Personal Rule

• Parliament feared that Charles was becoming absolutist. This meant unrestricted political and military power. France was an absolute monarchy under Louis XIII. Divine Right was used as justification
• Charles was very isolated from public opinion as he only appointed people who agreed with him and never called parliament.

  Political Nation became alienated as the political power was held in a concentrated group (Privy Council and Advisers)

  The 'Spanish Faction' in his privy council dominated
• After Buckingham's death, Charles redistributed his vast number of titles. Many opponents saw this and joined the King (e.g. Thomas Wentworth)
• Montagu and Laud were Arminians in Charles Privy Council

  Weston, Windebank and Cottington were crypto-catholics in his Privy Council

  Wentworth was not a Puritan so did not care for Charles religious change. Got the nickname 'The Grand Apostate' from Plt
• Laud was promoted to Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633

  He had an abrasive personality

  He used the High Commission to punish immoral behaviour and enforce religious conformity

  Star Chamber was used to silence opposition and punish dissenters
• Thorough


  Championed by Wentworth and Laud

  Aimed to root out the inefficiency and non-conformity

  Believed corruption should be rooted out - people should be held accountable for their actions (JPs and other officials)
• Wentworth became the Lord President of the Council of the North in 1628

  Long-established local gentry resented him (e.g. Savile)

  Foulis fined £8000 for slander in 1632
• Was Wentworth Absolutist?

  Authoritarian figure who enforced his and the Kings will with harsh punishments

  OR

  Just efficiently doing his job at improving social and government standards
• Charles extended imposition during the Personal Rule.

  By 1636, they brought in £120,000
• Despite being made illegal in 1624 by Parliament, monopolies brought in £100,000 a year for Charles during his Personal Rule as loopholes were found.

  e.g. Weston's Popish Soap
• Recusancy fines were tightened during the Personal Rule
• Resurrecting antiquating taxes: Noy's Report

  Distraint of Knighthood: Charged knights and lords for their titles. Fined those that didn't present themselves

  Forest Fines: ancient maps used to determine houses on royal forests and increase rent

  Building fines: houses built outside city walls could face fines (60,000 in London alone)
• Ship Money was extended to all counties in 1634

  First 3 years had a 90% compliance (all raised over £175,000 a year)

  Step to absolutism - no parliamentary approval

  Did improve the Navy (fighting French privateers and North African pirates)

  Many complaints and petitions
• The Hampden Case 1637


  Refused to pay Ship Money - Charles brought him to trial

  Lost the case 5 judges to 7

  Thought to have mobilised the Puritan Network

  But widely regarded as having won the moral victory
• Tax strike in 1639


  Many refused under the double burden of Ship Money and 'Coat and Conduct' tax

  Ship money compliance dropped to 25%
• Court vs Country 


  Charles court was becoming too isolated and out of touch with public life
• In 1637, despite individual feeling, there was no organised opposition or Parliament calling to limit the Kings power
• Erastian 


  The church is governed by the state
• Historian Collinson claims that Laud is the "greatest calamity ever visited upon the Church of England"
• Charles had very poor creditworthiness and alienated potential creditors

  e.g Failed to meet repayments in 1633 which made Burlamachi's network poor

  e.g. trialed the City of London in 1635 - fined £70k and took Irish lands
• During France and Spains War with Netherlands, England were able to become the middle made and pick up the carrying trade (increased tonnage and poundage)
• Laudian Churches appearance 


  Similar appearance to Catholic ones

  • Stained glass windows
  • Altar rails
  • Chancel steps (elevates holy men)
  • Candlesticks
  • Vestements
  • Choirs and bells
• Laudianism


  Puritans feared similarities to Roman Catholicism

  • Beauty of Holiness
  • Remphasised status of the clergy
  • Strict conformity and personal morality
  • Scripted prayer rather than preaching
  • Sacrementalism (Communion table turned altar wise and railed)
  • Anti-sabbatarianism
• Laudian conformity 


  • Used the church courts and privy council to punish dissenters
  • Recover tithes to improve clergy education
  • Annual visitations into churches to see canons were fulfilled (e.g. altar-wise)
  • Used the Star Chamber to abolish the Feoffes of Impropriation (puritans who had bought tithes to influence clergy)
  • Presentment bills: reports used to assess conformity
• Bishop John Williams of Lincoln imprisoned in 1637 for publishing pamphlet entitles 'The Holy Table, Name and Thing' which smacked the altar policy
• Alexander Leighton imprisoned, whipped, branded and ears cut off for condemning bishops as "anti-christian and satanic"
• Laud politicised the clergy

  • Made Bishop Juxon the Lord Treasurer of England in 1636
  • Gave church courts the power to interfere in secular affairs
  • Laud joined the Privy Council committee on foreign affairs
• Puritan MP, Francis Rous, called the changes to the church a "Trojan horse... ready to open the gates to Romish tyranny"
• Laud's strive for conformity appealed to Charles. They connected the religious and political spheres together- absolutist?
• 1633 Book of Sports 


  Increased the list of sanctioned recreational activities on Sunday

  Upset the Sabbatarian Puritans
• Charles was very out of touch with Scotland

  • Only visited once as an adult (his Scottish coronation in 1633)
  • None of his advisers had visited Scotland either - almost all were anglicised (E.g Lennox)
  • He had filled the Scottish Parliament with his supporters and banned discussions
• Charles Scottish Coronation followed the English Book of Common Prayer.

  Altar rails, candles, and ornate gold vestments

  Promised to defend bishops (angered the presbyterians)
• Evidence of opposition is difficult to find due to no Parliament, but:

  • vehemence of opposition in the 1640 Parliament
  • December 1640 Root and Branch Petition was signed by 15,000 Londoners to have Laud arrested and impeached
  • People liked the broad church and hated the use of courts

  suggests Puritan opposition
• Parish of St Gregory's London


  Refused to move their altar table

  Brought before the Privy Council in 1633

  Decision that Bishop should decide (Charles control bishops)
• Some Puritans migrated to New England in the 1630s.

  e.g. Sir Henry Vane and Hugh Peter
• The Puritan Network (the 'Godly Party')


  Contained influential figures such as:

  • Lord Brooke
  • Lord Saye and Sele
  • John Pym
  • John Hampden
  • Oliver Cromwell
• Burton, Bastwick and Prynne were trialed by the Star Chamber for seditious libel for writing anit-Laudian pamphlets

  • branded with SL (sign of Laud)
  • Pilloried
  • Ears cut off

  Very unusually harsh punishment for gentlemen
• Bastwick produced a pamphlet titled The Letany in 1637 which attacked Bishops as enemies of God
• Options for opposition to Laudianism

  • Resistance (refusal to install change)
  • Emigrate
  • Produce pamphlets
  • Set up independent churches
  • Puritan Network
• Indepedent churches were set up in 1630s

  e.g. Wroth set up one in Llanvaches