17th Century England

Lesson 3: Events Leading up to War

Parliament's Actions

Saturday, 7th November 1640 was spent by members sitting in Parliament, giving speech after speech. They told how the King's policies had affected their constituents for the worse, denounced taxation as well as the King's innovations in religion, and berated the Star Chamber and other courts for upholding the Royal authority and using their power to persecute Puritans and enact illegal taxation. The members then motioned for the release of Prynne, Bastwick, Leighton and Burton, who had been imprisoned by the King for speaking out against the Queen and the Church as it was redesigned (being more Protestantly beautified in the King's eyes and more Catholic in their eyes).

Charles then sent for Strafford to come to London, probably because Charles did not know what to do and always had to lean on a stronger character in times to trouble, to gain confidence in his actions.

Pym then named Strafford, Archbishop Laud, Lord Keeper Finch, and Lord Cottington as evil councillors and moved for them to be impeached. These were all the King's chosen ministers and before the end of November, Pym had charged Strafford with High Treason before Parliament. Some in Parliament felt this had gone too fast and was going too far. But Pym stormed on, calling for the doors to be locked for their safety and ficticiously claiming Strafford was about to lead an army into London to subdue them, while also taking advantage of the hatred of Catholics by saying that they were plotting against the Protestants at this minute.

Pauline Gregg summarises Strafford's courage in the face of this threat. At that point, he was with the King, but hurried to the House of Lords to take his seat, hoping that he could answer and defeat the charges against him, but he was too late. Pym had already taken the charges to the House of Lord's and Strafford had to wait outside while they decided their verdict.

Strafford was condemned with Treason and arrested.

The Puritan martyrs were released after Parliament intervened and crowds turned out to cheer them, while Parliament set about raising money to pay the Scots off.

In December, Parliament voted Ship Money illegal, and then they voted four subsidies, but gave no indication that the King would receive the money. They then sent commissioners to meet the Scots, firmly barring the King from the proceedings and went on to talk of excluding Catholics from any important position and ejecting them from the army. With this in mind, they turned on another of the King's ministers, Sir Francis Windebank, who fled abroad.

Charles announced on the same day that his eldest daughter was to marry the Prince of Orange, the leader of the Protestant Dutch. This did not halt Parliament, who impeached Archbishop Laud on December 18th of treason.

After charging Lord Keeper Finch of treason, he made a good defence, though he could see that nothing could stop his imprisonment, so he too fled abroad. It was crisis pitch in England at this time and Charles was considering what to do next.

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