Ch 5 Relations & Disputes w/ Parliament 1604-29 Flashcards

1
Q

What did James I say @ the start of his speech to Parliament in March 1610?

A
  • “the state of the monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth”
  • “for kings are not only God’s lieutenants upon earth, & sit upon God’s throne, but even by God himself they are called gods”
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2
Q

What did James I touch upon @ the end of his speech to Parliament in March 1610?

A

-touched upon how Parliament was a key element in how he governed

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3
Q

What is Parliamentary Privilege?

A
  • a legal immunity enjoyed by members of Parliament that allows them to speak freely during proceedings without fear of legal action, such as being arrested for raising controversial questions or debates
  • enables Parliament to function effectively as a legislative body to the monarch
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4
Q

What year could MPs legitimately regard their parliamentary privileges as theirs by right?

A

-1603

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5
Q

What are the 4 Parliamentary Privileges?

A
    1. free access to the monarch & House of Lords to convey their opinions
    1. the right to correct mistakes/misunderstandings that might prejudice the Commons
    1. freedom from arrest while Parliament is sitting (& 20 days after dissolution)
    1. freedom of speech, w/ limits sufficiently vague to leave scope for dispute
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6
Q

What was the problem w/ Britain having an unwritten constitution?

A

-no written constitution meant the balance between monarch’s prerogative & parliamentary privilege was always a matter of interpretation & so a possible source of conflict

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7
Q

Buckinghamshire Election 1604 - why was the election of Francis Goodwin annulled? Who by? Who took his place?

A
  • election of Francis Goodwin as MP for Buckinghamshire was annulled by the Court of Chancery on grounds that he was an outlaw because of fact he had outstanding summons for debt
  • in the 2nd election, John Fortescue (a privy councillor) was returned in Goodwin’s place
  • many saw this replacement as a ‘royal interference’
  • after hearing Goodwin’s case & determining he had not been illegally outlawed, the Commons voted to reinstate him
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8
Q

What was James’ problem with the Commons reinstating Goodwin in the Buckinghamshire election (1604)?

A
  • James believed that the Commons were acting illegally in allowing an outlaw to sit as an MP
  • he asked them to confer w/ the House of Lords to get legal advice
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9
Q

How did James I make the Buckinghamshire election (1604) worse?

A
  • made situation worse by not restricting the debate to narrow legal limits; instead choosing to raise wider constitutional issues by telling the Commons that “they derived all matters of privilege from him & by his grant” & that all disputed elections ought to be decided by the Court of Chancery, not the Commons
  • by stressing the right of his Court of Chancery, where disputes could be settled on the basis of equity (fairness) rather than law, James made the Buckinghamshire election issue a matter of constitutional dispute over the balance between his prerogative & parliamentary privilege
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10
Q

What saved the Buckinghamshire election (1604)?

A
  • once James asserted his defence of prerogative, his pragmatism & desire for the Political Nation to work in harmony brought about a compromise
  • he suggested both Goodwin & Fortescue be dismissed & a new election held
  • in return for the Commons’ acceptance of this, he acknowledged their claim to be the judge of some election returns
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11
Q

What was Shirley’s Case (1604)?

A
  • MP Thomas Shirley was arrested for debt
  • his arrest upset MPs who were keen to establish the parliamentary privilege of freedom from arrest while Parliament was sitting (except in cases of treason, felony or breach of the peace)
  • to assert their point, Parliament sent the governor of the Fleet debtors prison (where Shirley had been held) to the Tower of London until Shirley was released
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12
Q

What was ‘The Form of Apology & Satisfaction’?

A
  • a document MPs drew up protesting against James’ handling of all political issues within ch 5 (not all MPs felt same)
  • the Commons were more united against the King on issues of Union & finance; dominating the session in 1606
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13
Q

Why did James want to unite England & Scotland?

A

-unification was part of design for his new kingdom to be secure internally & to have peace w/ Europe

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14
Q

Why was there opposition to ‘Great Britain’?

A

-concern that the new state would abolish English laws, since the king, as the ‘source of the law’ could rewrite laws of a newly formed kingdom (giving himself more scope to exercise absolute authority)

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15
Q

What did James declare by Royal Proclamation through his prerogative for the unification to ‘Great Britain’?

A
  • his title would ‘King of Great Britain, France & Ireland, Defender of Faith etc’
  • a new currency for the united country would be issued; called the ‘unite’
  • that all ships were to carry the new Union flag
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16
Q

What was mainly debated in the 3rd session of Parliament opening in Nov 1606?

A
  • debates on the Union (England & Scotland)
  • English MPs displayed racial tolerance & economic logic
  • historian Pauline Croft = “hostility to the Union proved impossible to overcome… opposing it on religious, legal, economic & political grounds… they also expressed a distaste for the Scots”
  • Parliament’s anti-Scottish stance alienated James I from Parliament
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17
Q

What was the final result of the Union 1606?

A

-in the end, King’s plans for Union collapsed due to parliamentary opposition

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18
Q

What was the reason for the dissolution of James’ 1st Parliament in 1611?

A
  • not conflict on the issue of Union; but the failure to reach a parliamentary solution to the Crown’s financial difficulties
  • therefore negotiations over the Great Contract (1610) further alienated James from Parliament
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19
Q

What does the name ‘Addled Parliament’ allude to?

A
  • alludes to the ineffectiveness of the 1614 Parliament
  • ‘addled’ = confused
  • lasted no more than 8 weeks before James dissolved it
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20
Q

What were the Economic reasons of debate leading to James dissolving the ‘Addled Parliament’ (1614) so quickly?

A

-finance: failure of Great Contract (1610), death of Robert Cecil & continued selling of Crown lands (which reduced long-term income) put financial pressure on James to call for Parliament for funds; the ability of King to levy impositions remained source of conflict between Crown & Parliament

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21
Q

What was the Crown’s debt in 1614?

A

-£680,000

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22
Q

What were the Factional reasons of debate leading to James dissolving the ‘Addled Parliament’ (1614) so quickly?

A
  • factional conflict: emergence of competing groups in politics e.g. the Howard faction (group supporting Catholic Spain) & its counterpart the Protestant faction caused political dysfunction
  • the Protestant faction called for Parliament (largely anti-Spanish & Catholic) to attack the Howards
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23
Q

What were the Absolutism reasons of debate leading to James dissolving the ‘Addled Parliament’ (1614) so quickly?

A
  • Manipulation of MPs: controversial Crown plans to make deals to ensure parliamentary support for policies was leaked
  • Lord Chancellor Bacon proposed idea of ‘undertaking’ = attempt to influence elections through patronage
  • made MPs fearful of absolutism, as appeared to be attempts by James, through his courtiers, to manipulate the Parliament in his favour
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24
Q

What were the Personality reasons of debate leading to James dissolving the ‘Addled Parliament’ (1614) so quickly?

A

-James’ indecisiveness: James appointed no Secretary of State to represent him in the Commons until last minute & then picked the incompetent Ralph Winwood

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25
Q

What was the focus of James’ 1621 Parliament?

A
  • MPs focused on the abuse of monopolies, partly as a means of attacking Buckingham
  • monopolies were an issue at this time because England was not trading as well w/ its partners, & monopolies had been singularly exploited by many courtiers as a means of attacking each other
  • Buckingham, Edward Coke & Lionel Cranfield encouraged Parliament to impeach their rival, Francis Bacon, over monopolies
  • monopolies are therefore an indication that politics of the period were about factional infighting
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26
Q

What was the focus of foreign policy & parliamentary privilege in James’ 1621 Parliament?

A
  • foreign policy = part of monarch’s prerogative & therefore Parliament had no right to discuss it
  • became Parliamentary issue however, in 1621 when James implied MPs could discuss it as way to frighten the Spanish into agreeing the ‘Spanish Match’ (marriage between Prince Charles & a Spanish Princess)
  • James knew majority of MPs would voice strong anti-Spanish sentiment & call for war; though James was adamant the match could be means of negotiating an end to the Thirty Years War
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27
Q

What was the Thirty Years War (1618-48)? And why was it of interest to James I?

A
  • Protestant Vs Catholics
  • Protestants rebelled against Emperor Ferdinand Hasburg (Catholic) & offered the Crown instead to Frederick of the Palatinate who accepted it
  • of interest because James I’s daughter Elizabeth was married to Prince Frederick
  • James had not only religious reasons for intervening in the crisis as a Protestant King, but also dynastic (family) reasons
  • despite pressure from Parliament to join war against Catholics, James preferred to negotiate for peace
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28
Q

What did The Commons produce on 3rd Dec 1621 in response to the Spanish Match? What was James’ response?

A
  • they took a further anti-Spanish stance than James had anticipated & produced a petition criticising the Spanish Match
  • in response, James backtracked & stated foreign policy was part of his prerogative & not for discussion & dissolved Parliament
29
Q

What happened on the Madrid Trip of 1623?

A
  • Prince Charles & Buckingham travelled to Spain to help complete the Spanish Match
  • they received such poor treatment @ Spanish Court (due to anti-Protestant sentiments) that by time they returned, they both had converted to favouring war against Spain
  • in 1624 an agreement was signed for Charles to marry French Princess Henrietta Maria, thereby instead signing England w/ France (Spain’s main rival)
30
Q

What was it in 1624 in regards to war which made Charles politically popular? Why did James warn him about this?

A
  • Charles & Buckingham’s agreement w/ majority of MPs wanting war made him, on surface level, politically popular
  • James warned son & favourite that their alliance w/ MPs could be politically damaging in the long-term due to complications of interrelated issues of foreign policy, religion & finance; these issues indeed tormented first 4yrs of Charles’ reign
31
Q

What had been the root of opposition to James in the 1621 Parliament?

A
  • James saw himself as ‘Rex Pacificus’ (the peaceful/peacemaker king) & having secured peace w/ Spain in 1604, he had tried to continue good relations w/ them through the (failed) Spanish Match
  • widespread anti-Catholicism of most of English population meant his approach was unpopular (most people wanted war!)
32
Q

What was focus in 1624 Parliament?

A
  • as James was ill, Prince Charles & Buckingham were involved in foreign policy; following failed visit to Madrid for Spanish Match, they were both converted to anti-Spanish policy - led to start of Anglo-Spanish War
  • yet this undermined James’ authority
33
Q

How did James react to anti-Spanish sentiment during 1624 Parliament?

A
  • James also decided to push for more aggressive anti-Spanish stance in 1624, however MPs were reluctant to provide necessary funds for aggressive foreign policy
  • as fit James’ pragmatism, it is possible he was never truly converted to the more aggressive anti-Spanish stance but appeared to be so in order to push MPs to realise that involvement in war was against their financial interests
  • he probably appreciated the crippling cost of serious English involvement in war & saw it as against financial interests as MPs would not be happy to fund it
34
Q

What was central to political discourse in 1625 Parliament?

A
  • despite Charles I taking the throne, the same themes of foreign policy, religion, finance & favourites remained central to political discourse; but w/ added pressure of a new king determined to wage war & who was much less inclined to compromise over his prerogative
  • this damaged Charles’ Crown-Parliament relations more than any statement/actions James ever did
35
Q

How much did Charles need to fund war against Spain? What did he receive?

A
  • £1million needed
  • due to not explaining his position clearly, the house of Commons granted him only 2 small subsidies (1625 Parliament) & the right to collect tonnage & poundage for 1 year only!
  • Charles saw limited grant of T&P as a direct attack on his prerogative; he decided to ignore Parliament & continued collecting it after the first year
36
Q

Why was Buckingham a source of tension in the 1625 Parliament?

A
  • he was source of tension because of the enormous influence he had wielded since he first emerged as James’ favourite in 1616
  • under Charles his power extended & he was made a Gentleman of the Bedchamber w/ access to King at all hours
37
Q

Why was Montagu a source of tension in the 1625 Parliament?

A
  • issue surrounding Arminianism
  • Richard Montagu was an Arminian cleric & so was attacked by Parliament
  • Charles’ response was to appoint Montagu as his Royal Chaplain in 1625
  • this was a clear sign that Charles approved anti-Calvinist sentiments & that he disregarded Parliament’s views
38
Q

What was Charles’ response to Parliamentary criticism of Buckingham & Montagu in 1625?

A

-responded by dissolving Parliament in August 1625 (only 2 months after it had assembled!)

39
Q

What happened w/ the foreign policy failure: Cádiz 1625?

A
  • disastrous anti-Spanish intervention in the Thirty Years War:
  • troops for German mercenary Count Mansfield were raised by force & shipped to Netherlands w/ no training & limited equipment (4,000/6,000 died of disease or starvation)
  • English fleet failed to take the Spanish port of Cádiz or capture the Spanish treasure fleet (more English troops lost at Cádiz because of lack of food than enemy gunfire)
  • failure to capture Spanish fleet transporting gold from South American colonies was particular blow for Charles, as it made it necessary for him to call another Parliament for finance
40
Q

How did Charles immediately antagonise the 1626 Parliament?

A

-he asked anti-Calvinist William Laud to preach the opening sermon; stressing obedience to King

41
Q

What were Sheriffs responsible for?

A

-responsible for organising the polls & therefore couldn’t stand for election

42
Q

What did Buckingham do in 1626 to reinforce his position as favourite?

A
  • he tried to use his influence to remove anyone @ court that he regarded as a potential threat
  • e.g. Lord Keeper John Williams & the Earl of Arundel (not supporters of Buckingham) were respectively dismissed & arrested
  • B therefore exemplifies all corrupt issues w/ this period
43
Q

Who did Parliament try to blame the foreign policy failure at Cádiz 1625 on? Why did Charles believe this not to be fair?

A
  • Buckingham due to his position as Lord High Admiral
  • however, Charles believed Parliament was partly to blame for failing to provide adequate funding
  • MPs reluctance to grant subsidies was perhaps a sign that their calls for war were merely rhetoric (they did not want to approve huge sums needed to win war against Spain)
44
Q

What made Charles even more antagonistic to the 1626 Parliament?

A
  • MPs started impeachment proceedings against Buckingham
  • e.g. John Eliot & Earl of Bristol in particular directed attacks on B in the Commons
  • Bristol knew that while in Madrid, Charles had not only bribed Spanish courtiers but had also promised to offer concessions to Catholics in England if the Match was secured
  • Charles charged Bristol w/ treason, but Bristol offered evidence in the Lords that persuaded them Buckingham should instead be the one charged w/ treason
45
Q

What did Charles do in 1626 in an effort to stop Buckingham’s impeachment?

A
  • in effort to stop B’s impeachment, Charles rather undiplomatically implied a threat to Parliament’s future existence:
  • “remember that parliaments are altogether in my power for their calling, sitting & dissolution”
  • this statement smacked of absolutism; & his reliance on emergency financial measures from Parliament reinforced MPs negative impressions of him
  • Charles dissolved the 1626 Parliament to save B from impeachment; B therefore exemplifies all corrupt issues w/ this period
46
Q

How did Charles finance the war effort in 1626? And what was the result of this?

A
  • Charles used a forced loan on his wealthier subjects in order to finance the war effort without parliamentary input
  • those liable were summoned to public meetings & pressed to agree to pay
  • public manner of collection made any refusal to pay an open act of opposition, furthered by Charles’ personal identification w/ the loan
  • Richard Cust says “it was a test of political loyalty”
  • only about 70% (£267,000) was collected
  • Charles only agrees to it because he is in need of money
  • the subsequent Five Knight’s case, merely worsened his relationship w/ the Political Nation
47
Q

What happened w/ the foreign policy failure: La Rochelle 1627?

A
  • 1627 Buckingham (High Lord Admiral) was in charge of Charles’ reversal of Crown policy in aiding Catholic French monarchy against the Protestant Huguenots
  • this led to a number of unfortunate circumstances
48
Q

How did Charles make many of the problems w/ the 1625 Parliament?

A
  • he would not make any concessions
  • he did not consult the court’s most influential supporters in the countryside
  • he did not engage w/ leading figures in the Commons
49
Q

What unfortunate circumstances occurred in the foreign policy failure: La Rochelle 1627?

A
  • Buckingham’s force landed just of La Rochelle in order to attack the French; when French troops withdrew, B laid siege (after months of deadlock he attempted a direct assault, but it failed because the scaling ladders of their ships were too short!
  • the policy reverse was rendered nearly useless by fact that the King of France (Louis XIII) & his chief minister had already made peace w/ the Huguenots
  • 3,000(2,989)/7,833 soldiers returned!
  • B’s attacks signalled that Britain was now at war w/ both Spain & France; worse yet for Charles was that all his funds had now been spent & he needed to call another Parliament
50
Q

What did France do in 1626 surrounding foreign policy failure La Rochelle?

A
  • France made a secret peace treaty w/ Spain!

- they also secretly built up their Navy force (possible preparations for war)

51
Q

Who were the Huguenots?

A
  • were French Protestants (a persecuted minority in Catholic France due to religious threat)
  • main base of Huguenots was La Rochelle, coastal stronghold on France’s west coast
  • as result of terms of Charles’ marriage to French Princess Henrietta Maria (1625), Charles (following B’s advice) agreed to assist the French in crushing the Huguenots @ La Rochelle by lending them 8 warships
  • supporting the attack on PROTESTANT Huguenots was NOT popular w/ Parliament, who were anti-catholic & anti-French
52
Q

What was different at the start of the 1628 Parliament?

A
  • the Commons appeared willing to compromise
  • this was helped by Charles allowing his Secretary of State, John Coke, to communicate directly w/ MPs rather than doing it himself & causing even more unrest
53
Q

What did the 1628 Parliament agree to?

A

-Parliament, after careful handling by the king’s councillors, agreed to give Charles 5 subsidies if their grievances were addressed

54
Q

What were the 5 grievances that 1628 Parliament needed to be addressed before Charles could be granted his 5 subsidies?

A
  • taxation: MPs particularly concerned about the illegality of extra-parliamentary taxation e.g. tonnage & poundage
  • billeting: troops raised for war in Europe were lodged temporarily, or billeted, w/ local populations in the Southwest (civilians had to house & feed soldiers); the promised payment for hosting soldiers did often not materialise
  • martial law: in order to stop soldiers billeted in the Southwest from becoming completely out of control, martial or military law had been imposed; military rule that overruled all other law smacked too much of absolutism for many of the gentry
  • other remaining grievances: was imprisonment without trial (relating to the Five Knights Case & those imprisoned for opposing the forced loan)
55
Q

What was the Five Knights’ Case 1627?

A
  • 76 people imprisoned for refusing to pay the forced loan
  • in Nov 1627, 5 of the main forced loan resistors prompted Charles’ imprisonment of them by claiming a writ (court order) of habeas corpus
  • under this order, a person can report an unlawful imprisonment & request to be brought to Court before a Judge
  • under this ancient right, they had to be tried for an offence or else be released
  • Charles took them to trial in what is known as the “Five Knights’ Case”
56
Q

What was the result of the Five Knights’ Case 1627?

A
  • the 5 men returned to prison as the Judge upheld Charles’ prerogative to imprison without trial those who refused to pay the forced loan
  • however, that judgement was NOT a general right for Charles to imprison without showing good reason (it applied only in this particular case as Charles allowed one of his legal officers -Robert Heath- to falsify the records in this judgement to state that the King had a general right to imprison without good reason)
  • any critic/opponent of the King world therefore be in very real danger of imprisonment whenever Charles felt like it
57
Q

What were the consequences of the Five Knight’s Case 1627?

A
  • although the 5 Knights were released in 1628, the Commons’ opposition to Charles became bitter when they realised his underhand action in faking the judgement
  • in response, MPs were united in demanding action to prevent this happening in future
  • John Eliot & other critics considered creating a Bill of Rights (document stating rights of subjects that the king could not overrule)
  • however, Parliament instead proceeded w/ less aggressive Petition of Rights
58
Q

What was the Petition of Rights 1628?

A
  • mainly drafted by Sir Edward Coke, in response to concern that Charles could not be trusted to rule by the unwritten constitution (thought that Charles’ powers needed to be restricted)
  • this required written definition
59
Q

What were the 4 main points of the Petition of Rights 1628?

A
    1. Parliament had to consent to taxation
    1. People could be imprisoned only if just cause was shown
    1. The imposition of martial law on the population was illegal
    1. The imposition of billeting on the population was illegal
60
Q

What was Charles’ response to the Petition of Rights 1628?

A
  • accepts Petition on 7th June under threat of further parliamentary proceedings against impeachment of Buckingham
  • only agrees because he is desperate for finance for foreign policy
61
Q

What was wrong with Charles’ first reply to the Petition of Rights 1628?

A
  • his first reply to the Petition did not use the traditional form of royal assent (method by which monarch formally approves a bill passed by Parliament & then becomes an official law)
  • this action denied the Petition the force of law
  • the Commons insisted on the correct response, & as Charles needed them to vote for 5 subsidies, he finally gave the conventional & legal assent
62
Q

What was damaging about Charles’ handling of the Petition of Rights 1628?

A

-Charles’ actions once again raised the question of whether he could be trusted

63
Q

What did Sir Edward Coke denounce Buckingham as in 1628?

A

-he denounced Buckingham as “the cause of all our miseries”

64
Q

What happened on the 17th June 1628?

A
  • the Commons called a Remonstrance viciously attacking Buckingham’s foreign policy failure
  • a week later they issued another Remonstrance because Charles continued to collect tonnage & poundage even though in their opinion it went against the Petition of Rights (Parliament needing to consent to taxation, they had previously said no to!)
65
Q

What was Charles’ response to Parliament’s 2 Remonstrances of 1628?

A

-he temporarily suspended Parliament the next day so he could claim his right to continue collecting tonnage & poundage

66
Q

What happened to Buckingham on the 23rd August 1628?

A
  • he was assassinated by a disgruntled soldier named John Felton (who stabbed him in the chest)
  • Felton was hanged at Tyburn (the traditional execution place of traitors)
67
Q

What was the news like of Buckingham’s assassination 1628?

A
  • news of the assassination was accompanied by public rejoicing (celebration)
  • bonfires were burned across the country to demonstrate their celebration
68
Q

What was the consequences of Buckingham’s assassination 1628?

A
  • Charles blamed Parliament & their negative portrayal of Buckingham for the assassination of his favourite
  • Charles withdrew even further from public & listened to advice of his French Catholic wife, Henrietta Maria, which in the long-term would have damaging political consequences
69
Q

Comparison of James I & Charles I thus far:

A
  • under pragmatic James, compromise was usually reached
  • under the more dogmatic Charles, by 1629 it could be argued that his aggressive defence of his divine right prerogative had raised real questions among the Political Nation as to whether he could be trusted to rule by an unwritten constitution
  • his policies of Personal Rule (1629-40) merely exacerbated this distrust