Financial Struggles of the Early Stuart Monarchs

The financial struggles of the English monarchy in the early 1600s were a major source of conflict with Parliament. Several factors contributed to the Crown's financial difficulties:

• A century of inflation had eroded the value of traditional royal income sources
• The Crown had sold off or leased much of its land, reducing rental income
• Customs duties and feudal rights provided inconsistent revenue

As a result, monarchs increasingly relied on parliamentary subsidies to fund expenses, especially for foreign policy initiatives like warfare. This dependence on Parliament for money created leverage for MPs to challenge royal authority.

James I attempted to address the financial issues through the Great Contract of 1610, negotiated by Robert Cecil. This proposed major reforms to Crown finances in exchange for parliamentary subsidies. However, the negotiations ultimately collapsed due to mutual distrust and disagreements over royal impositions.

Example: The Great Contract proposed trading traditional feudal dues for a fixed annual parliamentary grant of £200,000.

Charles I's financial desperation led him to impose the controversial Forced Loan of 1626 without parliamentary approval. This arbitrary taxation further damaged relations with Parliament and the public.

Definition: A Forced Loan was a form of prerogative taxation imposed by the monarch, typically on wealthy subjects.

The Crown's ongoing financial weakness undermined its independence and authority, contributing significantly to the breakdown in relations with Parliament by 1629.

The Three Resolutions and the 1629 Crisis

The breakdown of Crown-Parliament relations reached its climax in 1629 with the dramatic events surrounding the Three Resolutions. This incident marked the final collapse of cooperation between Charles I and Parliament until 1640.

Key events of the 1629 crisis:

1. Charles attempted to adjourn Parliament before it could pass resolutions critical of his policies
2. MPs physically held the Speaker in his chair to prevent adjournment
3. The Commons passed three resolutions declaring:
   • Anyone seeking to extend or introduce "popery or Arminianism" was an enemy of the kingdom
   • Anyone advising the collection of tonnage and poundage without parliamentary consent was an enemy of the kingdom
   • Merchants paying these duties were "betrayers of the liberties of England"

Quote: "You shall sit till we please to rise." - Denzil Holles to the Speaker during the Three Resolutions incident

Charles I responded by dissolving Parliament and arresting the leaders of the protest. This marked the beginning of his Personal Rule, governing without Parliament for 11 years.

The Three Resolutions incident epitomized the complete breakdown of trust and cooperation between Crown and Parliament, culminating the tensions that had been building since 1603.

Timeline of Key Events (1603-1620)

This period saw a progressive deterioration in relations through various political and economic developments, from James I's accession to the throne through multiple parliamentary conflicts.

Highlight: Key events included the peace with Spain (1604), the Bates Case (1608), and the failure of the Great Contract (1610).

Constitutional Clashes Between Crown and Parliament

The relationship between the Crown and Parliament deteriorated significantly from 1603-1629 due to constitutional power struggles. Both James I and Charles I had major disputes with Parliament over the extent of royal prerogative powers.

Under James I, key conflicts included:

• The 1604 Buckinghamshire Election Case, challenging the king's authority over elections
• James dissolving Parliament in 1621 after disputes over war policy and tearing up the Commons Protestation

Charles I escalated tensions through actions like:

• Impeaching the Duke of Buckingham in 1626
• Rejecting the Petition of Right in 1628
• Forcibly preventing Parliament from adjourning in the 1629 Three Resolutions incident

Highlight: The constitutional clashes centered on disagreements over the balance of power between monarch and Parliament, especially regarding the royal prerogative.

Definition: Royal prerogative refers to the monarch's right to take certain actions without parliamentary approval, such as declaring war.

These constitutional disputes laid the groundwork for the eventual breakdown in Crown-Parliament relations by 1629.