Charles I- background Flashcards

1
Q

When was the accession of Charles I?

A

May 1625

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2
Q

What was the legacy of James in regards to foreign affairs?

A

England not yet declared war on Spain, but had financed Mansfeld’s expedition and was subsiding the armies of Denmark and the United Provinces.

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3
Q

What was James’ legacy in regards to religious issues?

A
  • Arminians being promoted, but still a voice at court for other Puritan views.
  • Increasing concern about success of Catholic armies in Europe and their potential influence in England.
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4
Q

What was James’ legacy in regards to relations with Parliament?

A
  • James’ policies not always met with approval from Parliament.
  • Did not appreciate Parliament, but accepted it as a necessary part of political system. So crown and parliament did work together generally.
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5
Q

How did Charles’ reign begin and differ to James’?

A
  • Did not consult widely for advice, relied on Buckingham and a small circle of advisors.
  • Intensely disliked negotiations that were part of maintaining good relations with Parliament.
  • Followed policies that caused alarm, suggested king was committed neither to Protestant church or maintenance of Parliamentary liberties.
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6
Q

What was the character of Charles I?

A
  • Different from father, believed STRONGLY in Divine Right of Kings, didn’t think he needed to explain his actions.
  • Had a speech impediment, shy and avoided contact with subjects.
  • Marriage to Henrietta Maria of France eventually improved.
  • Believed he can achieve order by ‘acting out a role’ for subjects to observe.
  • Doesn’t believe in ‘balancing act’, power should stay with the King, nobody else.
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7
Q

How can we see that Charles was strict?

A
  • Strictly enforced directives of who was allowed to access the privy chamber and bedchamber.
  • Royal families public acts, such as eating were governed by rigid rules of etiquette.
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8
Q

Charles patronage of?

A

Patronage of the arts.
Spent more time in 1630 developing his art collection rather than anything else.

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9
Q

What was the issue with Charles’ patronage of the arts?

A

Patronage of Catholic artists, such as Peter Paul Rubens (painting ceilings in House in Whitehall) and Bernini (made a bust of the King). Aroused deep suspicion.

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10
Q

How was Charles’ patronage of Bernini responded to?

A
  • William Prynne saw negotiations with Bernini, which were assisted by pope’s nephew as a plot to ‘seduce the King with pictures’.
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11
Q

Describe ‘un-English’ patronage of the arts.

A
  • Even patronage of architect Indigo Jones regarded with distrust because his ‘Palladian’ style regarded as un-English.
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12
Q

What was the definition of ‘Palladian’?

A

Architecture with Greek and Roman features.

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13
Q

What was Charles I’s take on foreign policy?

A
  • Charles anxious to play full part in struggle against Habsburg’s and restore Frederick to Palatinate.
  • Needed money.
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14
Q

How much money did the commons initially give to Charles?

A

Two subsidies of £140,000.
Justified on grounds that no war had been declared.

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15
Q

When did Charles declare war with Spain?

A

1625

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16
Q

What were the initial issues with the attack on Spain?

A
  • Not enough money.
  • £500,000 spent preparing navy for war, but short of essentials.
  • Used Queen’s dowry of £120,000 but navy still not prepared.
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17
Q

When did Charles set sail for war with Spain?

A

Set sail to Cadiz, October 1625.

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18
Q

What problems did Charles initially faced when coming to the throne?

A
  • James’ death sudden in March 1625, left behind a plethora of unresolved issues.
  • Parliament’s lasting resentment of James carried through to Charles.
  • French had denied alliance to go against the Spanish.
  • Richelieu insisted that penal laws against Catholics need to be relaxed.
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19
Q

When was the first Parliament?

A

June-August 1625

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20
Q

What happened in the First Parliament in terms of foreign policy?

A
  • Charles and Buckingham vague about what they planned for a continental war, but made it evident that a naval expedition to Cadiz was planned.
  • Hoped to subsidise a Danish invasion of Germany, led by Christian IV, Charles’ uncle.
  • Estimated cost of £60,000 but commons wanted more details.
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21
Q

What happened in terms of finance in the first Palriament?

A
  • MPs unhappy when Lord Keeper suggested that the granting of the subsidies were so urgent that it must take precedence over all matters
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22
Q

What was agreed in the first parliament?

A
  • Two subsidies of £140,000 but no more, good tactic because it was difficult to ask for more.
  • Willing to give Charles tonnage and poundage for a year.
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23
Q

What was the issue of Parliament offering tonnage and poundage to Charles for a year?

A

Since 1485, usually granted for their entire reign.
Shows Parliamentary distrust.

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24
Q

Who dominated the first Parliament and who wasn’t listened to?

A
  • Buckingham dominated. Opposed by Abbot and members of Privy council.
  • Arundel, supporter of the Spanish match was ignored because the policy now changed to war with Spain.
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25
Q

Why did Parliament question Buckingham?

A
  • Made Lord Admiral despite having no experience and being prone to seasickness.
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26
Q

What did Parliament want from Charles in the first Parliament?

A

‘settled and constant council’

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27
Q

What happened in the first parliament in regards to religion?

A
  • Parliament concerned about penal laws, thought that Charles was being too lenient.
  • Commons argued that it was for him to decide.
  • Commons said priests should be upheld and attendance at mass should not be open to all.
  • Touched on attacks of Montagu, Charles defended him, an arminian and one of the loyal chaplains.
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28
Q

How did the commons utilise their religious concerns?

A
  • Used them as a lever, Charles wouldn’t get the money he wanted if he didn’t agree to their terms.
29
Q

When did Charles dissolve the first Parliament?

A

12 August 1625.

30
Q

What happened in Buckingham’s attack on Cadiz?

A
  • Soldiers came across a farm full of vats of wine.
  • Got drunk, attack abandoned through sickness.
  • Fleet came home, enormous cost, achieved nothing, humiliation.
31
Q

How much money was Charles giving the Danish King for his army?

A

£30,000 a month.

32
Q

When was the second fleet for Spain?

A

October 1626

33
Q

What happened in the second fleet for Spain?

A
  • Failed to even reach the coast of Spain, struck by violent storms in Bay of Biscay, had to return home.
34
Q

What did the second fleet for Spain show?

A

England incapable of mounting a successful attack on even one country, yet Duke of Buckingham also preparing to go to war with France.

35
Q

Why was Buckingham preparing for an Anglo-French war?

A
  • Relations had been deteriorating since beginning of 1626, when Buckingham was outmanoeuvred by Richelieu.
  • Richelieu had used English ships to defeat a Huguenot force in 1625, then made a separate peace with Spain.
  • Buckingham wished to remove Richelieu.
36
Q

Who did Buckingham contact initially regarding Anglo-French War?

A
  • Dukes of Lorraine and Savoy, ruled territories on eastern borders of France.
  • Also wanted to remove Richelieu.
  • Organised a three-pronged attack.
  • English fleet would be sent to La Rochelle, followed by attacks from Lorraine and Savoy.
36
Q

When did the expedition for La Rochelle begin?

A

June 1627, objective if capturing the island of Rhe, which guarded the approach to La Rochelle.

37
Q

What happened in the expedition to the Rhe?

A
  • Troops landed on island and its citadel was besieged, going well originally.
  • Yet Buckingham inexperienced in military affairs and didn’t receive adequate backing from England. Appropriate supplies failed to arrive.
  • Scaling ladders for capturing citadel too short, Had to return home in November, achieved nothing.
38
Q

How did Charles’ foreign policy effect Parliament?

A
  • Parliament unwilling to vote large sums of money.
  • Inadequacy of sums voted made defeat much more likely.
  • Lack of funds made Charles seek money from other sources, causing conflict with Parliament.
39
Q

What did France and Spain agree on in the Thirty Years War?

A

Agreed on a combined attack on England, which came to nothing, but prompted England to prepare further

40
Q

Why were the Danes let down by England?

A

In Germany, let down by lack of funds from England.
Beaten by German forces, King Christian IV forced to retreat back to Denmark and withdraw from the war.
- Huguenots requesting aid.

41
Q

When was the expedition to La Rochelle?

A

Spring 1628.

42
Q

Who was the expedition to La Rochelle under?

A

Led by Buckingham’s brother in law, Earl of Denbigh.

43
Q

What happened in the expedition to La Rochelle?

A
  • Miserable failure.
  • 8000 soldiers went, 3000 came home again.
  • Happed in Parliamentary session 1628-9, prompted the Petition of Right.
44
Q

When and where was Buckingham assassinated?

A

1628, Portsmouth by Felton.

45
Q

What was the impact of Buckingham’s assassination?

A
  • Expedition to La Rochelle put off, town fell to Richelieu October 1628.
  • Public rejoice over Buckingham’s death.
  • Felton (assassin) compared to David, the slayer of Goliath.
46
Q

Why did John Felton assassinate Buckingham?

A
  • Furious over Cadiz expedition.
  • Stabbed Buckingham to death when the duke was supervising the preparation for the third expedition to La Rochelle.
  • Hanged November 1628.
47
Q

Who did Charles blame for the death of Buckingham?

A

Eliot and Parliament.

48
Q

Who was John Eliot?

A
  • Had been a client of Buckingham’s but declared in 1626 ‘our honour is ruined, our ships are sunk, our men are perished’.
  • One of the most vocal critics of Buckingham.
49
Q

How many mourners were at Buckingham’s funeral?

A

100
Empty coffin, had already been buried before in case hostile crowds tried to attack his body.

50
Q

What was the impact of the failure of La Rochelle?

A
  • Little point in pursuing the war.
  • Peace made with France in the Treaty of Souza, April 1629.
  • Peace made with Spain in the Treaty of Madrid, November 1630.
51
Q

What was a settlement made with the Treaty of Madrid?

A

Philip IV gave a written promise that he would agree to the restoration of the Palatinate as part of a general settlement.

52
Q

When was the second Parliament?

A

February-June, 1626

53
Q

What was the context of the second Parliament?

A
  • Hostile over expedition to Cadiz.
  • Before Parliament met, Buckingham had chaired the York House Conference, at request of Puritan Earl of Warwick to wean Charles away from Arminianism.
  • Buckingham took anti-Calvinist side, wants to be on good terms with Warwick.
  • Charles still suspicious of intentions of Parliament.
54
Q

What did Charles say to Parliament about their attacks on Buckingham?

A

‘I find the fruits of them good or evil, they are to continue or not to be’.

55
Q

Why and who did Charles remove from his first Parliament?

A

Charles selected most prominent sheriffs for their counties to remove those who he deemed responsible for the failures of the last parliament.

56
Q

What were the Sheriff’s responsible for?

A
  • Organising the polls, could not stand for election himself.
  • With this, Charles removed key figures like Sir Thomas Wentworth and Sir Edward Coke.
57
Q

What were the outcomes of the second Parliament?

A
  • Parliament went badly, discussed subsidies but did not pass them.
  • York House Conference had shown that Buckingham favoured Arminians and Cadiz failure lead to criticism of Crown’s policies.
  • Parliament looked for a scapegoat to blame, one MP- ‘we must of necessity lay the fault upon somebody’. Blamed Buckingham.
58
Q

How did Charles’ dissolution of the second Parliament occur?

A
  • Commons prepared articles of impeachment against Buckingham, ignoring a threat from Charles ‘they are to continue or not to be’.
  • Charles put loyalty to Parliament above good relations with Parliament.
  • Led to Parliamentary refusal to give Charles funds.
59
Q

What impact did the dissolution of the second Parliament have?

A
  • Government in debt, had outgoings from war but no additional income, other than captured French ships.
60
Q

How much money did captured French ships bring?
How much undertakings did the Crown have?

A

£50,000 in 1626.
£1 million.

61
Q

When and what was the forced loan?

A

1626-27
Undertakings of £1 million, so needed money.
A form of taxation imposed without Parliamentary consent
Wealthy subjects, landowners and nobles had to fund military campaigns.

62
Q

What was the impact of the forced loans?

A
  • Those who refused to comply were imprisoned without legal reason, breaks ‘habeas corpus’.
  • Five Nights Case.
  • Fears of imposition of absolutism.
  • 76 people arrested for refusing to pay the loan, including Sir Thomas Wentworth.
63
Q

What was the Five Night’s Case?

A
  • When judges would not pronounce the loan as legal, King dismissed chief justice of King’s bench, Crewe.
  • Five Night’s then challenged Habeas Corpus.
  • Too risky for King to tell truth, council stated they had been arrested by ‘special command of our lord the king’.
64
Q

In addition to the Five Night’s Case, what other liberties were under attack?

A
  • Billeting- householders had to provide soldiers with shelter and food.
  • Martial Law- suspension of civil law and its replacement by army rules. Night-time curfews.
65
Q

How else did Charles try to gain revenue from means other than Parliament?

A
  • Raised a loan from the City of London in 1627.
  • But did it giving up the Crown Lands, worth £350,000.
  • Land was no longer a major source of revenue for future.
  • London unwilling to give anymore money.
  • Charles had to call another Parliament.
66
Q

When was the third Parliament?

A

Split into two:
March-June 1628
January-March 1629

67
Q

What was the nature of the third Parliament?

A
  • Charles wanted better Parliament, released those he had imprisoned. Not enough.
  • Charles let Sir John Coke, secretary of state communicated with MPs rather than him doing it himself.
  • Both sides realised that concessions were necessary if Parliament to be effective.
68
Q
A