The Coming of Civil War, Charles I: the Early Years of Reign
The Coming of the Civil War
Chapter 3: Charles I: the early years of the reign
Personality and character: * Strong belief in the divine rights of Kings - he saw all the Parliament’s privileges as being subject to the approval of the sovereign and not as liberties that existed independently of the King’s wishes * Saw criticism and discussion as being treacherous – anyone that questioned his actions he thought as being disloyal * Poor communication skills – brief speeches in parliament, often rebukes with his views that no one could challenge * Influence of his Catholic wife – after Buckingham died Charles became closer to his wife who believed in absolutism (the monarch was all powerful) * Favouring the Armanian group – it stressed the divine nature of the monarch. Armanianism would cause offence to the majority of the Puritan minded Church of England. For the majority of Charles’ subjects Laudian ideas were a form of popery, of Roman Catholicism, taking over the Protestant church, undermining it from within * Absolutism – many MPs became worried that Charles had absolutist ideas that would threaten the Parliament’s existence
Crisis of the 1920s: * Some historians saw 1624-29 as a crisis * Under strain of raising troops and money for war with Spain and later France, Charles uses methods that many though illegal to force the country gentry to co-operate in raising troops that the countries paid for, while failing to gain victory in Europe * Relationship between the Crown and the House of commons suffered so much that by 1629, Charles was fed up with Parliament and Parliament were suspicious of Charles and his advisors
Foreign policy 1925-29: * Charles and Buckingham had tried to set up an anti-Spanish ‘front’ to force the Hasburgs to restore the Palatine to Charles’ brother in law. Parliament had only voted subsidies for a sea war – Charles and Buckingham had plans worth 2 million. If all the plans had gone well,
Chapter 3: Charles I: the early years of the reign
Personality and character: * Strong belief in the divine rights of Kings - he saw all the Parliament’s privileges as being subject to the approval of the sovereign and not as liberties that existed independently of the King’s wishes * Saw criticism and discussion as being treacherous – anyone that questioned his actions he thought as being disloyal * Poor communication skills – brief speeches in parliament, often rebukes with his views that no one could challenge * Influence of his Catholic wife – after Buckingham died Charles became closer to his wife who believed in absolutism (the monarch was all powerful) * Favouring the Armanian group – it stressed the divine nature of the monarch. Armanianism would cause offence to the majority of the Puritan minded Church of England. For the majority of Charles’ subjects Laudian ideas were a form of popery, of Roman Catholicism, taking over the Protestant church, undermining it from within * Absolutism – many MPs became worried that Charles had absolutist ideas that would threaten the Parliament’s existence
Crisis of the 1920s: * Some historians saw 1624-29 as a crisis * Under strain of raising troops and money for war with Spain and later France, Charles uses methods that many though illegal to force the country gentry to co-operate in raising troops that the countries paid for, while failing to gain victory in Europe * Relationship between the Crown and the House of commons suffered so much that by 1629, Charles was fed up with Parliament and Parliament were suspicious of Charles and his advisors
Foreign policy 1925-29: * Charles and Buckingham had tried to set up an anti-Spanish ‘front’ to force the Hasburgs to restore the Palatine to Charles’ brother in law. Parliament had only voted subsidies for a sea war – Charles and Buckingham had plans worth 2 million. If all the plans had gone well,