Charles I.

1625- 1649
King James was succeeded by his son Charles I, who was devoted to the principle of divine
right of monarchy and who quickly quarrelled with Parliament. He was committed to war on
the continent and he needed money for that. He made even more mistakes than his father
and failed in his attempt to get money from Parliament. Charles decided to rule without
summoning Parliament and he did so for 11 years. To raise funds, he revived old taxing
system and devised new ones, which turned out to be new ways of imposing extra
parliamentary taxation on his subjects.
Charles I. The bishop's War. The Long Parliament .
When Charles attempted to force a new prayer book similar to the English Book of Common
Prayer, and an Anglican episcopacy on Presbyterian Scotland, the Scots rioted. Scotland was
in revolt and both sides prepared for war. This war is called the Bishop's war. The scots took
the initiative and occupied two northern English counties. Charles summoned Parliament in
1640. This one is know in History as the Long Parliament. A group of leaders from the House
of Commons believed the sovereignty should pass from the King to Parliament. The
commons began by striking at the ministers of the King. Then, to secure their position, they
made Charles sign an act declaring that the Parliament now assembled should not be
dissolved without its own consent. A series of important acts followed such as the abolition
of prerogative courts like the Start Chamber and the Court of High Commission. Besides, no
type of taxation was allowed without parliamentary approval. (Parliament was more
aggressive)
The Commons were united until they got to religious issues. A royalist party began to take
shape. It was composed of moderate Anglicans, men loyal to the Church of England and to its
Prayer Book and who desired to retain episcopacy. But majority of the Commons wished to
overthrow the Church and to set up some form of Puritanism in its place. Division between
Puritans and Anglicans increased greatly in the autumn of 1641, the events moved rapidly to
the outbreak of the first civil war. Tumults and mobs at Westminster became common,
Charles ordered his attorney general to prepared impeachment proceedings against 5 of the
leading Puritans in the Commons. He took the fatal step of coming in person to the House of
Commons in an attempt to arrest the 5 members. This was regarded as a breach of privilege.
The 5 members had slipped away to London. Shortly afterwards, the Commons sent one of
their number secure the arsenal at Hull, while Charles went to the north to raise an army,