The Failure of Monarchical Government (1625-1629)

Charles I inherited a complete financial disaster when he became king in March 1625. His dad left him with empty coffers and terrible credit, forcing him to beg London merchants for £60,000 (which wasn't nearly enough). This meant he had no choice but to face Parliament - and that's where things got messy.

Parliament wasn't having it. The MPs and Lords were more interested in protecting their own power and common law than helping Charles out of his money troubles. They refused to grant him tonnage and poundage for life (basically customs duties that previous kings got automatically), which meant Charles would have to keep calling Parliament whenever he needed cash. Talk about losing your independence!

Things got even stickier when Charles married the Catholic Queen Henrietta Maria. She rocked up with her own court full of Catholic advisors, which made Protestant England very nervous. Charles didn't help himself by promoting Arminian clergy $basically Catholic-lite$ and giving plum court positions to controversial figures like Richard Montagu.

Key Point: Charles's foreign policy failures, including the disastrous attack on Cadiz led by the unpopular Duke of Buckingham, made Parliament want to impeach his favourite minister. Rather than face the music, Charles just dissolved Parliament - a move that would come back to haunt him.

The 1626 Parliament showed Charles had learned absolutely nothing. When he called another Parliament hoping for money, they immediately went after Buckingham again. Charles dissolved Parliament without getting a penny, then tried to demand a forced loan from taxpayers. Those who refused? Prison or forced military service. Even Lord Chief Justice Carrew got the boot for refusing to make this legal robbery official.

By 1628-29, Charles was desperate. Failed military campaigns against both Spain and France (including Buckingham's botched attempt to help Protestant rebels at La Rochelle) meant England was fighting two Catholic powers at once. Parliament finally agreed to five subsidies in taxation, but only after crafting the Petition of Right - a document demanding Charles stop imprisoning people without trial, end forced loans, and quit forcing people to house soldiers. Charles agreed, then immediately published his own version asserting his right to keep collecting taxes anyway. When Buckingham was assassinated in 1628, Charles grieved while the public literally celebrated with bonfires.