What were the most important disagreements between Charles I and Parliament?
The 3 main reasons disagreements were:
Religion (King Charles I married a Catholic woman, while he was
Protestant. Parliament were worried his wife would influence him to
change the churches catholic.)
Power (Charles I was angry that the had to call Parliament for
all his decisions for the country.)
Money (King Charles I wanted to raise taxes, but Parliament
wouldn't let him.)
The most important disagreement between Charles the First and
Parliament was Religion!
Charles was an Anglican Catholic, a member of the Body of Christ
and a Child of God, in affect he was a member of a Catholic
Communion of some 1600 years and because of his Coronation Oath he
believed he had a special responsibility to protect it against its
enemies both at home and abroad.
Unfortunately in Elizabeth's years the political necessities of
the state were thought to demand that all citizens of England were
members of the English Church and so the Calvinist Dissenters were
received within the one Church! It was a mistake of enormous
proportions, hopefully the young protestants would be taught the
Catholic Faith by our priests and teachers, whilst the older ones
amongst them would be lost through age and cold winters!! A
terrible mistake! The Calvinists, were mentally stronger and more
vigorous than the faithful! Moreover fear of the Romanists and the
care taken by the new owners of the monastic estates to protect
their ill gotten gains drew many of the nobility and gentry to the
side of the Dissenters. Even more damaging was the fact that the
Calvinists gained a majority in Parliament. Under Eliza, the
Calvinists were pandered to, but at no time would Elizabeth allow
them access to control the Church Synod, this she claimed rightly,
was the business of the Bishops and Clergy. Fear of the
consequences ,kept the protestants, noisy and active, after all
they were acutely aware that the alternative to Elizabeth was a
nominee of Rome and that Roman claims to the throne would be backed
by Spanish Troops and ships as well as a Romanist faction within
the country itself!
By the time of Charles and with his help the Bishops had to a
great extent regained control of the Church and restored the
ancient faith. How-and-ever the fear of Roman dominance had receded
and the Calvinist controlled parliament played on ancient fears of
Rome to attack the King in his tolerance of Romanists. They also
used economic failures to attempt to undermine Charles but in
1639/40 Charles acceded to their financial and political demands.
Thus Charles attempted to put the country on an even keel! It was
to late, Parliament had seized the political bit, as it were and
changed their tack to undermining the Church and its clergy!
There were riots in the streets of London and Westminister
fomented by a political and religious caucus in Parliament, gangs
of protestant men and youths roamed the streets setting up bonfires
and forcing people to abjure the Church! Rioters kicked to death a
Bishop outside the House of Lords! There were fears of pogroms
against innocent Romanists and for a moment it appeared that Queen
Mary would be arrested by the protestants. When Anglicans in Kent
asked that the Parliament enforce the Prayer Book and protect the
ancient church, they were arrested and the matter was forbidden to
be discussed. To protect themselves the Anglicans turned to Charles
and sought his aid as the ,'Supreme Governor' [under Christ,] of
the Church of England! In turn to protect himself Charles was
forced out of London, having no real army to enforce the law! He
went north to York, the second capital!
From there, he eventually set out a proclamation calling on
people to defend the Church and promising his aid. Parliament took
over the city of Hull, by sending a regiment of militia to garrison
the place, Charles was refused entry. Both sides started to arm and
parliament started to raid the houses of Anglicans and Roman
Catholics for arms. Anglican Catholic supporters risked
assassination, [ the Earl of Derby in Manchester. June 1642.] The
parliament tried to bring about the ruin of the Anglicans by a Bill
in Parliament, which Charles refused to accept! Finally there was a
war! A War of Religion, there were no political aims,Charles had
already given up political power,it was about the control of the
Church and parliament's Calvinist aims! It sought to adopt the
ideas of the Scots and bring in a Presbyterian Polity or
organisation.
In 1643, Parliament brought in Laws that banned the prayer Book
and caused the eviction of Anglican priests from their livings and
left the families without sustenance. The liturgy was abandoned and
the prayers forbidden. Churches were left to go to ruin. Worse was
to come. When finally the cause was lost,[ 1646,] and the King a
prisoner. The Church was finished and the buildings turned over to
the protestants. !600 years of history were overturned. The
persecution of the Clergy went on apace and some were sent as
indentured slaves to the Plantations. Bishops were imprisoned and
the Archbishop executed by attainder, not trial!
Charles was asked in 1648 Sept, to agree to all this? If he
would his estates and palaces would be restored, the money
confiscated from him returned. His children would be freed and his
wife would be allowed back in the Country! All he had to do was to
consent to the abolition of the Anglican ,'Catholic,' Church . He
was privately informed by one of the Presbyterian Lords, that this
was his only chance, to agree or face the consequences!
He refused and some three months later suffered execution
outside the Banqueting Hall in London!
He died [ 30th, January, 1649.] a martyr for the Anglican Church
and 10 years later was Canonised by that Church.
