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.

Short and Long Parliaments

Disputes regarding the interpretation of the peace treaty between Charles and the Church of Scotland led to further conflict. To subdue the Scots, Charles needed more money; therefore, he took the fateful step of recalling Parliament in April 1640. Although Charles offered to repeal ship money, the House of Commons proved unmoveable. It demanded the discussion of various abuses of power during the Personal Rule. As Parliament failed to proceed, it was dissolved in May 1640, less than a month after it assembled; thus, the Parliament became known as the "Short Parliament".

Related Topics:
1640 - Short Parliament

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Charles still attempted to defeat the Scots, but failed miserably. The humiliating Treaty of Ripon, signed after the end of the Second Bishops' War in October 1640, required the King to pay the expenses of the Scottish army he had just fought. Charles took the unusual step of summoning the magnum concilium, the ancient council of all the Peers of the Realm, who were considered the King's hereditary counsellors. The magnum concilium had not been summoned in centuries, and it has not been summoned since Charles's reign. On the advice of the peers, Charles summoned another Parliament, which, in contrast with its predecessor, became known as the Long Parliament.

Related Topics:
Treaty of Ripon - Second Bishops' War - Magnum concilium - Long Parliament

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Long Parliament assembled in November 1640 under the leadership of John Pym, and proved just as difficult to negotiate with as the Short Parliament. It took measures which both threatened Charles's political position and caused him deep personal grief. The members of the House of Commons thought of themselves as conservatives defending the King, the Church and parliamentary government against innovations in religion and the tyranny of Charles's evil advisers, but their actions made Charles view many of them as dangerous rebels trying to undermine traditional government. For example, Charles was unable to resist demands for the execution of his advisor Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford.

Related Topics:
John Pym - Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

To prevent the King from dissolving it at will, Parliament passed the Triennial Act, to which the Royal Assent was granted in February 1641. The Act required that Parliament was to be summoned at least once every three years, and that when the King failed to issue proper summons, the members could assemble on their own. In May, he assented to an even more far-reaching Act, which provided that Parliament could not be dissolved without its own consent. Charles was forced into one concession after another. He agreed to bills of attainder authorising the executions of Thomas Wentworth and William Laud. Ship money, fines in destraint of knighthood and forced loans were declared unlawful, and the hated Courts of Star Chamber and High Commission were abolished. Although he made several important concessions, Charles improved his own military position by securing the favour of the Scots. He finally agreed to the official establishment of Presbyterianism; in return, he was able to enlist considerable anti-parliamentary support.

Related Topics:
Triennial Act - 1641 - Star Chamber - High Commission

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In November 1641, the House of Commons passed the Grand Remonstrance, indicating all the abuses of power Charles had allegedly committed since the beginning of his reign. The tension was heightened when the Irish rebelled against Protestant English rule and unfounded rumours of Charles' involvement reached Parliament. An army was required to put down the rebellion but many members of the House of Commons feared that Charles might later use it against Parliament itself. The Militia Bill was intended to wrest control of the army from the King, but Charles refused to give up such an important part of his royal prerogative.

Related Topics:
Grand Remonstrance - Irish rebelled - Militia Bill

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The House of Commons next threatened to impeach Charles's Catholic Queen, Henrietta Maria, finally leading the King to take desperate action. His wife persuaded him to arrest the five members of the House of Commons who led the anti-royal faction on charges of high treason, but, when the King had made his decision, she made the mistake of informing a friend who in turn alerted Parliament. Charles entered the House of Commons with an armed force on 4 January 1642, but found that his opponents had already escaped. By violating Parliament with an armed force, Charles made the breach permanent. Many in Parliament thought Charles's actions outrageous, but others had similar sentiments about the actions of Parliament itself. Several members of the House of Commons left to join the royalist party, leaving the King's opponents with a majority. It was no longer safe for Charles to be in London, and he went north to raise an army against Parliament; the Queen, at the same time, went abroad to raise money to pay for it.

Related Topics:
4 January - 1642 - London

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~