First Stuarts (King James I & King Charles I) and
Puritans
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King James I (1603-1625) and Puritans
I. Hampton Court Conference
II. Aspects of Puritanism: Preaching - discipline - Sabbatarianism
III. Reaction of James to these aspects: The Book of Sports (1618)
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I. Hampton Court Conference
James arrived in England in 1603. English men were happy to have a male king
after 45 years of female reign.
James faced 2 major problems:
(1) he inherited debts in 1603: the Spanish war coasted much money to
England, and consequently the country knew a great inflation.
(2) he was confronted to the religious problems. The question of religion was
not dissociated/separated from the politics as the king was the chief of the
state and church at once.
James witnessed 3 religious movements: Catholicism - Anglicanism -
Puritanism
His accession had been seen by both Puritan and Catholic dissidents as an
opportunity to try to win concessions they had long wanted under Elizabeth.
Right after his arrival in England, James received from Puritans a petition
(Millenary Petition), asking him certain reforms.
The Millenary Petition was a list of requests given to James I by Puritans in
1603 when he was travelling to London in order to claim the English throne.
The Demands of the Millenary Petition
The Puritans rejected the following popish ceremonies:
The signing of the cross during baptism.
The administration of baptism by women.
Use of the ring in marriage.
Bowing at the name of Jesus.
Dress of the ministers.
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They asked for toleration to practice their faith.
They wanted better observance of the Sabbath (Sabbatarian), which was originally
supported by James up until The Book of Sports.
They wanted a new translation of the Bible
Here were moderate reforms. At the beginning of century, Puritans didn't call into
question the Episcopate structure of the church (the government/organization of Anglican
Church).
Puritans had high hopes that the king would help them to purify England,
because James had received a Presbyterian education (though his mother, Mary
Queen of Scots was catholic)
He was baptized by the pioneer of Calvinism, John Knox
James agreed somehow with such reforms. Accordingly, he called Puritans and
representatives of Anglican Church to the memorable conference: Hampton Court
Conference in 1604. But both sides were in disagreement.
James sided with Anglicanism, because the latter suited much more to the theories of
government he had developed in his treaties (bishops were useful to him).
There he said his famous sentence: 'No Bishop, No King!' The two stood or fell together.
He added in fury 'I shall make them [Puritans] to conform themselves or I will harry them
out the land'.
Bishops depended on the crown for protection and promotion, so as a group they
tended to elevate the royal prerogative.
Hence Bishops became strong.
Following on the abortive conference, 300 English Puritans were ejected from their
livings.
Hence, the gap between James and Puritans deepened.
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The Catholic opposition. As far as Catholics are concerned, they were
disappointed by James, who had made them believe in greater tolerance. Even
some thought that it would be the end of the discrimination and the suppression
of anti-Catholic laws (Penal Laws). However, as the anti-Catholic sentiment was
so intense in the Parliament and in the country, the king was compelled to take
harsh measures against the Catholics.
The consequence was a missed attack against Parliament: Gunpowder Plot in
1605. The object was to blast the Parliament, when the king was present. The
explosives were discovered thanks to anonymous warning. The plotters were
severely punished.
This event intensified the English men and women's hate toward the Catholics.
Accordingly, other anti-Catholic laws were passed in 1606.
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I. Aspects of Puritanism: Preaching - discipline -
Sabbatarianism
Of many aspects of Puritanism 3 only can be touched: preaching - discipline –
calling - Sabbatarianism
1. The emphasis on preaching, on the intellectual element in religion as
against the sacramental and liturgical (the Protestant emphasis on the
individual conscience as opposed to external ceremonies) dates from the
Reformation.
'Preaching of the Word was the chariot on which Salvation came riding
into the hearts men'.
Royalists disagreed: there should be less preaching, for much preaching
breeds faction.
Writing and preaching about controversial matters in religion was
prohibited.
2. Discipline. The daily discipline. The clergy urged (i.e. preached) Puritans
to subject themselves to a daily discipline. Puritans believed that the day
should begin with a private time to pray and reflect upon one's life. They
rose very early in the morning to pray and meditate. They thought that
they could even feel God's presence with them at that time of the
morning. This was also a time to commit their self-reflections. Clergy
urged the believers to take time in the day to pray and read the Scripture.
At the end of the day Puritans were to reflect on their behaviour, asking
themselves how well he had fulfilled their daily duties.
3. Religious calling and Worldly calling. Just as the Puritans believed that
they had received religious calling from God, so too they believed that
they had been fitted by the creator with talents and skills that determined
their earthly vocation. They thought that it was their duty to God to use
those gifts effectively in the tasks to which they had been called.
Possibility of overcoming poverty by discipline. Puritans put into people's
head that, if discipline were planted, there should be no beggars nor
vagabonds.
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Puritan appeal: discipline would solve England's unemployment. The
critical point for Puritan teaching was no matter what one was called to
do, the call came from God. One was not merely fitted by the duty to be,
say, a carpenter, one was obliged to respect those gifts by being the best
carpenter one could be.
Discipline was something that concerned this world as well the next
NB. It is one the many points at which Puritanism appears to serve the
needs of early capitalism: emphasis on the duty of working hard.
Men served God here on earth by productive labour for the welfare of the
community.
4. Puritan Sabbatarianism.
In medieval England, and Catholic countries in the 17th c., the year was
marked by over a 100 holy days, on which no work was done.
They thought a regular weekly rest more appropriate (no so many holy
days, because this would hinder people from the hardworking requested
by Puritanism.
For the Puritans the importance of the Sabbath was its association with
preaching, Bible reading and household prayers.
Hence their disapproval of the Sunday sports, which kept men away from
sermons.
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I. Reaction of James to these aspects: The Book of Sports
(1618)
Reaction of James: he published The Book of Sports in 1618 (in which he
authorized sports on Sundays and other holy days) It was issued to counteract
the growing Puritan calls for strict abstinence on the Christian sabbath
(Sabbatarianism). (Puritans considered James's action as undisciplined and
popish. The Book of Sports was encouraging debauchery). Puritan denounced
this in their literature. The God's punishment of non-observing of Sabbath was a
central theme in Puritan literature.
When James justified his Declaration of sports, his reasons were:
a) men would associate the sports with popery, and became dissatisfied
with the established Church if deprived of them;
b) the common (men) would become unfit for military service;
c) they would go in disgust to alehouse (tavern) (there they would have
political discussions and speeches). The government feared that
unoccupied men would talk sedition.
Migration. Hence Puritans fled where they could worship freely God as they
pleased, according to their conscience. Many Puritans began to consider
migration. In the early 17th c. the Netherlands (not to confuse with Holland)
was the most attractive refuge for the English Puritans. Then they preferred to
go to Americas, to establish the God's Kingdom. The decision to leave England
was not an easy one. It meant cutting themselves off from many families and
friends... They identified themselves with Characters of Bible: Moses and
Abraham, Jesus.
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Conclusion
James was at first strict in imposing conformity, inducing a sense of persecution
amongst many Puritans . The conflict between the Church of England and
puritans, however, diminished during the mild reign of James, because the new
Archbishop of Canterbury from 1611 to 1633, George Abbot, sympathized with
many of the puritans' complaints and regarded Catholicism as the real threat
against which Protestants should unite.
The King brought with him one good gift: the union with Scotland. He united
the 2 crowns, but not the 2 distinct of Parliaments (which would be united in
1707)
One positive consequence of James's ruling was the translation of the Bible, well known
by the name King James Bible (Authorized Version of the Bible). The King James Bible
became the standard version in English for many centuries.
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Charles I and the Puritans
I. The accession of Charles
II. Charles and Parliament
1) Forced Loan
2) The Murder of the Duke of Buckingham
III. The Personal Rule of Charles I
IV. William Laud and the Church
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I. The accession of Charles I: the reign of Charles I (1625-1649)
Charles was a quiet, shy child and he remained reticent all his life - unable and
unwilling to explain his actions to others.
Unlike his father, he was rigid and not ready to compromise, and religious man.
He never gave his full confidence to his advisers, except his favourite friend
Buckingham. He always suspected those who disagreed with him of the worst
motives.
He did inherit the views of his father on the absolute power of monarchs. Unlike
in James' case, his high theory of the Divine Right of Kings was not offset by
early experience of the rough practicalities of Scottish politics. Throughout his
life, Charles was dogmatic and unwilling to compromise. He was less prudent
and crafty than his father.
This explains his frontal confrontation with Parliament (mostly Puritans). He
was not a communicative man. When he wanted to do something, he often not
explained his intentions or actions.
A common point with his father: they had the same adviser: George Villiers,
Duke of Buckingham.
Buckingham kept exercising, during the first years of reign to his assassination
in 1628, the power he had under James's reign. The man and his policy were the
cause of the conflicts between Charles and the Parliaments.
James and Charles both admired the monarchies of Spain and France. The 2
kings were seeking how to rule without Parliament. James hoped by an
understanding with Spain to restore peace in Europe, and so avoid having to call
a Parliament.
James I sought a match with the great Catholic powers of Europe for his sons,
Prince Henry and Prince Charles. The negotiations for an Anglo-Spanish match
were first broached in 1604, beginning a long process of protracted consultations
between the two powers. With Henry’s death, James I looked back to Spain for a
marriage alliance for his younger son, Charles, in 1619. After 6 months of
negotiation in 1623, the scheme broke down humiliatingly, and Charles and
Buckingham returned to England determined on war with Spain. Buckingham
thought that the war against Spain necessitated an alliance with France.
Buckingham negotiated a marriage for Charles with Henrietta Maria of France,
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and he put pressure on James to make important (secret) concessions in the
Marriage Treaty of 1624. Not only were Henrietta Maria and her household
permitted to practice their Catholic faith, but it was also agreed to suspend the
laws against English Catholics (Penal Laws). Still worse, in 1625 England
agreed to send ships to help Louis XIII to suppress the Protestants of La
Rochelle.
England found itself at war with both Spain (1624-1630) and France (1627-
1629) at once.
There was strong opposition to these policies. The Parliament directly attacked
Buckingham.
The Protestants burnt in Mary's reign had been popularised as the victims of
Spain by Foxe's Book of Martyrs, of which there was a copy in many churches.
The torture of Spanish Inquisitions, the Spanish Armada, Gunpowder Plot ... all
these events had contributed to build up a picture of cruel Papists striving to
dominate the world.
Hence the English opposed strongly to James's policy (match with Spain: the
marriage). Puritans in the Parliament, instead, wanted since early in 17th c. war
with Spain.
England declared war on Spain 1624
Charles and Henrietta were married in May 1625.
Charles' marriage to Henrietta Maria of France, destined to be the mother of
many troubles to England and of more to the house of Stuart.
II. Charles I and Parliament
Charles summoned Parliament - convinced that it would readily vote large sums
for the war with Spain.
At home, the concessions to English Catholics ordered by Charles on his
marriage made parliament suspicious and uncooperative. The Parliament
(Commons) claimed the King was to execute the laws against the papists. This
suspicion led the Commons to vote only about £140,000, not sufficient to run a
war.
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Charles tried to extract more money.
Not only did the Commons refuse to give Charles adequate money for a serious
war-effort, it voted tonnage and poundage (the customs duties traditionally
granted for life at the monarch's accession) for only one year. The Royalists
considered this so insulting to Charles.
Charles dissolved the parliament and simply took tonnage and poundage without
parliamentary authority. This produced another grievance that disrupted his
future relations with parliament.
1. Forced Loan
The Parliament of 1626 had not voted any taxation and Charles desperately
needed money. He decided to demand directly from his people what their
representatives in parliament had refused to grant to give him money.
The vast majority of Charles's subjects refused to pay.
In September Charles levied a Forced Loan. Earlier monarchs had occasionally
ordered individual subjects to lend money in emergency, but Charles aimed at
extracting the equivalent of five subsidies. Anyone who refused to "lend" (with
virtually no hope of repayment) was to answer to the Privy Council. These
threats had their effect, and altogether about £250,000 was extracted.
Demanding money with menaces was not Charles' only unpopular move, he also
began to billet his soldiers in the houses of civilians all along the South Coast of
England. [Normally soldiers were lodged in taverns and inns, but Charles had no
money to pay the tariffs]. These underpaid, undisciplined and unwelcome guests
were immune from local law - being subject only to military courts.
Charles even used the billeting of troops as a form of punishment for local
opposition. One town that suffered in this way was Banbury - Where Puritan
opponent of Charles lived.
Most of those ordered to pay the Forced Loan had obeyed, and others who
refuse to pay were imprisoned. (Because a king was a little God: Divine Right
of kings).
Charles encouraged the Church of England's ministers to preach in favour of the
Forced Loan. William Laud (was bishop at the time) supported this Divine
Right theory. In 1626 the clergy were instructed to preach that refusal of finance
support for the King was sinful.
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The right of the monarch to imprison (without bringing specific charges)
people who posed a danger to the state had long been accepted, and the Judges
found in Charles I's favour.
The royal prerogative to imprison without cause shown was widely accepted in
the case of seditious conspirators. The political nation was not happy for it to be
used against respectable citizens objecting to extraordinary levies.
The support given to some anti-Calvinists , and his lack of enthusiasm for penal
laws against Catholics - convinced many people in England that Charles wanted
to move the Church of England closer to Catholicism.
---------------------------------------
Charles I had married Henrietta Maria as part of a foreign policy aimed at
attacking Spain and allying with France. But tensions between England and
France soon became acute. Louis was angered by Charles failure to extend the
promised toleration to Catholics; Charles was annoyed with Louis for using
English ships in the suppression of French Protestants. Buckingham declared
war on France.
In 1627, Charles decided to help the French Protestants besieged in the town of
La Rochelle.
Preparations began in May 1627, but the poor quality of recruits and lack of
preparation and supplies boded badly for the expedition.
The defeat of the Expedition: Less than 3000 English soldiers of the
approximately 7000 involved in the expedition returned alive to England in
November 1627. The failure to relieve La Rochelle was 'the greatest dishonour
that our nation ever underwent'. Buckingham had finally lost the confidence of
the political nation.
Most of England regarded this failure as Buckingham's fault; Buckingham and
Charles attributed it to their inability to extract sufficient financial support from
England.
Charles was still determined to continue the war, but with his troops unpaid for
months and on the verge of mutiny, he had to get some money. Early in January
1628, Charles released the imprisoned refusers of the Forced Loan, and at the
end of the month summoned a new Parliament.
The House of Commons denounced (1) the Forced Loan, (2) imprisonment
without cause shown in 1628.
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2. The murder of the Duke of Buckingham
By 1628, Buckingham was the most unpopular man in England. He was widely
blamed for exercising undue influence over Charles and for the failure of the
expedition of La Rochelle.
After Buckingham's death, no one man took his place as favorite. Instead,
Henrietta Maria (whose relationship with Charles was strained) gradually gained
a greater share of her husband's affections.
Yet Buckingham's death did nothing to improve relations with the House of
Commons. This was in part because of the policies Charles followed in the
Church of England (his position toward Catholics).
James I had counteracted Puritan attempts to reform English Church worship
and government, but he had been an orthodox Calvinist in his doctrine. Charles,
in contrast, supported churchmen who voiced doubts about the Calvinist
doctrine of predestination.
To the 1628 Articles of Religion, Charles prefaced a declaration forbidding the
clergy to preach or publish on the issue of predestination. The Declaration also
stated that the King in the Convocation of clergy should govern the church
(ignoring Parliament).
Charles I's chief advisor in religious matters was William Laud, who in July
1628 was promoted to the Bishopric of London. Almost all English books were
printed in London, and so, as Bishop, Laud now controlled which books were
licensed.
Many MPs feared that dangerous innovations were being made in the Church of
England. In a few places, clergymen had railed in their communion tables at the
east end of the church and begun to call these "altars".
The advocates of railed altars thought this simply displayed proper respect.
Their puritan opponents regarded the practice as a return to popery - if not
outright idolatry.
Charles dissolved the Parliament in 1629.
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III. The Personal Rule of Charles I (Divine Right of Kings)
(dictatorship) (He was in many ways the icon that James described in
Basilikon Doron)
Parliament was dissolved 3 times 1625-1629
In 1629, passions and frustrations reached such a peak that Charles decided for
the future he would govern without calling Parliament.
From the dissolution of Parliament in 1629, until 1640, Charles I ruled alone.
Charles was still short of money, and the first step towards repairing his finances
was to stop spending money in unsuccessful warfare.
A peace was concluded with France in 1629 and with Spain in 1630.
Charles I continued to collect tonnage and poundage, and also extended
monopolies and impositions.
By far the most important new source of finance was Ship Money. English
kings had customary rights to call on coastal communities to provide ships to
defend the realm. If no ships were available, a payment of "ship money" could
be made in lieu.
In 1635, Charles issued a writ demanding ship money not only from coastal
counties but from all English counties. (This was one of the causes of the
English Civil Wars)
Parliament insisted that parliament was the proper body to vote taxation, but a
majority of the Judges found were against
Despite the Judges' confirmation of Charles I's legal right to levy ship money,
there was widespread dissatisfaction and some open opposition.
IV. William Laud and the Church
Finance was not the only area where Charles adopted unpopular measures. He
was alienating a huge majority of his people by his religious policies, for his
support for Archbishop William Laud.
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George Abbot died in August 1633, and Charles gave his place as Archbishop of
Canterbury to William Laud.
Two things about William Laud which dangerously weakened loyalty to the
Crown.
1) One of Laud's first moves was to issue a Declaration of Sports establishing
the lawfulness of pursuing various forms of relaxation and recreation on
Sundays. The Declaration was deeply offensive to puritans and Sabbatarians
who regarded the Lord's Day set apart for worship, not fun.
2) Many of the practices encouraged by Laud were reminding of Roman
Catholic beliefs and ritual. With Laud himself maintaining that the Roman
Church was a true church, though corrupt one, it became widely believed that
the Church was being betrayed and abandoned.
Laud's own priority was to restrict Englishmen to a thorough conformity to the
letter of the Common Prayer Book. The 1559 Common Prayer Book was not
only necessary but sufficient. Direct clash with Puritans.
Laud enforced his policies by a savage repression of Puritans previously unseen
in England.
Hence many Puritans fled England convinced that the country was fatally sinful
and wicked, and, consequently, impossible to solve the problem: John Cotton
and others set out to the New England (sometimes through Holland). Persuaded
to be elected by God, they identified themselves to Moses and the Hebrews who
had fled from Egypt to the Promised Land, Canaan.
Among those who stayed in England, some opponents (Puritans) were sentenced
in 1634 to imprisonment and the loss of his ears, such as William Prynne.
Laud wanted to humiliate his opponents, but instead Prynne, and others became
popular heroes.
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