1- The reign of James I, 1603-25 Flashcards
(38 cards)
What was the relation between King and Parliament?
Supply and redress
Why is Magna Carta relevant?
Only Parliament and not King will be able to increase taxes, as the Magna Carta states that people can’t be taxed without their consent- non-elected people cannot impose taxes
RP: Why did Catholics and Puritans think James I’s accession would be to their advantage? Did it work?
CATHOLICS: Hoped that respect for his dead mother, Mary Queen of Scots, would encourage the King to ease persecution.
PURITANS: Hoped his upbringing in the Presbyterian church of Scotland would lead him to favour their plans for reform.
RP: Did James I’s accession work to the Catholics/Puritans advantage?
They were both disappointed:
For CATHOLICS: He did suspend fines for recusancy, but when faced with complaints from Par and perhaps regretting the loss of income, he reimposed them in 1604.
- This encouraged an extremist minority to search for help from Spain, and led to the 1605 Gunpowder Plot in which Catholic conspirators attempted to blow up Par while the King was present.
For PURITANS: Their hopes expressed in the Millenary Petition presented to the King in 1603 were short-lived. James agreed to meet them at a conference in Hampton Court in 1604, but at the meeting he rejected their ideas and warned them that if they didn’t conform to the Prayer Book rules he would ‘harry them out of the Kingdom’ .
RP: What was the phrase used by James I at Hampton Court 1604 regarding Puritan petitions for religious reform?
He would ‘harry them out of the Kingdom’ if they didn’t conform to the Prayer Book rules.
RP: How did James I see the Church and how did he maintain his control of it?
Like Elizabeth, he saw it as an institution that upheld royal power, and maintained control of it by:
- Appointing bishops that were dependent on him- appointment of Richard Bancroft as Archbishop of Canterbury.
- He enforced the rules from the Anglican prayer book and some ministers that didn't conform lost their livings and some left the country.
- Most, however, conformed to the Anglican Church.
RP: What was James I’s policy a few years into his reign?
He had softened his stance considerably:
- Although recusancy fines continued to be levied, the policy was intermittently applied, and Catholics could often worship undisturbed for long periods.
- Puritan ministers who conformed to the Prayer Book could often ignore some rules and ceremonies.
- In 1611, when Bancroft died, he was replaced by the more sympathetic George Abbot, who took a more moderate approach to religious policy.
- James shared the Puritan enthusiasm for good preaching. For example, weekday lectures were allowed, often to be held in market towns.
RP: What were James I’s religious policies in Scotland?
He took cautious steps to bring Presbyterian practice into line with English arrangements.
- By 1621 he had persuaded the Scots to accept bishops, although with limited powers. - An attempt to establish a Prayer Book similar to that used in England aroused great opposition, and James withdrew it. - By such cautious and tactful measures he hoped gradually to bring the two Churches together and to create uniformity across the two kingdoms.
RP: What did James I achieve with his religious policy?
Having already asserted his authority, he was wise enough to see that political harmony could best be achieved by avoiding unnecessary provocation.
The arrangements provided a measure of peace in the Anglican Church, and allowed Puritan reformers to coexist with others.
By was careful when bringing Anglican religious measures into Scotland, backing off when opposition rose.
RP: Was James I’s religious policy successful?
- Few complaints by Par
- Policy of broad toleration, kept peace between religious factions.
- Brought religiously motivated war with Spain to an end.
KP: Why did James I clash with Par in the 1st years of his reign?
- In 1604 there was a disputed election in Buckinghamshire and a clumsy attempt by the Privy Council to reverse the result in favour of the court candidate, Sir John Fortescue, produced an angry protest from the HoC- Commons Apology (in which they asserted their rights)
- The HoC was already sensitive on the matter of its rights and privileges, after its difficulties with Elizabeth. MPs may also have been concerned about the King’s extravagant claims to divine power and status.
- James had claimed that he was above the law bc he made it.
- Faced with the Commons Apology, James had suggested that their privileges might be removed in the same way they were granted (by the monarch).
KP: How did James I deal with the Buckinghamshire issue?
He suspended the Par session and allowed the issue to be dropped.
KP: What led to reconciliation between K&P in 1605-6?
Gunpowder Plot created a sense of Protestant unity, and led to a parliamentary grant that settled the King’s debts.
KP: What problems had emerged between K & P in relation to Scotland?
James I desired an Anglo-Scottish constitutional union.
However, many Englishmen were deeply anti-Scottish - a sentiment aggravated by James I’s numerous gifts and titles to his Scottish friends.
MPs refused to believe that English institutions could be improved by importing any Scottish ideas.
KP: What caused the most serious damage to the relationship between James I and Par?
James’s generosity to his Scottish companions was deeply resented, but it was the problems regarding the King’s finances that caused the most serious damage to the relationship between King and Parliament.
KP: What were the key frictions between K & P during James I’s reign?
- Buckinghamshire election 1604
- Introduction of the Book of Rates and new impositions in 1608
- Failure of the Addled Parliament in 1614
- The Commons Protestation of December 1621
FP: Why did James I face financial problems?
By 1607 James had been forced to abandon any ideas of a constitutional union
between England and Scotland, partly bc it was clear that a far more serious cause of conflict would arise from the financial problems facing the Crown, and the failure of James to recognise this and act consistently in dealing with it.
FP: From which 2 factors did the Crown’s financial problems arise?
- years of rising prices had left royal income inadequate for the expenses of government.
- James’s handling of money and some aspects of his lifestyle amounted to financial irresponsibility,
- The King was expected to finance gov and maintain his household out of
ordinary revenue and the customs duties granted to him.
- The King was expected to finance gov and maintain his household out of
FP: Why was James I unable to ‘live of his own’?
- Before his reign combination of price inflation and Elizabeth’s sales of Crown
land to finance the war with Spain had made ordinary revenue inadequate, and James inherited a debt of approximately £100,000. - As a family man, he had to maintain a wife and children, including a separate
establishment for the heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales. - Elizabeth had failed to update tax assessments in line with inflation. Combined with an inefficient system of collection, this meant that even when Parliament did grant extra taxes, the King received much less than was intended.
- James misunderstood the value of money, and instead of using money he had, he spent money he did not.
- Consistently overgenerous to his friends- In 1611 he gave away £90,000, over 2/3 of which went to Scottish friends.
FP: What were the Crown’s income sources?
- ORDINARY REVENUE- Including Crown lands leased out for rent, the arrangement of marriages and monopolies.
- CUSTOMS DUTIES- Including:
- Tonnage and Poundage, customs on wool and wine granted for life by Par.
- New impositions
- OCCASIONAL SOURCES- Including forced loans.
- DIRECT TAXES (granted by Par)- Including Ship Money
FP: Which strategies for financial reform during James I’s reign were successful?
- Issuing of the Book of Rates in 1608, following the case of Bates where the King’s right to impose new custom duties was challenged.
- These new impositions however were deeply resented and complaints were raised in Par in 1610 and 1614.
- This issue wasn’t just financial but also involved the balance of royal powers with those of Parliament and the taxpayer.
- Treaty of London 1604, where James ended war with Spain, reducing gov expenditure significantly.
- Cranfield’s reorganisation of crown finances led to a reduction of the King’s household expenses by over 50% in 1620.
FP: Which strategies for financial reform during James I’s reign were NOT successful?
- Between 1606 and 1614 the issue of impositions raised concerns in Par about its right to control taxation. This worry remained strong for many years and it certainly contributed to Parliament’s refusal to grant Tonnage and Poundage to Charles for life in 1625.
- Failure of the Great Contract, where the King would give up some feudal dues in return for a regular parliamentary income of £200,000/year.
- King was aware he would lose a useful means of controlling his most powerful subjects.
- HoC was aware that by providing him with a stable income that could give the King financial independence, they would lose their most valuable weapon in obtaining redress for any grievances.
- Failure of the Addled Parliament 1614, where James dissolved it after the HoC failed to vote taxes:
- Rumours had been spread about Court interference in elections, raising concerns about rights and privileges of Par.
- Followed by complaints about extravagance at Court and increased use of impositions.
- This ended in conflict between factions and the 2 Houses.
- Many influential men found that some of their revenue was being stopped by Cranfield’s reforms, so he made many enemies.
FP: Who was James I’s chief financial advisor?
Robert Cecil
FP: Which was the fundamental financial weakness within the gov?
System of patronage- King expected to reward those who served him by giving out pensions or permitting the collection of fines. - this system inevitably led to corruption within gov.
