England's involvement in the Thirty Years' War was brief. James' daughter, Elizabeth, had married Frederick V, Elector of the Palatinate, a leading German prince. Frederick became involved in the war when he accepted election as the king of Bohemia. He was soon driven out by Catholic forces, and later the Palatinate was overrun also. The English, especially the Puritans, called for war. James, by nature a pacifist, attempted to regain his son-in-law's throne by trying to arrange a marriage between his son, Charles, and the Spanish princess, or infanta. Charles went to Spain but returned angered by the cool reception he had received from the Spanish. He convinced a reluctant James to enter the war. England's intervention was a costly failure, gaining nothing, and England soon withdrew from the war.
Charles I
When James died in 1625, he was succeeded by his son, Charles I. Like his father, Charles believed in the divine right of kings and also disliked the Puritans. Parliament was just as suspicious of Charles as they had been of James. They voted Charles tonnage and poundage (custom duties) for only one year. Traditionally, Parliament voted tonnage and poundage as a matter of course at the beginning of a new reign for the monarch's lifetime. For the first time Parliament refused to do so.
Shortly after becoming king, Charles became involved in the war with France. England had sent naval expeditions to aid the French Huguenots of La Rochelle. Charles was desperate for money, but Parliament refused to grant more than the customary grants. In frustration, Charles dissolved that Parliament. He tried to raise money by forced loans from the subjects. Those who refused were imprisoned or had soldiers housed in their homes. Financial trouble caused by the war persisted, and Charles was forced to call Parliament into session.
Charles' need for money was so great that the Parliament of 1628 was able to force him to sign the Petition of Right. By accepting the Petition, Charles agreed that no one could be taxed without the consent of Parliament, no one could be imprisoned without a trial, and no one could be compelled to quarter,or house, soldiers in their homes in peacetime. This document ranks with the Magna Carta as one of the most important in English history.
Once the war with France was ended, however, Charles ignored the Petition of Right, thus creating more friction with Parliament. In 1629 Charles dissolved that Parliament, and for the next eleven years he ruled alone.
Charles' personal rule was not unprecedented. From 1610 to 1621, James had had only one Parliament, and it had lasted only two months. The Tudors had called few Parliaments and usually for short periods.
As usual, Charles' worst problem was raising money. By careful management and having no foreign policy, Charles was able to succeed without Parliament. He revived old feudal laws and fined those who violated them. Charles forced rich merchants to apply for knighthood and then charged them fees for their titles. He sold monopolies at high rates and told judges to increase fines in criminal cases, but the most unpopular means used by Charles was ship money. By ancient custom the coastal towns had supplied ships for the royal navy in emergencies. Since the fleet's needs were now met by other means, Charles maintained that the towns should contribute money. Since the navy was for the protection of the entire country the tax was extended to the entire country. The money raised was actually spent on the navy, but many saw the taxation as a violation of the Petition of Right. People protested that no emergency existed; and if the king could declare one whenever he wished, then no one's property was safe. The ship money was particularly irritating to the middle class and helped solidify their opposition to the king.
Charles had antagonized many groups. He made enemies of the Puritans by persecuting their leaders, thereby causing many to emigrate to America during the 1630s. The appointment of William Laud as Archbishop of Canterbury offended many Puritans who claimed that Laud was not Protestant enough. The climax came when Charles and Laud tried to impose the Episcopal system of church government and a new prayer book upon the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. In 1639 open rebellion broke out in Scotland. Except for the Scots, Charles may have been able to do without Parliament indefinitely. However, Charles needed funds to put down the Scottish rebellion, forcing him to call Parliament after three weeks because he refused to make concessions, and Parliament refused to allocate money until he did. Because this Parliament was so short, it is called the Short Parliament.
New revolts in Scotland and discontent in England forced Charles to call Parliament again that same year. This one is known as the Long Parliament because it theoretically lasted twenty years. Knowing the king was helpless without money, Parliament took matters into their own hands. First, they abolished ship money and taxes. Second, all prerogative courts, which were responsible only to the king, were abolished. Third, they passed the Triennial Act, calling for Parliament to meet at least once every three years. Charles agreed, but had no intention of keeping his word. With soldiers he marched into the House of Commons to arrest five of its members. However, they were warned in advance and had already fled. An open conflict could no longer be avoided.
