9.2.1

Political

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King Charles I

Charles I was unpopular. The people compared him unfavourably to the famous Elizabeth I, who had been a strong and just ruler. This meant that some did not respect Charles.

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'Divine right of kings'

  • Charles I, like his father James I, believed firmly in the 'divine right of kings'.
  • This meant he believed that he had been appointed as King by God, and therefore could not be challenged.
  • He thought that he could run the country how he liked, as God was on his side.
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Charles' rule

  • Charles gradually spent less time with English noblemen and increasingly surrounded himself with just a few, highly trusted companions.
  • Scottish noblemen formed a group called The Covenant in 1638.
  • He found it difficult to listen to anyone with different opinions to his because he took their opposition very personally.
  • He arrested anyone who opposed him.
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Charles' marriage

  • Charles married Henrietta Maria in 1625, a French princess.
  • Her brother was the absolutist King of France, Louis XIII.
  • Absolutist monarchs had total power over their subjects.
  • Charles began to copy Louis' actions.

Charles I Clashes With Parliament

Charles began a period of 'Personal Rule' and a War with the Scots. When Parliament reconvened, more disagreements followed which led to an all-out war.

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Parliament

  • There was a general belief in the country that Parliament should have more say in how the country was run.
  • Parliament was elected by the people, and so represented their views when new laws were being made or taxes being raised rather than everything being decided by the King.
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Charles' 'Personal Rule'

  • In 1629, Charles tired with Parliament opposing his ideas and refusing to grant him money via taxes.
  • He locked MPs from Parliament and ruled on his own until 1640.
  • This 11 year period is known as the 'Personal Rule'.
  • 'Personal Rule' made Charles seem like a tyrant or dictator, and not a fair king to his people.
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Scotland

  • Additionally, noblemen in Scotland were angry with how Charles governed them.
  • The Scots formed a group called the Covenant in 1638.
  • They gathered an army to fight the king in 1640.
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War with the Scots

  • Charles had to raise an army.
  • He lost the war with Scotland. This made him seem like a weak leader.
  • At the same time, it gave the Scots confidence that they could have more independence in running the country how they liked.
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Parliament returns

  • When Parliament returned in 1640, MPs continued to oppose Charles' plans.
  • In 1642, Charles forced his way into the House of Commons to arrest 5 leading MPs who had criticised him.
  • They were tipped off and escaped, but news of Charles' actions got out.
  • The public were outraged!
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Declaration of war

  • By the summer of 1642, Charles decided that Parliament had become his enemy and needed to be defeated by force.
  • He called his army together and declared war.

Jump to other topics

1The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

1.1Anglo-Saxon England

1.2The Contest for the English Throne

1.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

1.4King John

1.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

1.6The Black Death

2Worldviews

3The Empire of Mali

4The Renaissance & Reformations, 1500-1598 AD

5The British Empire, 1583-1960 AD

6The Peasants' Revolt

7Religion in the Middle Ages

8Slavery, 1619-1833 AD

9The English Civil War, 1642-1660

10The Industrial Revolution, 1750-1840

11US Independence, 1775-1783

12The French Revolution, 1789-1815

13The British Empire, 1857–1930

14Suffrage

15World War 1, 1914-1918

16The Inter-War Years, 1919-1939

17World War 2, 1939-1945

18The Cold War, 1947-1962

19Civil Rights in the USA, 1954-1975

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