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How Successful was the personal rule - Coggle Diagram
How Successful was the personal rule
Criteria: How much Charles was able to change each factor the way he wanted
Finance
Was able to raise £900,000 a year by the end of the 1630s without parliament - very controversial
Knighthood fines
Fining people who should have become knights but had not yet
Continues to sell monopolies to companies rather than individuals to get around the Petition of Right
Popish soap (1632)
Ship Money
Collected in peacetime in 1634 in coastal areas
Whole country between 1635-40
*Was actually used to fund a navy
The Hampden Case
John Hampden opposed Charles taking in ship money and went to court - lost 5-7 (seeds of doubt of its legality planted)
After the Hampden case the amount of people who paid the tax dropped by 20%
After the Scottish crisis developed and the king wanted more money, payment dropped by 80% of 1637 levels
Customs - English trade boomed
Charles collected Tonnage and Poundage illegally
Introduced impositions which were legal but very contoversial
By the end of the 1630s he was getting £500,000 from customs - 67% of his total income
Revised the book of rates to renew the value of goods after inflation so he got more money
Forest Laws
Changed the forest laws to those of Henry II and everyone living in those "forests" had to pay fines
very unpopular and controversial but legal and in his prerogative
Makes peace with France in 1629 and Spain in 1630 -> saves lots of money
Was able to become financially free of Parliament as long as there was peace
But
as time wore on people started paying less (ship money) as they questioned its legality and he eventually needed to recall parliament to deal with Scotland
Religion
Charles Pushing Arminianism (more pro-Catholic)
Francis Windebank made Secretary of State in 1632 - pro Catholic and Spain
William Laud made Archbishop of Canterbury
Implements changes
Book of Sport published permitting Sunday sports - Puritans angry
Strict adherence to Elizabethan prayer book
Altar was to be closed off and only in East of Church -> implied communion was sacrificial and Clergy were a different class of people as they could go to altar - both Catholic ideas
Encouraged decoration like statues or stained glass - viewed as idolatry and a distraction from God's word -> also Catholic ideas
Papal agents readmitted to England
Feoffees for Impropriations closed
Pilloried Burton, Bastwick, and Prynne - cut off ears as well (controversial as punishment unbecoming of gentlemen)
Successfully implemented Arminian culture on England
However, his work was undone as Parliament impeached Laud the moment they got called and his policies caused so much divide that parliament debated abolishing the episcopy
Celtic Policy
Ireland
Thomas Wentworth appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland
Implemented the 'thorough' rule with strict punishment for those who opposed
Authoritarian rule in other words
he achieves his aim to control Ireland and push Arminianism but the style of rule makes people fearful of what he may do in England
- future problems
Managed and directed Irish Parliament by
exerting pressure in the choice of candidates
securing financial grants before discussions of grievances and exploiting divisions in Irish society
Pushed Arminianism
Punished puritan opposition with an Irish Court of High Commission
Mainly Catholic but with a Protestant Ruling Class
Scotland
Presbyterian (no bishops or priests)
Charles gets off to a bad start with them as he only goes to his Scottish coronation in 1633 and only stays for two weeks
Imposed a new prayer book on the Scots in 1637 -
Fatal Error
Highly opposed by Scots "The mass is entered upon us" when it was first used in Edinburgh Cathedral
Presbyterianism and patriotism combined against the King - Charles ignored his advisors
Scots form the Covenant in 1638 and the Scottish Crisis ensues and Charles attempts to raise an army without Parliament and before action signs the treaty of Berwick
Successfully controls Ireland and forces Scotland to conform
BUT
people were fearful of what his Irish policies meant for England and the Scots rebel and are the catalyst to the civil war
Politically
Established Control over Ireland
Was the sole person in control of England during the period and so in that regard became free from Parliament.
Which was his aim
However he alienated Parliament by all his dodgy finances and not calling them at war. He also had little control over Scotland late in the period after the prayer book was imposed