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The drift to war, 1640-2: how did the civil war erupt by Oct. 1642 -…

- - - - The session began on 13th April 1640, with a clear outline of the kings expectations: Parliament needed to grant subsidies and he would listen to their grievances.
        
        Charles had intercepted a letter from Scottish covenanters which seeked French aid the prospect of French forces helping would push parliament to support him.
        
        Short Parliament dissolution, 5th May
        
        Neither subsidies nor grievances granted.
        
        Charles still had some expectation that he might get money from the Spanish King or the Pope.
        
        Privy council meeting, Strafford suggested using the Irish army to help put down the covenanters.
        
        Strafford was ill and unable to help the king with management.
        
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  - - - The King had to recall parliament
        
        The King could not dissolve parliament until it had granted the subsidies required to pay off the Scottish.
        
        Charles was so weak that he could not defy the terms of the truce and the parliament lasted November 1640 - 1660
      - Treaty of Ripon
  - - - Support in the House of Lords
        
        In 1640, the weight of power lay within lords and not the commons. Despite their frustrations, the natural allegiance of Lords remained with the king of which their wealth and status relied on.
      - Supremacy of the Legal system
        
        Charles sat at the pinnacle of the justice system and was able to use it for his own ends. His main opposers after the dissolution of the short parliament were Lord Warwick, Brooke, Saye and Sele and in the commons Sir John Pym and John Hampden. Soldiers searched their homes and found evidence of conspiring with Scots, not enough was found to take them to court however,
      - Command of the Army
        
        King had the authority to call the malitia of England and due to Strafford, the revitalised Irish army.
      - Censorship of the Press
        
        Although the Kings grasp on the press was about to collapse, in 1640, he still retained control on what could be published.
      - Authority over foreign policy
        
        There were no legislative restraints on the Kings pursuit of foreign policy. He was at liberty to approach foreign powers such as the King of Spain and the Pope for aid.
      - Determined and effective ministers
        
        Laud backed him up with the 1640 canons and Strafford's return from Ireland meant that he now had his most ruthless advisor on hand.
      - Resources of the three Kingdoms
        
        As King of England, Scotland and Ireland, Charles now had access to resources from the three sovereign states. Due to Strafford, Ireland was now most profitable and had deployed Lauds episcopacy in Scotland. Irelands prosperity meant that England should be able to fund the war with Scotland.
    - - Charles strengths largely came from his position as a monarch. His weaknesses came from his words and actions.
        
        Style of government and absence of parliament during the personal rule, combined for Laud and Strafford's drive for centrilisation, had caused those not in his inner circle to feel alienated.
        
        Effective government relied on consensus and good will. Despite Charles best efforts to bring greater efficiency to government administration through his policy of thorough. He still relied on the good will of his officers of local government to enforce his commands.
        
        E.g Ship money collection rates dropped dramatically during the ship money crisis, which is attributed directly to the lack of enthusiasm in Bishops war.
        
        E.g, likewise the petition of 12 peers, including the Earl of Bedford and Warwick, petitioned Charles that they wouldn't cooperate unless he recalled parliament (August 1640) - consequence of Ship money trial.
  - - - Broadly speaking, the majority of Lords and Commons were united in their goals to oppose the king:
        
        To remedy the abuses of Charles during the personal rule. .
        
        To revise the relationship between king and country.
        
        Measures taken to remedy grievances from personal rule.
        
        Goal
        
        Dismantle the prerogative courts of Star Chamber and High commission.
        
        Star Chamber abolished by Habeas Corpus Act: 1640 confirmed by July 1641.
        
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        Abolish Fiscal feudalism of Ship money and tonnage and poundage.
        
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    - - Many connections between key individuals of Parliamentary opposition to the King in the early Long parliament.
        
        E.g Providence Island Company
        
        E.g Petition of 12 peers
    - - Those in the commons were well educated, intelligent and professional men who were talented in politics.
    - - 15,000 signatures of Root and Branch Petition gave an indication of the extend of how vocal the London public was in its demand for significant reform.
  - - - Bridge appointments: initiatives in the Lords
        
        The Earl of Bedford was a moderate man who did not share the strong Puritan theology of men like viscount Saye, Sele and John Pym. He proposed a scheme known as Bridge appointments which would provide a workable financial settlement if Charles agreed to hold regular parliaments and abolish the most hated tools of the personal rule.
        
        Laud and Strafford would lose their premise and Bedford would become Lord treasurer and Pym, Chancellor of Exchequer.
        
        Charles went some way to adopting the plan. On February 19th 1641, Charles appointed Bedford, Saye, Sele, Essex and Mandeville to the Privy council.
        
        Plan collapsed because Bedford and allies were conspiring with Scottish covenanters for a plan that would work for both King and Scots. 21 Feb the Scots sent a note demanding episcopacy to be abolished and Strafford executed Beford feared that the covenators demands would make it impossible for king to agree.
        
        Plan came to divisive end in 1641 when Bedford died of Small Pox.
      - Initiative in the commons
        
        Following Bedfords death the impetus for reform firmly shifted into the Commons, and the attention really began to focus onto Pym as the leader of a significant group within parliament.
        
        'King Pym' invented and other identified 'Pyms Junto'.
        
        Venetian ambassador described him as the 'Director of the whole machine'
      - Ten propositions
        
        List of suggestions, brought about by Pym before Parliament 24 Jun, which outlined how a settlement might be made with the King. The propositions were very general, key terms would have dramatically limited the Kings powers:
        
        The disbandment of the army in the North. Limiting Charles power.
        
        Parliamentary input into who would be in the Privy council.
        
        Parliamentary control over the education of the royal children.
    - - Root and Branch petition of December 1640 opened up an intense debate into how the Church should be administered.
        
        Context of the Bill
        
        Long Parliament quickly set about reforming the Chuch, and specifically putting right the "Laudian excess". In a space of just 3 days in November 1641, Pym presented a petion which:
        
        Sought the release of Prynne, Bastwick and Burton
        
        Measure intended to have Catholics removed from London.
        
        Content of the Bill
      - Arguments over the Bill
- - - - Pym was an active Parliamentarian, he was not inherently revolutionary.
        
        1620s he recognised the need to sort out the Kings finances which he picked up again in the Long Parliament.
        
        As a lawyer he feared that the King, especially through thorough, was trying to undermine the English legal system.
        
        He was Puritan and anti-catholic but he did not want to create a separate Puritan Church: he felt simply that Laudianism had lead the Anglican church astray.
  - - - On 19 Apr 1641 news emerged that Charles had ordered all his army officers to return to their commands within the English Army in the North.
        
        Pym broke this news to parliament in May, triggering intense debate that reflected the high tension felt by many Parliamentarians. Rumours bounded that this was the start of a more elaborate plot.
        
        Once reunited with its soldiers, the army would March from the North to London to free Strafford and forcibly dissolve parliament.
        
        Much of the plot was just rumour however, the King did send troops down to the Tower, suggesting some truth.
        
        In actuality, the tower was well fortified by soldiers loyal to parliament and Strafford remained incarcerated and plot exposed.
        
        Furthermore, more rumours indicated that the queen was negotiating with foreign powers to bring over troops.
    - - Pym used the Army Plot to push the commons into new activity:
        
        A 'Protestation Oath' was issued on the 6th May.
        
        Act against the dissolution of Parliament without its own consent was passed 10th May
        
        Parliament stepped up its efforts against Strafford, leading to his execution on 12th May.
    - - Under pressure, not least to the threats towards his wife, in July 1641, Charles gave his royal assent to the Oath: responsibility of enforcement left with JPs.
        
        The oath was dispatched to each Parish in England and a list of subscribers was sent back to Parliament.
        
        All adult males had to swear the Oath, I.e allegiance to the Protestant religion, played a crucial role in spreading religious debate.
  - - - Content of the Grand Remonstrance
        
        In Parliamentary recess from 9th Sep to 20th Oct, Pym took control of the Recess committee that worked on shaping a policy (Grand Remonstrance) for the autumn session.
        
        Contained an overview of Charles reign. Blaming the failures of the Kingdom on evil advisors, corrupt bishops and papists.
        
        Presented a list of demands for constitutional change.
        
        Parliament was to have more influence over the selection of royal officers; House of Lords to be cleared of Bishops; church under close watch of assembly.
    - - The Grand Remonstrance was proposed to MPs and they were given the option of supporting or rejecting the document. Supporting meant accepting its radical clauses and rejecting it meant a rejection of critiquing the personal rule.
        
        Passed by 159 votes to 148 , a close margin which indicated a division in the commons. Pym decided not to push it to the House of Lords sensing a Pyrrhic victory.
        
        The commons went ahead with publication but the issue had been fraught and the arguments marked the beginning of a move towards the coalescence of a Royalist grouping. The decision to publish the remonstrance was so highly charged because :
        
        Tradition - fear of disorder, stir up rebellion.
        
        New forces of politics - London Mob.
  - - - In the aftermaths of the reformation, Protestantism spread along European trade routes. Calvinism endorsed a strong ethic. Calvinism was most strongly related to Puritanism and capital commercialism in England. Explaining the link between Puritanism and the Providence Island company.
        
        London was the financial and commercial capital of England, making it a key point of contact for Puritan merchantmen who spread influence nationally.
        
        Puritanism grew more radical under the pressure of Laudianism. Pamphilteers flooded the streets stimulating political conversation.
        
        Parliament began to actively harness the mob to increase pressure on the King. They were most readily mobilised in support of religious reform.
        
        Root and Branch petition of December 1640 was signed by over 15,000 Londoners.
  - - - In December 1640, Laud was impeached and imprisoned to await trial for treason.
    - - With the Star chamber and High commission removed, radical ideas and practices were no longer so dangerous.
    - - Conformity no longer being enforced because episcopal structure lost its authority.
    - - Puritan pamphleteers such as William Prynne had their convictions quashed.
    - - Puritan connections of the 1630s came to fruition in Long parliament. Key MPs taking on leading roles in opposition to the King, Providence island company.
    - - Pamphlets and newsletters, spreading radical ideas, surged after 1640.
- - - - Only settlement 1640-41 which Charles believed satisfactory to his own view of Kingship. Represented no fundamental change to the system of government.
        
        Simply a creative conception of bridge between parliament and King.
        
        Hated idea of losing Laud and Wentworth from his side, to sacrifice them to restore royal authority seemed precedent.
        
        Also, removed Charles Finacial predicament, reducing vunerability to grievances.
        
        Scheme however, collapsed due to Bedford's death from smallpox. Wentworth's call for execution, meant he was no longer moderated Bedford and the situation deteriorated even further.
    - - The army plot of April-May 1640 was a catastrophically misguided move from the King.
        
        To choose to not deploy his army would have taken a lot of confidence and faith in negotiations with parliament and opposition.
        
        Also tried to keep two plates spinning by seeking money from Spain, Rome and the Short Parliament was an example his style of governing,
        
        Showed imself to be indecisive and lacking in confidence which provided a bravado of deceitfulness.
    - - With the present catastrophic situation , Charles needed to settle the situation in Scotland.
        
        Connections between Scotland and England
        
        In the aftermath of the Bishops War, the Scottish parliament had sent representatives (commissioners) down to Westminster to liase with the English Parliament.
        
        The Long Parliament took a lot of inspiration from how the Scottish government had managed to dismantle the excesses of Kings Power
        
        Commissioners specifically were in order to answer any questions posed from the Presbyterian Church government established by 1638 Glasgow assembly.
        
        Were encouraged to see the episcopacy under attack was already under attack under assault by parliament.
        
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        The 'incident' of October 1641
        
        August 1641 King travelled to Scotland as agreed in the Truce of Ripon. He hoped to win the political support and an agreement for full removal of Scottish army:
        
        Made Concessions to the covenantors
      - Cumberland Band
        
        August 1640, a group of 18 Scottish nobles, led by the earl of Montrose, signed an agreement. 'The Cumberland bad' expressed their loyalty to the king and a desire to defend his authority.
        
        Signed due to a fear of radicalism within the covenantors, because they were being pushed too close to outright rebellion instead of voicing grievances.