the Court of High Commission and the Court of Star Chamber. The former could compel individuals to provide self-incriminating testimony, whilst the latter could inflict any punishment whatsoever (including torture), with the sole exception of death.

Related Topics:
William Laud - 1633 - Court of High Commission - Court of Star Chamber

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The first years of the Personal Rule were marked by peace and even prosperity in England. Several individuals opposed Charles's taxes and Laud's policies, but remained under control. When, however, Charles attempted to impose his religious policies in Scotland he faced numerous difficulties. The King ordered the use of a new Prayer Book modeled on the English Book of Common Prayer, which, although supported by the Scottish Bishops, was resisted by many Presbyterian Scots, who saw the new Prayer Book as a vehicle for introducing Anglicanism to Scotland. When the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland abolished Episcopalian government (that is, governance of the Church by Bishops) in 1638, replacing it with Presbyterian government (that is, governance by Elders and Deacons), Charles sought to put down what he saw as a rebellion against his authority.

Related Topics:
Book of Common Prayer - 1638

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In 1639, the First Bishops' War broke out. He sought to collect taxes from his subjects, who, however, proved uncooperative. Charles's war ended in an humiliating truce in June of the same year. In the Pacification of Berwick, Charles agreed to grant Scotland parliamentary and ecclesiastical freedoms.

Related Topics:
1639 - First Bishops' War

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