King Charles I and the Rule of the Puritans

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

King Charles I was James Is successor, reigned over England, Scotland and Ireland
Two dominant political parties developed during his reign, the Puritans and the Royalists
Religion and politics were closely connected, Royalist party were protestants and strong supporters
of King Charles I.
Puritans were radical protestants and were against the king, instead, supporters of Oliver Cromwell
and giving the parliament more control

KING CHARLES I (1600 - 1649)

Reigned from March 27,1625 until his execution on January 30, 1649
Strong believer in the divine rights of the king, he should not be restrained by any other institutions
Commonly required of citizens to pay of unreasonable taxes e.g. ship-money Ship money was a tax,
the levy of which by Charles I of England without the consent of Parliament was one of the causes of
the English Civil War.
Primary politically concerned with foreign policy, declared war on Spain
Came into frequent confrontations with parliament since they tried to minimize his power
Dismissed Parliament several times including in 1629 when they were dismissed for an eleven year
period known as Eleven Years' Tyranny or Personal Rule when Charles I ruled freely, then making
peace with France and Spain
The Personal Rule (also known as the Eleven Years' Tyranny) was the period from 1629 to 1640,
when King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland ruled without recourse to Parliament. He was
entitled to do this under the Royal Prerogative, but his actions caused discontent among those who
provided the ruling classes.
Charles had already dissolved Parliament three times by 1628.

After the murder of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, who was in charge of Charles' foreign
policy, Parliament began to criticize the king more harshly than before. Charles then realized that, as
long as he could avoid war, he could rule without parliament.
Whig historians sometimes called this period the Eleven Years' Tyranny, which would eventually
result in the English Civil War.

RELIGIOUS CLASHES
Archbishop William Laud appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633 until 1645, was
a Royalist
William Lauds goals were to impose total religious uniformity and gain authority of the church; he
closed Puritan organizations.
Charles I demanded the use of a new Prayer Book, which was supported by Scottish Bishops but not
by Presbyterian Scots.
Presbyterianism is a group of Christian congregations adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition
within Protestantism. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the
authority of the Bible and the necessity of grace through faith in Christ.
Presbyterianism evolved primarily in Scotland before the Act of Union in 1707. Most of the few
Presbyteries found in England can trace a Scottish connection. Although some adherents hold to the
theology of Calvin and his immediate successors, there are a range of theological views within
contemporary Presbyterianism.
Modern Presbyterianism traces its institutional roots back to the Scottish Reformation

In 1638 the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland put an end to bishops governing the Church
and replaced it with the governance by elders and deacons called Presbyterian government, which
caused the initiation of the First Bishops War in 1639.
War ended in June that same year with the signing of the Treaty of Berwick in which King Charles I
granted Scotts civil and religious freedoms. 18 June 1639 between England and Scotland. Archibald
Johnston was involved in the negotiations before King Charles was forced to sign the treaty. After the
treaty was signed, King Charles immediately began to gather the resources he needed in order to
strengthen his armies. At the beginning of the Second Bishops' War, the agreement was broken.

King Charles I had to assemble Parliament in 1640 in order to raise money after great loss from the
war. This ended his Eleven Year of Tyranny; however Parliament was dissolved less than a month
later, and was given the name the Short Parliament.
The Second Bishops War followed, and with King Charles I defeat, the Treaty of Ripon was signed in
October 1640 where it was demanded that the King pay expenses of the Scottish army. Peace talks
finally ended with the signing of the Treaty of London, ratified by the King in August 1641.
Reparations of 300,000 were agreed, and the Scots army began its withdrawal from northern
England on receipt of the first installment. One set of problems had seemingly ended; another, even
more serious, had already begun. By the summer of 1642 Charles, unable to reach agreement with
the English Parliament, was drifting towards civil war.

Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a
theological system and an approach to the Christian life that emphasizes the rule of God over all
things.[1] It was developed by several theologians, but it bears the name of the French reformer John
Calvin because of his prominent influence on it and because of his role in the confessional. Today,
this term also refers to the doctrines and practices of the Reformed churches of which Calvin was an
early leader.

LONG PARLIAMENT (16401648)

Assembled as a result of the Second Bishops War lead by John Pym, sole reason was to pass
finance bills.
Demands of Parliament :
Triennial Act 1641 (Dissolution Act) passed Parliament must meet for a fifty-day session once
every free years to avoid the King from ruling without Parliament. The Triennial Act 1641 was an Act
passed on 15 February 1641, by the English Long Parliament, during the reign of King Charles I. The
act requires that the Parliament meet for at least a fifty-day session once every three years. It was
intended to prevent Kings from ruling without Parliament, as had been done between 1629 and
1640. If the king failed to call Parliament, the Lord Chancellor was required to issues writs, and failing
that, the House of Lords could assemble and issue writs for the election of the House of Commons
Ship money was abolished
Tonnage and Poundage Act passed for only a year tax on imported wines
The Grand Remonstrance long list of criticism against Charles I and solutions was a list of
grievances presented to King Charles I of England by the English Parliament on 1 December 1641,
during the Long Parliament; it was one of the chief events which were to precipitate the English Civil
War.
Militia Bill Parliament wanted control over the selection of the commanders of the army and navy
A bill of attainder (also known as an act or writ of attainder) is an act of legislature declaring a
person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a trial.
The Protestation- Parliaments attempt to prevent the civil war In July 1641, Parliament passed a bill
requiring those over the age of 18 to sign the Protestation, an oath of allegiance to King Charles I and
the Church of England. No one could hold a Church or state office without signing.
Nineteen Propositions sent to King Charles I in June 1642 from the English Lords and House of
Commons. Their demands were:
- POLITICAL DECISION-MAKING: Ministers serving on the Kings Privy Council must be approved by
the House of Commons and Lords
- PARLIAMENT SHALL DECIDE ON MATTERS DIRECLTY AFFECTING THE KING: Approving the educators
or marriages of Kings children; The unnecessary military attachment guarding the King must be
discharged; The King will accept the ordering of the militia by the Lords and Commons
- RELIGIOUS POLICY: the Puritan reform of the church gorvernment; Anti-Catholic laws must be
strictly enforced; Catholic children must receive a Protestant education; the kingdom will formalize
its alliance with the Protestant States of the United Provinces (the Dutch) in order to defend them
against the Pope and his followers.

The Civil War

King Charles I rejected the Grand Remonstrance and the Militia Bill, along with the Nineteen
Propositions saying that the Parliament had already had enough power. This caused more conflict
between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, leading to the start of the Civil War.

The Civil War started on 26 October 1642 with the inconclusive Battle of Edgehill and continued
indecisively through 1643 and 1644, until the Battle of Naseby tipped the military balance decisively
in favour of Parliament. There followed a great number of defeats for the Royalists, and then the
Siege of Oxford, from which Charles escaped in April 1646. He put himself into the hands of the
Scottish Presbyterian army at Newark, and was taken to nearby Southwell while his "hosts" decided
what to do with him. The Presbyterians finally arrived at an agreement with Parliament and delivered
Charles to them in 1647. He was imprisoned at Holdenby House in Northamptonshire. He was then
transferred first to Oatlands and then to Hampton Court, where more involved but fruitless
negotiations took place. He was persuaded that it would be in his best interests to escape perhaps
abroad, perhaps to France, or perhaps to the custody of Colonel Robert Hammond, Parliamentary
Governor of the Isle of Wight. He decided on the last course, believing Hammond to be sympathetic,
and fled on 11 November. Hammond, however, was opposed to Charles, whom he confined in
Carisbrooke Castle.
From Carisbrooke, Charles continued to try to bargain with the various parties, eventually coming to
terms with the Scottish Presbyterians that he would allow the establishment of Presbyterianism in
England as well as Scotland for a trial period. The Royalists rose in July 1648 igniting the Second Civil
War, and as agreed with Charles the Scots invaded England. Most of the uprisings in England were
put down by forces loyal to Parliament after little more than skirmishes, but uprisings in Kent, Essex
and Cumberland, the rebellion in Wales and the Scottish invasion involved the fighting of pitched
battles and prolonged sieges. But with the defeat of the Scots at the Battle of Preston, the Royalists
lost any chance of winning the war.
Charles was beheaded on Tuesday 30 January 1649. At the execution it is reputed that he wore two
cotton shirts as to prevent the cold weather causing any noticeable shivers that the crowd could
have mistaken for fear or weakness. He put his head on the block after saying a prayer and signalled
the executioner when he was ready; he was then beheaded with one clean stroke.
His last words were, "I shall go from a corruptible to an incorruptible Crown, where no disturbance
can be."
As a consequence to the war, King Charles I was executed and for the first time in history England
was not a monarchy, rather but became a republic known as the Commonwealth of England from
1649 until 1660.
His father King Charles I was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English
Civil War. The English Parliament did not proclaim Charles II king at this time, passing instead a
statute making such a proclamation unlawful. England entered the period known to history as the
English Interregnum or the English Commonwealth and the country was a de facto republic, led by
Oliver Cromwell. On the other hand, Scotland was then still a separate kingdom and the Parliament
of Scotland proclaimed Charles II King of Scots on 5 February 1649 in Edinburgh