Summary
Highlights
This section introduces the concept of political instability at the start of Charles I's reign, from 1625 to 1629. It outlines four key areas contributing to this instability: finance, religion, foreign policy, and problems with Parliament. Charles I inherited an empty treasury, leading to reliance on Parliament, which granted tonnage and poundage for only one year, contrasting with the traditional lifetime grant. The King's dissolution of Parliament and imposition of a forced loan, leading to the Five Knights' Case where individuals were imprisoned without trial, highlights early financial and power struggles.
During this initial period, religious tensions escalated as Charles I supported Arminianism, appointing William Laud as Bishop of London (later Archbishop of Canterbury) and George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, as his chief advisor, both Arminians. His marriage to Henrietta Maria, a French Catholic princess, further antagonized Puritans who viewed Arminianism as close to Catholicism. Foreign policy failures, including two unsuccessful expeditions blamed on Buckingham, cost significant money and led to his assassination in 1628. These issues demonstrate the intertwined nature of religion, finance, and foreign policy in causing instability.
Charles I dissolved Parliament four times in his reign, with three dissolutions occurring between 1625 and 1629. The Petition of Right in 1628 challenged the King's policies and asserted Parliament's powers, which Charles initially signed. Parliament, heavily influenced by vocal Puritan opposition led by figures like Pym, passed the Three Resolutions in 1629, leading Charles to dissolve Parliament and embark on his period of Personal Rule. This part concludes by emphasizing the need to analyze the relative importance of these factors and reflect on Charles's success in dealing with these early problems.
The period of Personal Rule (1629-1640) saw Charles I attempting to raise funds without Parliament through 'extraordinary revenue,' such as fines for building on royal forests, fining un-knighted landowners, the soap monopoly, and the controversial ship money. While initially successful in raising revenue, these methods generated increasing resentment, particularly the ship money, which led to high-profile challenges like the John Hampden trial. This financial independence was a key factor in the eventual failure of his personal rule.
Religion remained a major source of instability. William Laud, as Archbishop of Canterbury, introduced Arminian changes to church worship (stained glass, altars, organs), persecuting Puritans who spoke out, leading to public sympathy for the persecuted. The Personal Rule began to unravel significantly from 1637 with the imposition of the English Prayer Book in Scotland, leading to riots, the National Covenant, and eventually the First Bishops' War in 1639. Charles's inability to raise an army due to taxpayer strikes and his defeat in the Second Bishops' War forced him to sign the Treaty of Ripon, incurring daily payments to the Scots, highlighting the critical role of Scottish resistance in ending his personal rule.
This final period, leading up to Charles I's execution, is marked by military involvement in politics. The English Civil War broke out in 1642. The New Model Army, formed in 1645, became increasingly radical and politically active, issuing proposals like the 'Representation of the Army' and the 'Heads of Proposals' for a new constitutional settlement. Charles's refusal to compromise and his attempts to make secret agreements further alienated Parliament and the Army. Significant events include Charles's failed attempt to arrest five MPs in 1642 and Pride's Purge in December 1648, which removed moderate MPs leading to a 'Rump Parliament' that tried and executed the King.
Parliament, particularly figures like Pym, asserted its authority through acts like the Triennial Act and the impeachment and execution of royal advisors like Wentworth and Laud. The Irish Catholic Uprising in 1641 fueled anti-Catholic panic in England. The rise of radical groups like the Levellers, visible in the Putney Debates of 1647, and later, the Ranters and Diggers after the King's execution, demonstrated a challenge to the existing social and political order. These radical movements, coupled with military control (as seen in the suppression of the Burford Leveller mutiny), illustrate the increasing instability and fragmentation of power leading to the regicide.