SHORT PARLIAMENT – April-May 1640
This was the P that C1 summoned after the end of 1st Bishops war hoping they would give him money to
defeat the Scots. The P lasted 3 weeks.
People weren’t convinced that C1 was ready to work w/P. By calling P too late, he’d lost the opportunity to get
England to back him. It was traditional to summon P before war not only to get subsidies but to the nations’
patriotism. Many of the MP’s sympathised w/Covenanters.
One of P’s roles was to make royal acts seem more legitimate but after its absence of 11 years, other matters
such as division (from ship money, religious changes and the activities of the prerogative courts) were more
important than war. The elections aroused huge interest.
John Pym: Puritan. Leading role in attempts to impeach
John Pym listed grievances in the opening speech of the P: B (1620’s). Great public speaker. Began to behave like a
gov leader by issuing orders which looked v like royal
1. Infringement of P liberties proclamations which bore Pym’s name. V able
2. Innovations in religion administrator.
3. Violations of property
Commons weren’t prepared to make any grant of money unless ship money was abolished. C1 offered:
No ship money = 12 subsidies
Strafford attempted to divide P by appealing to the Lords on C1’s behalf. Then C1 appealed in person to the
Lords for support against the Commons. The following day, a conference was held between both Houses.
Lords supported C1, insisting that £ for the wars should be granted before the Commons' grievances were
addressed = Protests from the Commons that the Lords' intervention was a breach of privilege. Pym and his
friends in the Lords stayed determined in their efforts to prevent a breach.
C1 dissolved P before they could even discuss it properly because:
Strafford(Wentworth) advised patience but C1 had unrealistic expectations of the speed at which an
OCCASIONAL legislative body (w/no leadership) could take such weighty decisions.
C1 was unnerved by P’s hostility and by rumours that his opponents in P communicated
w/Covenanters.
OVERALL: P didn’t vote any £. Only a small minority of England was paying ship money. Demonstrations
and unrest in England. MP’s were questioned/imprisoned. Crown was criticised to be acting autocratic.
At the same time as P, the Convocation (Church equivalent of P) of the COE met (C1 let them) to make
new canons to legitimise Laud's ecclesiastical (religious) reforms. Traditionally, Convocation sat only while
P was in session, but after the abrupt dissolution of the Short P, it was allowed to continue sitting to
complete its work:
Granting of subsidies to the King.
17 new canons
Affirmation of the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings
‘Etcetera Oath’ to be taken by all members of the clergy who were to swear approval of
the Church doctrine = widespread opposition meant that it had to be abandoned.
Instead of reassuring that the Church was safe in C1’s hands, it came across as the
pope’s hands. Was seen as a plot to destroy Protestantism.
This was the P that C1 summoned after the end of 1st Bishops war hoping they would give him money to
defeat the Scots. The P lasted 3 weeks.
People weren’t convinced that C1 was ready to work w/P. By calling P too late, he’d lost the opportunity to get
England to back him. It was traditional to summon P before war not only to get subsidies but to the nations’
patriotism. Many of the MP’s sympathised w/Covenanters.
One of P’s roles was to make royal acts seem more legitimate but after its absence of 11 years, other matters
such as division (from ship money, religious changes and the activities of the prerogative courts) were more
important than war. The elections aroused huge interest.
John Pym: Puritan. Leading role in attempts to impeach
John Pym listed grievances in the opening speech of the P: B (1620’s). Great public speaker. Began to behave like a
gov leader by issuing orders which looked v like royal
1. Infringement of P liberties proclamations which bore Pym’s name. V able
2. Innovations in religion administrator.
3. Violations of property
Commons weren’t prepared to make any grant of money unless ship money was abolished. C1 offered:
No ship money = 12 subsidies
Strafford attempted to divide P by appealing to the Lords on C1’s behalf. Then C1 appealed in person to the
Lords for support against the Commons. The following day, a conference was held between both Houses.
Lords supported C1, insisting that £ for the wars should be granted before the Commons' grievances were
addressed = Protests from the Commons that the Lords' intervention was a breach of privilege. Pym and his
friends in the Lords stayed determined in their efforts to prevent a breach.
C1 dissolved P before they could even discuss it properly because:
Strafford(Wentworth) advised patience but C1 had unrealistic expectations of the speed at which an
OCCASIONAL legislative body (w/no leadership) could take such weighty decisions.
C1 was unnerved by P’s hostility and by rumours that his opponents in P communicated
w/Covenanters.
OVERALL: P didn’t vote any £. Only a small minority of England was paying ship money. Demonstrations
and unrest in England. MP’s were questioned/imprisoned. Crown was criticised to be acting autocratic.
At the same time as P, the Convocation (Church equivalent of P) of the COE met (C1 let them) to make
new canons to legitimise Laud's ecclesiastical (religious) reforms. Traditionally, Convocation sat only while
P was in session, but after the abrupt dissolution of the Short P, it was allowed to continue sitting to
complete its work:
Granting of subsidies to the King.
17 new canons
Affirmation of the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings
‘Etcetera Oath’ to be taken by all members of the clergy who were to swear approval of
the Church doctrine = widespread opposition meant that it had to be abandoned.
Instead of reassuring that the Church was safe in C1’s hands, it came across as the
pope’s hands. Was seen as a plot to destroy Protestantism.
