Charlses Personal Rule Flashcards
(27 cards)
Why the rule didn’t seem alarming at first
-dissolution was frequent and non alarming.
-1621 had ended seven years of non parliament ruling by James.
-No legislation governed the frequency in which parliament should be called.
-He still ruled with advisors but as a king he was the main legislative body and didn’t technically need parliament.
Changes since when James dissolved and ruled without parliament
-Charles was inspired by foreign absolutist monarchies.
-Parliament had a greater legal sense of privileges and wanted more concessions.
Charlses new privy council
-lots of new appointed names post death of Buckingham.
-Charles by temperament liked a close circle of small staunch supportive allies.
-Power in the personal rule became concentrated in a small elite group
Key members of the privy council
-laud
-Thomas wentworth
-Francis cottington
-henry montagu
General overview of a privy council
-35 members.
0From the English nobility and leading lawyers.
-Supported king w advice in regular sessions.
-Had to enact the kings will in their home regions.
-Could develop trade and help those in famine for example, very good for keeping chairs in touch w the political nation
Why charlses reliance on the privy council proved non useful
-though meetings were 2x a week, Charles attended barely- only thrice between june 30-31.
-Charles allowed a ‘Spanish faction’ to gain influence of catholics including windebanks and cottington as well as lots of arminians, made him seem isolated from any puritans who made up his gov and instead steer towards Catholicism.
Perogative courts
-courts able to influence how laws could be interpreted whilst Charles had no ability to make new ones.
-Relied on to secure law and order.
Star chamber
-court amde of privy councillors.
-Cases coud be removed from common law courts and brought to star chamber where defendants could be fined, imprisoned and subject to corporal punishment.
-Good politically to attack any opponents to the gov- henry VII used often post 30 year war to establish power.
-Could not hand death peanalty,
Court of high commission
-chief court of the church used to enforce conformity to canon law (laws which apply within the church).
-Monarch can use it to discuss civil and religious cases and thoughts and judgments can be taken to star court for sentencing
Regional councils
-councils such as the north and the Welsh marches could act as perogative courts from distances away from London.
-The leader of regional councils, lord president, enforced royal requirements and could imprison and fine any unrest.
Duty/importance of local government
-maintain the kings peace so to enjoy stability and order.
-Make sure local families and the king were united in cooperation as there were no royal salaried jobs.
-Communication.
Thorough
-policy imposed by laud and wentworth as privy councillors.
-Imposing strict standards on royal officials et shierifs JPs and bishops
Book of orders
-mean of communication between the crown and the local government.
-12 had been issued since 1578
1631 book of ordres
-written as a response to chronic poverty in the two years prior.
-Set out significant local government reforms.
-Written by henry montagu and his brother.
-Had 8 orders and 12 directions.
12 directions of the 31 book of orders
-fairly convention reminders and asks.
-Prevention of vagrancy, giving apprenticeships to poor children, road repairs and employment of the idle
8 orders in the 31 book of orders
-new, professional working practices for the JPs (justices of the peace.)
-these included: JPs to convene at a monthly meeting at hundred w other officials from parishes such as constables and churchwardens,
-JPs to report on these meetings to the sherif,
-sherif to report these ideas from the report made at hundred to circuit judges,
-and circuit judges to report THIS to the privy council.
-Any non compliance was punishable by star chamber.
Justices of peace
-about 50 per county,
-appointed by crown to judge lesser criminal cases and escalate serious cases to higher courts.
Charles finances in his personal rule
-without parliament to grant him taxes and subsidies, Charles needed to become financially independent wholst also managing his expenditure.
-He thus needed to exploit private income of the crown
Charles debt
-Charles was significantly 2M pounds in debt compared to the 300k James had inherited when he had become king
To help his debts, Charles was to
-reduce spending on foreign affairs through ending his wars- the 1630 treaty of Madrid w Spain and the 1629 treaty of Susa with France.
-His royal court/ household was taking up almost half of his expenditure but by 29 it had dropped dramatically (only to rise again by 31)
Fiscal feudalism
non parliamentary methods for raising finances
Customs duty
-customs duty was placed on products in a book of rates which had a particular value in the book of the tax which was levied on it- this included tonnage and poundage.
-Whilst inflation had taken place in the early modern period, the fixed rates of tax had not increased
-thus Charles ordered for a revaluation of the book in 1635 in order to increase the revenue he was to receive from customs.
-Post 1635 Charles was making £425,000 PA.
Monopolies
-huge profit coud be made from being the sole merchant of a particular product.
-Charles found despite the banning of monolpolies in 1624, he was able to sell monopolies to corporations.
-Famously, his friend richard Weston was in monopoly of a soap that was satirised as ‘popish soap’ as many felt it had been financed by catholic friends of HM.
Other fiscal measures
-recusancy fines on those who didn’t attend church was heavily enforced to maximise income.
-Anyone holding land of over £40 PA had to be knighted or would be fined, this made £175,000 by 1635.
-Forest fines imposed on anyone owning land that may have been extended onto royal forests and though the claims were often ancient and false many families could not disprove.
