Awakening - 1629 - Charles I dissolves Parliament
There is often a big blind spot when it comes to the 17th Century. Much of the century's activities are in reaction to the Reformation, so it can be hard to untangle who is in favor of what. If you are from the United States there isn't much (not nothing, just not very much) going on, since the Colonies hardly exist and most of what is happening is people founding them in the first place.
There are some interesting events, almost from the start of the century. Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, without an heir, so the crown passed to her cousin, who became King James I. His elder son Edward died in 1612, leaving the younger son Charles (b. 1600) as heir to the throne.
When the Thirty Years War started in 1619, it was quickly viewed in England as a battle between Protestants and Catholics. Charles' brother-in-law soon lost his lands to the Holy Roman Emperor, leading to several attempts by James and later Charles to restore them and end the war. One central strategy for this was attempting to marry Charles to a Spanish Hapsburg princess. Barely 35 years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, this "Spanish match" was not a popular idea, in Spain or England. Charles returned from the unsuccessful negotiations in late 1623, and worked with his father to encourage Parliament's support for war on Spain, instead. During 1624, as James became ill, Charles and the Duke of Buckingham continued to push for a hefty military campaign, while Parliament was in favor of a smaller naval campaign.
(As the ultimate goal included personal gains for the family of the monarch, these efforts may have been seen as an example of corruption, not unlike the dispensation granted a century earlier for the marriage of Henry and Catherine.)
Note that at this point Charles is all of 25 years old, at which point he has been already been working for several years on what we might call today "significant foreign policy initiatives." These are all about religious and spiritual matters - wars being fought over who is Catholic or Protestant, with domestic populations opposing actions based on how they affect doctrine or practice. Whether Charles is taking on the status quo might depend on how far back one cares to look, but his agenda certainly has opposition with entrenched powers.
Charles took the throne in March 1625 after the death of James. Soon after, Charles I married the French (and Catholic) princess Henrietta Maria. Coming as it did during a large war between Protestants and Catholics, it raised further doubts about the new King's support of the Anglican church. He continued to push for war against Spain, but was not granted access to the funds he needed in the form of Parliamentary approval of taxes. Indeed, there was an objection by Parliament to the involvement of the Duke of Buckingham, after he had led an unsuccessful naval attack on Spain. When the Duke was assassinated in 1628, much of the nation was relieved, but Charles was distraught.
And so, after years of battling with Parliament over appropriate actions to take, Charles opened Parliament again in 1629 to find that the members were still opposed to his policies. He attempted to adjourn the body on March 2. Parliament's response included several members holding the Speaker down in his chair long enough for the passage by acclamation of several proposals opposed to Charles' requests. Charles responded by dissolving Parliament, and ruling without one for the next 11 years.
While there was no actual requirement to have a Parliament, the king could not levy taxes without approval from that body. There were other options available for Charles to manage finances, including seeking peace with Spain and France. He began using loopholes to raise funds without taxes, such as fining men who had been legally obligated to appear at his coronation. These were ultimately insufficient to support the efforts needed as the Thirty Years War continued, and the actions were was considered "tyranny" by many in England.
In 1640, Charles would convene Parliament again. It wouldn't do him much good. Most of the members elected were opposed to his policies. He would end up raising an army in 1642, leading to the start of the English Civil War.
When the Thirty Years War started in 1619, it was quickly viewed in England as a battle between Protestants and Catholics. Charles' brother-in-law soon lost his lands to the Holy Roman Emperor, leading to several attempts by James and later Charles to restore them and end the war. One central strategy for this was attempting to marry Charles to a Spanish Hapsburg princess. Barely 35 years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, this "Spanish match" was not a popular idea, in Spain or England. Charles returned from the unsuccessful negotiations in late 1623, and worked with his father to encourage Parliament's support for war on Spain, instead. During 1624, as James became ill, Charles and the Duke of Buckingham continued to push for a hefty military campaign, while Parliament was in favor of a smaller naval campaign.
(As the ultimate goal included personal gains for the family of the monarch, these efforts may have been seen as an example of corruption, not unlike the dispensation granted a century earlier for the marriage of Henry and Catherine.)
Note that at this point Charles is all of 25 years old, at which point he has been already been working for several years on what we might call today "significant foreign policy initiatives." These are all about religious and spiritual matters - wars being fought over who is Catholic or Protestant, with domestic populations opposing actions based on how they affect doctrine or practice. Whether Charles is taking on the status quo might depend on how far back one cares to look, but his agenda certainly has opposition with entrenched powers.
Charles took the throne in March 1625 after the death of James. Soon after, Charles I married the French (and Catholic) princess Henrietta Maria. Coming as it did during a large war between Protestants and Catholics, it raised further doubts about the new King's support of the Anglican church. He continued to push for war against Spain, but was not granted access to the funds he needed in the form of Parliamentary approval of taxes. Indeed, there was an objection by Parliament to the involvement of the Duke of Buckingham, after he had led an unsuccessful naval attack on Spain. When the Duke was assassinated in 1628, much of the nation was relieved, but Charles was distraught.
And so, after years of battling with Parliament over appropriate actions to take, Charles opened Parliament again in 1629 to find that the members were still opposed to his policies. He attempted to adjourn the body on March 2. Parliament's response included several members holding the Speaker down in his chair long enough for the passage by acclamation of several proposals opposed to Charles' requests. Charles responded by dissolving Parliament, and ruling without one for the next 11 years.
While there was no actual requirement to have a Parliament, the king could not levy taxes without approval from that body. There were other options available for Charles to manage finances, including seeking peace with Spain and France. He began using loopholes to raise funds without taxes, such as fining men who had been legally obligated to appear at his coronation. These were ultimately insufficient to support the efforts needed as the Thirty Years War continued, and the actions were was considered "tyranny" by many in England.
In 1640, Charles would convene Parliament again. It wouldn't do him much good. Most of the members elected were opposed to his policies. He would end up raising an army in 1642, leading to the start of the English Civil War.
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Here's a telling paragraph from Wikipedia to support the notion that "politics in Second Turnings are incomprehensible":
Here's a telling paragraph from Wikipedia to support the notion that "politics in Second Turnings are incomprehensible":
In 1625, James was succeeded by his son Charles I, who immediately plunged England into an expensive and ultimately unsuccessful war with Spain, in an attempt to force the Catholic Spanish King Philip IV to intercede with the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II on behalf of Charles's brother-in-law, Frederick V, Elector Palatine, the husband of Charles's sister Elizabeth, to regain the Electorate of the Palatinate and his hereditary lands, which the Emperor had taken from him.
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