Explain the Factors Behind the Decisions of Members of Parliament to Resist the Demands of Charles I 1625-29. Evaluate the Consequences of Those Decisions on Britain 1629-40.
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Explain the factors behind the decisions of Members of Parliament to resist the demands of Charles I 1625-29. Evaluate the consequences of those decisions on Britain 1629-40.
When Charles I ascended the throne in 1625 from James I he inherited a number of issues which required him to call Parliament such as an archaic state structure in which expenditure outweighed income, a war with Spain, Multiple Kingdoms which were not well connected, religious disputes, an unbalanced court system which favoured the unpopular Buckingham and a Parliament which was not pleased with the way previous monarchs had run their finances. Charles I’s needed money to fix the majority of these issues and thus many of his demands to Parliament between 1625 and 1629 were for further subsidies. The 1625 Parliament however, was unhappy over a number of matters such as being called during a plague, the fear that Arminians were promoting Catholicism in England, Buckingham’s influence, and the misuse of the money they had given James I for the Spanish War. The 1626 and 1628-9 Parliaments had similar grievances and thus resisted Charles’ demands for money until he agreed to settle these issues. The consequences of this resistance led to Charles’ decision to rule without Parliament between 1629-40. British people were faced with forced taxes placed upon them such as Forest Fines and Ship Money, as well as a promotion of Arminianism which was imposed on Scotland and led to the First Bishop’s War of 1638.
The main factor behind Parliament’s decision to resist Charles’ demands stemmed from the fact that he asked for more money than they could give. Ever since the time of Edward III there had been a price rise in England due to a labour shortage as a result of the plague, yet the people of the time believed rents and taxes were set by god and thus could not be raised. This led to an archaic state structure where the prices of living were increasing and the Crown’s ability to generate money...
When Charles I ascended the throne in 1625 from James I he inherited a number of issues which required him to call Parliament such as an archaic state structure in which expenditure outweighed income, a war with Spain, Multiple Kingdoms which were not well connected, religious disputes, an unbalanced court system which favoured the unpopular Buckingham and a Parliament which was not pleased with the way previous monarchs had run their finances. Charles I’s needed money to fix the majority of these issues and thus many of his demands to Parliament between 1625 and 1629 were for further subsidies. The 1625 Parliament however, was unhappy over a number of matters such as being called during a plague, the fear that Arminians were promoting Catholicism in England, Buckingham’s influence, and the misuse of the money they had given James I for the Spanish War. The 1626 and 1628-9 Parliaments had similar grievances and thus resisted Charles’ demands for money until he agreed to settle these issues. The consequences of this resistance led to Charles’ decision to rule without Parliament between 1629-40. British people were faced with forced taxes placed upon them such as Forest Fines and Ship Money, as well as a promotion of Arminianism which was imposed on Scotland and led to the First Bishop’s War of 1638.
The main factor behind Parliament’s decision to resist Charles’ demands stemmed from the fact that he asked for more money than they could give. Ever since the time of Edward III there had been a price rise in England due to a labour shortage as a result of the plague, yet the people of the time believed rents and taxes were set by god and thus could not be raised. This led to an archaic state structure where the prices of living were increasing and the Crown’s ability to generate money...