17th Century England

Lesson 3: Events Leading up to War

The Bishop's Wars

After 11 years without a Parliament, in which Charles dragged up old laws to raise money and built up the navy to protect his people, England became prosperous again through trade and science and its people became cultured and more literate. Charles initiated the draining of the fens, the Royal Mail postal service, and improved roads and laws to help the poor.

In 1636, Charles introduced a new prayer book for Scotland, with the aim of bringing it more in line with the English version. The new book was basically the English Prayer Book and was introduced, so the front page said, through Royal Prerogative. The Scots saw it as Catholic and Popish, due to the detailed and fine writing and beautiful decoration.

It was first used in 1637 at St Giles's Cathedral where it caused an uproar and people bellowed that the Mass was amongst them. A stool was thrown at the minister reading it and in 1638, the whole nation had united to refuse this book. They signed a national covenant, which bound them all to their true and reformed religion, and not to the new prayer book.

The Scots abolished the Bishops that James I had managed to get them to accept, and reverted to full blown Presbyterianism. Charles prepared for war with Scotland to impose religious conformity and in 1639, arrived in York with 18,000 foot and 3000 horsemen. His good housekeeping over ten years had improved finances, though these troops were raw, untrained and not adequately armed and commanded.

The Scots were backed by the immense fire of religious fervour and were well trained, being 22,000 foot and 500 horsemen.

Charles's men advanced to meet the Scots, but on seeing the numbers and conditions, retreated without fighting, while the Scots sent peace negotiators to the King.

The King's money was now spent and he was preparing for another war with the Scots who refused to budge on their full Presbyterianism. He summoned a Parliament at Strafford’s insistence in 1640 and Charles showed them a letter from the Scots appealing for French Catholic aid, addressing the French King as their Sovereign. But Parliament was not interested.

They began drawing up a declaration of woes of the last 11 years and Charles even agreed to give up the ancient Ship Money he had been levying without their consent, in exchange for subsidies, but to no avail. As Charles said, he swore that all the profit from Ship Money had gone to the Royal Navy for protection against pirates and provided the proof.

The House of Lords sympathised, but Parliament continued debating and Charles reluctantly dissolved it.

The Scots, meanwhile, were pushing for the Covenant to be extended to England in their own act of forced conformity and wanted Archbishop Laud (the Archbishop of Canterbury) and the Earl of Strafford (who led the forces of Northern England) to be brought to justice. The 25,000 Scots prepared to cross the Tweed and Charles again left for York to defend England with his own devices and no aid from Parliament.

A small battle occurred at Newburn Ford where the English cavalry were scattered and Charles received a petition demanding a Parliament and punishment for the King's advisors. In response, Charles made the Earl of Strafford a Knight of the Garter, the highest honour in the land. This reinforced his insistenced that he decided who his ministers were and whether they should stay or go.

But time was running out, money was spent again and the English army did not have the heart to fight and it dwindled away. Charles was forced to summon another Parliament in 1640.

  1  2  3  4  5  6