Source: Absolutism vs Constitutional Packet 1 (Mr. D. Lopez)
Tags: James I, Charles I, Stuart kings, Parliament, House of Lords, House of Commons, gentry, Puritans, divine right, Petition of Right, Book of Common Prayer, English Civil War, martial law, absolutism 1600s
Difficulty: Intermediate Prerequisites: Part 1 study notes (Philip II and Elizabeth I). You need to understand absolutism, divine right, the GERMS framework, and the fact that Elizabeth left behind a money problem and a restless Parliament.
This section covers the first half of the 1600s, when two Stuart kings, James I and Charles I, tried to impose absolutism on an England that increasingly resisted it. The core conflict is between monarchs who believed God gave them unlimited authority and a Parliament (especially its House of Commons) that believed it had the right to control taxation and check royal power. James I antagonised Parliament through overspending, illegal taxation, and religious persecution. His son Charles I escalated the conflict to the point of civil war. Understanding this section is essential because it explains why England erupted into armed conflict in 1642 and why the English would eventually reject absolutism altogether.
James I and Charles I both believed in divine right and absolutism. Both spent more than Parliament authorised, shut Parliament down when it resisted, raised taxes without consent, and persecuted religious groups. Charles I went further by accepting and then ignoring the Petition of Right, forcing the Book of Common Prayer on Scotland, and eventually invading Parliament with soldiers. The result was the English Civil War (1642–1649).
House of Lords
The upper chamber of Parliament, composed of hereditary nobles. During the 1600s, the Lords were losing influence as the House of Commons gained economic and political power.
House of Commons
The lower chamber of Parliament, made up of wealthy landowners and businessmen (the gentry). In simple terms, this was where the rising middle class had its voice, and it became the main source of opposition to royal absolutism.
Gentry
The non-noble class who earned their fortunes through business and trade, and who sat in the House of Commons. Think of them as the self-made wealthy, distinct from the inherited-title nobility. They demanded political power proportional to their economic contribution.
King James I (r. 1603–1625)
Elizabeth I's cousin and successor; King of both England and Scotland. An absolutist who ruled by divine right, overspent, clashed repeatedly with Parliament, and persecuted both Puritans and Catholics.
King Charles I (r. 1625–1649)
James I's son. Continued his father's absolutism but was more aggressive: pro-Catholic, repeatedly dissolved Parliament, accepted and then violated the Petition of Right, and ultimately triggered the English Civil War by invading Parliament with troops.
Petition of Right (1628)
A document Charles I accepted in exchange for military funding. It required the king to observe subjects' rights: no housing troops in private homes, no martial law, no illegal taxation, no imprisonment without cause. In simple terms, it was Parliament's attempt to put royal power in writing, and Charles agreed to it, then broke every promise.
Martial law
The suspension of ordinary law, replaced with military law. Charles I used it to control dissent before the Petition of Right restricted it.
Book of Common Prayer
The official prayer book of the Church of England. Charles I's attempt to force it on Presbyterian Scotland in 1637 triggered riots and eventually a war that forced him to recall Parliament.
King James Bible
The only Bible authorised for church use under James I, replacing Puritan prayer books. It remains one of the most influential English-language texts, though its creation was partly a political act against Puritan influence.
Guy Fawkes
Leader of the 1605 Catholic plot to blow up Parliament. The plan failed; Fawkes was tortured and executed. The event deepened hostility between the Crown and English Catholics.
Kings ruled alongside Parliament (House of Lords + House of Commons)
Kings believed their authority came from God and was absolute
The nobility (House of Lords) was losing power
The gentry (House of Commons) was gaining power through wealth earned in business and trade
The gentry sympathised with the Puritans
This combination of rising gentry, assertive Commons, and Puritan religious fervour created a sustained challenge to royal absolutism
Beliefs
Ruled by divine right; believed he was above the law
Arrogant and conceited by contemporary accounts
Control of government
Spent more than Parliament authorised
Shut down Parliament in 1604 and raised his own taxes without consent
Illegally sold noble titles to the gentry to fund his spending
Closed Parliament again in 1611 and ruled alone until 1621
Control of the economy
Lent money to explorers headed to America, hoping they would find riches for him
Funded his lifestyle through illegal taxation and selling titles
Parliament was outraged at his financial behaviour
Control of religion
Banned Puritan prayer books in 1611
Made the King James Bible the only authorised Bible for church
His persecution of Puritans drove them to America (Massachusetts, 1620)
Suppressed Catholics, stole their land, and sold it to the gentry
The Gunpowder Plot (1605): Catholics attempted to blow up Parliament; Guy Fawkes was caught, tortured, and executed
Control of the military
Signed a peace treaty in 1604 ending the Anglo-Spanish war
Kept England out of the Thirty Years' War (1624) to avoid bankruptcy
Overall pattern: James pushed absolutism through overspending and unilateral taxation but stopped short of military confrontation with Parliament. His persecution of religious groups created lasting resentments, and his financial recklessness set a terrible precedent for his son.
Beliefs
Absolutist who believed in divine right, like his father
Anti-Puritan and pro-Catholic (a dangerous combination in Protestant England)
Control of government
Spent more money than authorised and fought Parliament for more
When Parliament refused to fund his war with Spain (1626), he shut it down and forced the wealthy to loan him money
Imprisoned or tortured those who refused to lend or who spoke against him
Accepted the Petition of Right in 1628 (agreeing to respect subjects' rights), then violated it almost immediately
Shut Parliament down again after 1629 and ruled alone for 11 years
Reopened Parliament in 1640 only because he needed money for a war with Scotland
Parliament used its leverage to abolish royal courts, execute royal ministers, declare itself permanent, and strip the king of absolute power
In 1642, Charles invaded Parliament with his army, triggering the English Civil War
Control of the economy
Declared war on Spain in 1626 without funds
Forced loans from the wealthy under threat of imprisonment
Raised taxes without Parliamentary consent
Control of religion
Tried to force the English Book of Common Prayer on Scotland in 1637
Scotland rioted, leading to war by 1639
This religious overreach forced him to recall Parliament, giving it the opening to challenge him
Overall pattern: Charles took every one of his father's bad habits and intensified them. Where James dissolved Parliament and raised taxes, Charles dissolved Parliament, raised taxes, imprisoned dissenters, accepted legal limits on his power, broke those limits, forced his religion on another country, and then sent soldiers into Parliament. Each escalation pushed England closer to armed conflict.
The Petition of Right (1628) is a foundational document in the history of civil liberties. Its principles, including no taxation without representation, no imprisonment without cause, and no quartering of soldiers in private homes, reappear directly in the American Bill of Rights more than 150 years later. The conflict between executive authority and legislative power that defines this period remains central to constitutional democracies today.
Students often think James I and Charles I had identical policies. James was anti-Catholic and anti-Puritan; Charles was anti-Puritan but pro-Catholic. This distinction matters because Charles's Catholic sympathies alarmed Protestant England in ways James never did.
The Petition of Right is sometimes confused with the English Bill of Rights (1689). The Petition came 60 years earlier, was accepted by Charles I, and was then violated. The Bill of Rights came after the Glorious Revolution and was far more enforceable.
Students sometimes assume Charles I started the Civil War on purpose. The war resulted from a chain of escalations: Parliament stripped his powers, and Charles responded with military force. Neither side set out to fight a war at the beginning.
⚠️ The Petition of Right (1628) is a key document. Know what it said (no illegal taxation, no martial law, no imprisonment without cause, no quartering troops) and that Charles accepted it and then violated it.
⚠️ Charles I's invasion of Parliament in 1642 is the direct trigger of the English Civil War. Be prepared to explain the chain of causes leading up to it.
⚠️ The role of the gentry is a recurring theme. Their rising economic power, their presence in the House of Commons, and their sympathy with the Puritans are the structural forces behind Parliament's challenge to absolutism.
⚠️ James I's persecution of the Puritans and their emigration to Massachusetts in 1620 connects this unit to American history topics.
True or false: James I kept Parliament open throughout his reign. (False, he shut it down multiple times and ruled alone from 1611 to 1621.)
Fill in the blank: The 1628 document in which Charles I agreed to respect subjects' rights was called the ________. (Petition of Right.)
True or false: Charles I was pro-Puritan like his father. (False, both were anti-Puritan, but Charles was pro-Catholic while James was not.)
Fill in the blank: The rising non-noble class who earned their fortunes in business and sat in the House of Commons were called the ________. (Gentry.)
True or false: The English Civil War began when Parliament invaded the king's palace. (False, it began when Charles sent his army into Parliament in 1642.)
Q: How did James I's financial behaviour set a precedent for conflict between the Crown and Parliament?
A: James spent more than Parliament authorised, shut Parliament down when it objected, raised his own taxes without consent, and illegally sold noble titles to fund his lifestyle. This established a pattern of monarchs bypassing Parliament on money matters, which his son Charles I repeated and escalated.
Q: What was the Petition of Right, and why did it fail to prevent conflict?
A: The Petition of Right (1628) was a document Charles I accepted in exchange for military supplies. It required the king to stop illegal taxation, imprisonment without cause, martial law, and quartering troops in homes. It failed because Charles violated its terms almost immediately and then shut Parliament down for 11 years.
Q: Why did the gentry pose such a threat to absolutism?
A: The gentry were wealthy businessmen and landowners who sat in the House of Commons. They argued that their economic contributions entitled them to political power. They also sympathised with the Puritans. Together, the gentry and the Puritans formed a bloc that was willing to challenge both the monarch and the traditional nobility.
Q: What chain of events directly led to the start of the English Civil War in 1642?
A: Charles I forced the Book of Common Prayer on Scotland (1637), Scotland rioted and went to war, Charles needed money and recalled Parliament (1640), Parliament used its leverage to strip the king's powers and execute his ministers, and Charles responded by sending his army into Parliament. Opposition leaders escaped and raised their own army, beginning the war.
This material flows directly into Part 3 (Oliver Cromwell, the execution of Charles I, the Restoration, and the Glorious Revolution). The Petition of Right introduced here is an ancestor of the English Bill of Rights (1689) covered in Part 3, which in turn influenced the American Bill of Rights. The Puritan emigration to Massachusetts (1620) triggered by James I's persecution connects to American colonial history.
James I, Charles I, Stuart dynasty, House of Lords, House of Commons, gentry, Puritans, divine right of kings, Petition of Right 1628, Book of Common Prayer, martial law, Guy Fawkes, Gunpowder Plot 1605, King James Bible, English Civil War causes, Parliament vs monarchy, absolutism in England 1600s, world history honors