Trends

• From 1633 onwards, with the appointment of Laud to Archbishop of Canterbury, Arminian changes are made to the church (Alters, stained glass, music, ceremony ect)
• By mid 1630s, expenditure has been reduced by £30,000
• Hampden's case starts large-scale opposition to ship money and and revenue collected from SM begins to decline with only 20% paying by 1639
• Charles II is excommunicated by Scottish Presbytery in 1638
• By the late 1630s, annual Royal revenue had reached a high of £1mn
• The incredibly harsh treatment of Burton, Bastwick and Prynne helped the anti-Laudian cause (how could 'gentlemen be treated like that?!)
• Charles increasingly viewed as abusing his prerogative powers

  -Enforcing ship money (enforcing tax without Parliament's consent

  -Enforcing EPB on Scotland with violence

  -Persecuting religious dissenters

  -Abuse of the judicial system (Star Courts always gave very harsh punishments + High Courts which operated outside legal safeguards)

  -Manipulation of local government (appointing loyalists in key areas
• Consequences of Charles' abuse of prerogative powers

  1. Widespread discontent
  2. Bishop's Wars
  3. "Highroad to civil war"?