Charles I & the English Revolution (AQA GCSE History)

 Summary

Despite Henry VIII’s best efforts, the Tudor dynasty did not extend past his children's lives because none of them had children themselves. The Stuarts succeeded the Tudors and it was during the reign of Charles Stuart that the English monarchy experienced its most serious threat to its authority. It was so serious that it resulted in the country descending into civil war, Charles being beheaded and the monarchy being abolished for 11 years.

Who was King Charles I?

• Charles became king in 1625 

• He was the son of James I of England (who was also James VI of Scotland)

• James I had inherited the English Throne from Elizabeth I

• There had been tensions between James and Parliament and he resented its power and influence

• Charles firmly believed he had been appointed king by God and that he was God’s representative on Earth

  • This is known as the ‘Divine Right of Kings’

• Charles I resented:

  • People questioning his decisions

  • Having to answer to Parliament

• In 1629, angered by what he saw as meddling and interference, Charles dissolved parliament and didn’t recall it until 1640

  • Opponents of Charles called this period ‘11 years of tyranny’

Religious Causes of the English Revolution

• Other than during Mary I’s short reign, England had been a Protestant country since Henry VIII’s Reformation in the 1530s

• However, many English people remained Catholic and continued to worship in the Catholic way – often in secret

• There had been several Catholic plots to kill both Elizabeth and James – including the Gunpowder Plot

  • As a result, many people saw all Catholics as a threat and held strong anti-Catholic feelings

• Charles’ wife, Henrietta Maria, was a Catholic

  • People began to believe Charles was too sympathetic to Catholics and perhaps even a secret Catholic himself

• William Laud became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633 

  • He began to introduce many aspects of Catholic worship to the Church of England, such as elaborately decorated churches

• The faith of the Queen combined with the changes made by Laud caused great alarm amongst many Protestants in England

• The leading opponents to what they believed to be the increasing Catholic influence in Charles’ England were called Puritans

  • Puritans were very strict protestants 

  • They had become increasingly influential in Parliament

• In 1637, three Puritans were prosecuted for publishing pamphlets that criticised the church

  • The three authors, named Prynne, Bastwick and Burton, were pilloried

    • They had their ears cut off and their faces branded

  • Rather than silencing critics of increasing Catholic influence, the three men were treated like heroes and were met by cheering crowds

• The growth of Puritanism combined with the religious changes made under Charles left England a deeply divided nation

• Charles also made religious changes in Scotland that were even more unpopular

• The Church of Scotland followed a Protestant form of Christianity known as Presbyterianism 

• Charles ordered that everyone in Scotland had to use a new prayer book 

  • Many people saw this as being too close to the Catholic way of worship

Political Causes of the English Revolution

• Due to the religious changes made by Charles in Scotland, the Scots signed a covenant 

  • This was a refusal to accept Charles’ changes to their way of worship

• Charles sent an army to crush the Scottish religious rebels, but his soldiers were quickly defeated 

  •  Emboldened by their victory, the Scots then invaded England

• Charles needed money to deal with the invasion 

  • To get the money, he needed to recall Parliament

•  In April 1640, for the first time in 11 years, Parliament met and agreed to provide Charles with the money he needed

  • This was on conditions that Charles:

    • Reversed Laud’s religious changes 

    • Promised not to pass any new laws without consulting Parliament

• Charles refused to accept these terms 

  • After just a month, he dissolved the so-called ‘Short Parliament’

• The threat from the Scots and the need for money was still there

  • Charles was forced to recall Parliament again in November 1640 

• Shortly after the recall of Parliament, Irish Catholics launched a major rebellion and thousands of Protestant English and Scottish colonists were killed

  • Such was the ill feeling towards Charles that many suspected he was on the side of the Irish rebels

• Parliament agreed to provide the funds to crush the rebellion 

  • However, they refused to allow the king to take control of the army 

• Members of Parliament continued to criticise the king 

  • In 1641, a particularly critical document called the Grand Remonstrance was published and presented to the king

    • This was a list of grievances parliament had with the king

  • After the publication of the Grand Remonstrance Charles decided to act

• Charles arrived at Parliament accompanied by soldiers to arrest John Pym, the author of the Great Remonstrance, and four other MPs who were critical of him

• The five men fled before Charles arrived 

  • Many people felt that Charles’ actions were proof that he was a tyrant who would stop at nothing to crush those who questioned him

• Charles used the Star Chamber to punish many of his political opponents

  • Although it was meant to be an independent court of law, it was widely seen as being corrupt and always ruled in Charles’ favour

Economic Causes of the English Revolution

• During the 11 years of Charles’ rule, he used several methods to secure money without having to recall Parliament – all of which caused anger and resentment

  •  Perhaps the most unpopular of his taxes and charges was Charles’ introduction of Ship Money

  • Kings had often levied Ship Money during times of war and charged people who lived in coastal counties to help pay for naval defences

  • Charles introduced it throughout the whole country and in peacetime

  • When people refused to pay, they were often jailed without trial

  • John Hampden refused to pay in 1637 and was put on trial as a test case

  • Although he was found guilty, he became a figurehead for many of Charles’ opponents to rally behind