Stability Vs Instability

• factors presenting stability during the personal rule of Charles

  -strong centralised authority of the king

  - absence of parliament - could implement policies fast with limited obstruction

  - controlled finances

  - peaceful foreign policy
• factors presenting instability during Charles personal rule


  - financial burdens - reliance on ship money and forced loans led to resentment

  - religious differences

  - economic hardships of the population led to resentment
• causes of the Scottish rebellion 1637-1640

  - 1625 acts of revocation cancelled grants made on royal and church land

  - Charles didn't visit until 1633 - 11 years in

  - 1636 church cannons seen as step towards catholicism with laudian measures

  - 1637 prayer book threatened their religious independence
• what was the 1638 Scottish national covenant

  - emphasised loyalty to the king but rejected the cannons and prayer book

  - signers of the petition were called covenanters

  - Charles saw them as rebels , acted like he was negotiating but was preparing for war

  - became dominant political and religious force in Scotland from 1638

  -clash between king and covs led to bishops wars 1639-1640
• what did the Scottish covenanters do in preparation for the bishops wars


  - began raising an army knowing Charles was too

  -nov 1638 Scottish national assembly abolished bishops in Scotland

  -many cov soldiers were professional and had been in the 30 years war
• weaknesses of Charles army during the bishops wars

  - most men had never fired weapons

  - few wanted to fight

  - many sympathised with the Scots

  - unrestrained

  - only 15 000 men who were not ready until April 1639
• how did Charles attempt to sort finances out during the bishops wars

  - called short parliament 1639

  - Charles refused to compromise at all so dissolved it
• bishops wars outcome


  - Scots eventually crossed river tweed and occupied Newcastle 1640 august

  - Charles had to agree to the treaty of ripon

  - meant Charles would have to pay the Scots £850/ day while they were in England
• what was the incident October 1641

  - conspiracy that there was a royalist plot

  - that extreme royalists such as Crawford wanted to get rid of radical leading covs such as Argyll

  - Argyll heard about it and fled

  - weakened Charles hopes of gaining power in Scotland as he was linked to the plot
• Irish rebellion October 1641 causes

  - wentworths actions in Ireland

  - Wentworth going back to England
• what was thorough

  - policy by Wentworth

  - would make government accountable

  - thought it'd solve Charles problems

  - Charles approved due to the inefficiencies of the local government
• why was Wentworth / Strafford a problem in Ireland

  - he had alienated all the different groups

  -tensions broke out after Charles called him to England to deal with the Scottish rebellion

  - concerns that he was practicing absolutism in Ireland to be used in England

  - implemented harsh and radical rules on the people of Ireland
• events of the Irish rebellion October 1641

  - lasted over winter 1641-1642

  - catholics had opportunity to seize influence from lack of crown authority

  - Catholics killed 3000 in a strike against ulster Protestants
• What was the Book of Orders?

  - book of instructions for JPs , Sherrifs , clarifying their responsibilities and making a system to make everyone accountable through written reports

  - was opposed by the English government who relied on local officials and their knowledge of individual circumstances

  - threatened ancient balance between local and central government
• what were straffords aims in Ireland

  - make Ireland contribute to the exchequer ( profitable )

  - restore authority of the crown and church

  - impose authority on the Irish council in Dublin

  - persuade English parliament to grant subsidies

  - create an Irish army for the crown funded by the Irish

  -impose laudian uniformity on the Irish church
• what did Stafford do to complete his aims in Ireland

  - scared opponents into submissions and imposed authority on Irish Dublin council

  - introduced anglican 39 articles into the Irish church in 1634

  - used increased revenue to build up a mainly catholic army

  - intimidated juries into returning dormer crown lands , forced earl of cork ( his greatest opponent ) to restore crown lands

  - forced Irish parliament to vote for 6 subsidies for the king 1634
• what ethnicities were there in Ireland

  - irish catholics

  - catholic old English

  - Presbyterian Scots

  - protestant new English - in better position as they used religion as a weapon to outmanoeuvre the old English
• why were the puritans against the beliefs of Charles and laud

  - seen as too anti calvinist

  - seen as too close to catholicism
• examples of puritan opposition to personal rule

  - Prynne Burton bastwick

  - ship money + Hampden case
• what was the trial of Prynne Burton Bastwick 1637

  - 3 leading puritans accused of attacking bishops and put on trial in the star chamber

  - continued to publish anti episcopal literature from prison with the help of Lillburne who was publishing them

  - had their ears cut off and their cheeks branded

  - seen as brutal punishment and criticised
• what led to the alienation of the kings supporters during personal rule

  - revival of forest fines

  - distraught of knighthood

  - monopolies

  - use of prerogative courts

  - ship money