Ch 8 Flashcards
(15 cards)
Charles background
Background =
absentee monarch first visit since young was his coronation in 1633, upset nobles 1625 trying to revoke gifts of land by crown and kirk
Coronation highlighted differences of religious practices – insisted Anglican rite, forced laudian changes
Charles imposes new prayer book
– Anglican book of common prayer to Scotland to bring in line with laudian- from 1637 – Charles decided without consulting Scottish privy council , parl or general assembly of kirk
- Some scot bishops tried to persuade Charles to modify the book – he had already damaged reputation of scot bishops in eyes of ordinary scots by appointing them jps or to scottish privy council
- Charles ignored the bishops = set new canons enforcing new liturgy , refused to accept they were innovations
- Prayer Book Riot 1637 = outbursts, mobs , across Scotland congregations had similar fury e.g. Bishop Brechin took pair loaded pistols to conduct service = grew into campaign of petitions, supplications denouncing laudian prayer book criticising bishops – Scottish privy council feared for their lives = fled Edinburgh
Charles response prayer book rebellion
= ask for help
Laud and Wentworth’s advice was to stand firm feb 1638 new proclamation = treason to protest against prayer book
Covenant
- Antagonism led to full scale rebellion against the king – scot elites take control .group of leading scot nobles , clergy and gentry form ‘Tables’ , met at Edinburgh greyfriars kirk , drew up national covenant to unite protesters, clarify aims
- Covenant called for adherence to doctrines, rejection of untried innovations, emphasised scotlands loyalty to king, implied moves towards catholciism not tolerated, promised to defend presbyterian scot church against charles attempts of English prayer book
- Covenant signed in feb 1638 ceremony , copies travelled Scotland, hundreds of thousands signed up known as covenanters , some ‘ opened up a vein and signed in their own blood’
- Charles reaction = overexaggeration, said as long as covenant in force ‘ have no more power in Scotland than as a duke of venice ; which I will rather die than suffer’
Charles reaction to covenant
- Charles reaction = overexaggeration, said as long as covenant in force ‘ have no more power in Scotland than as a duke of venice ; which I will rather die than suffer’
Charles continues to threaten Scots with force, convinced their resistance will crumble to English military – unwise , risky could expose vulnerabilities
Glasgow assembly
Charles realises he wouldn’t be ready to invade Scotland until 1639 = made concession to buy time , allowed scots to call general assembly of church of Scotland
With charles military plans = kirk not convinced he would honour the concessions , gave votes to remove episcopacy, abolish prayer book, forbade clergy from holding power
April 1639 war was imminent – struggle over episcopacy so central
views towards Glasgow assembly
English opponents alarmed, attacked eng bishops for seeking to subvert true religion in Scotland , scots were printing propaganda for england to win sympathy e.g. ‘ An information to all good Christians’
Leading lords like Saye-and-sele and Brooke from puritan networks began secret negotiations with Scottish rebels
Charles used war to embarrass, called upon English nobility to join him, demanded oath of allegiance = open defiance from Saye-and-sele and Brooke
Charles strategy for bishops war
failures
- Not calling parl , relying on funds from his financial policies of 1630s, didn’t expect Scots to fight back
- Planned to use noblemen and gentry as cavalry with northern militias and conscripts from York , unsuccessful in recruit foreign mercenaries from Spanish Netherlands + accusations of Catholicism alarm
- Duke of Hamilton to lead naval assault on Scotland coast with 5000 men, had no experience as commander, hardly knew Scotland
- More forces from Ireland brought to strengthen garrison at Carlisle = alarm
= over ambitious plan, relying on things going right, political miscalculation, amateur military system expected a lot from
Charles strategy for bishops war
successes
- Full English forces at trad base Berwick upon tweed April 1639
- Naval forces would blockade Scottish coast
- Main English army assembled at Berwick would intimidate Scots into pleading for terms , if necessary invade Scotland
Scottish covenanters
Strengths =
Scottish covenanters
Strengths =
Resources, local commitees made large tax increases to fund
Military leadership , general alexander Leslie , professional, efficnet army
Strong political leadership
Composed of 12000 men , well disciplined and highly motivated, rapid mobilisation
Kings army
Weaknesses =
No parl, struggled to fund army many deserted- lack of pay
Led by earl of Arundel, no military experience – frined and art collector
Charles treid to frighten scots leaking support from foreign catholic troops = provoked scots into open rebellion , 1639 allowed spanihs army through
Strafford distrusted Antrim, refused to supply weapons
Not enough willing troops,cavalry of 800 , charles believed royalists in scot would rise up didn’t happen
Disordely and ill-prepared , shortage supplies and pay
Patchy and slow mobilisation
First bishops war
summary
Covenanters struck early
Charles directs to land at leith = fortified
Only way to carry war was to invade Scotland
Charles had relied on intimidation and bluff – didn’t expect to have to use it, asked wentworth for 1000 men from irish army but all had sided with covenanters - advised charles to postpone for another year
On a reconnaissance mission earl of holland allowed cavalry to run too far ahead of infantry too close to scot army = disconcerted
Had to retreat in face of scot army = humiliation and exaggerated storied spread of scot strength = crumble of eng morale
Treaty of Berwick
Charles plan had failed – hadn’t intimdated scots into submission, panic spread, army chaotic, poor quality,money running out. Reports of well organised armed scot forces
June 1639
Agreement of both sides to disband armies , Charles agreed to recall a ‘ lawfully constituted’ Scottish general assembly and accept they would settle issues
Assumed episcopacy issues addressed
Charles had no intention - ‘ lawfully constituted’ meant bishops must be present in both
Why Charles lost the war
Institutional weakness of English systems
– English army not prof standing army paid for so a combination of ‘ county militais , conscirpts and feudal retinues of nobles
Local gov ‘ of country by country for country ‘ not efficient, well trained army during an unpopular war , unpaid locals faced with reluctancy counties reluctant to part with weapons , unpopularity of war not just lords like brooke and syae and sele, no desire to fight Scotland, godly country, thought they had just cause
Why Charles lost the war
Political mistakes by Charles
Political mistakes by Charles – absence of parl, no English king had fought without recently, had to finance himself , paralysis of local gov, failure of points of contact
Bad miscalculations, underestimated scots, knew little about, or resentment he created , attempts to frighten only provoked open
