Stuarts
Life in 17th Century
Vast majority lived in countryside. Merchants believed London was eating
up trade. Average death expectancy was 30 due to poor diet, giving birth,
no medical knowledge. Main export was Cloth, which was transported to
Netherlands to be ‘finished’. Parliament and Monarch clash over Royal
prerogative and finance issues. Monarch has control over church, army.
Political Nation = those who are involved in political activity.
James Character
- Born 1566 in Scotland to Mary Queen of Scots (executed) and Lord
Darnley (murdered).
- Raised Protestant and baptised Catholic.
- Highly educated: George Buchanan, Peter Young
- Violent upbringing: all 4 regents murdered e.g. Lennox
- Inclined to peace: Rex Pacificus
- Divine right & absolutism: not harshly implemented
- Books: Demonology, Trew Law of Free Monarchy
- Financially extravagant on courtiers and favourites
- Treaty of Berwick: peace between England and Scotland
- Denounced witches, ant-smoking, liked men
- Married to Anne of Denmark (Protestant later turned Catholic)
- 7 children, 3 survived: Henry (died at 13), Charles and Elizabeth
- Religiously tolerant.
Court and Favourites
- Patronage: giving titles, money in return for loyalty
- Howard Faction: Crypto- Catholics, approved Spanish Match,
attempted to replace Villiers with Monson.
- Abbot Faction: Protestants, Overbury scandal.
- Esme Stuart: gentlemen of the chamber
- James Hay: conspicuous consumption, placed aristocracy into debt.
- Buckingham/ George Villiers: created monopolies, sold titles, 1623
Spanish match, hated by parliament.
- 1606 Parliament Subsidy: £44,000 to 3 Scottish favourites + £500
for decorations for their uniforms.
Early Finance issues
- Crown lands losing values
- War with Spain
- Inherited debt of £422,000
,- James extravagant: household expenditure 60%, annual expenditure
doubled.
- £44,000 on 3 favourites
- Pay for 3 separate courts (himself, Anne, and Prince of Wales)
- Conspicuous consumption
- New Book of Rates: inflation
- Increased trade due to Treaty of London with Spain 1604
- Impositions: regulate trade, unpopular, referred to as ‘back door tax’
- Revised book of rates: £70,000 per annum
- Wardships
Parliament clashes
- Alienated Parliament
- Wants a say in expenditure
- Parliament privileges under attack: free election, speech, and arrest
- Great Contract 1610: crown gives up feudal rights in return for
£200,000, James asks for another £200,000 and it fails.
Finance 1614 – 1625
- Sold crown lands: Cecil reduced debt by £600,000. Cranfield refused
to sell as it weakened Kings authority.
- Sold titles: Baronet £1600 - £200, Gentry thought those who bought
weren’t right, Knighthoods £30 to ex-criminals. Total = £500,000
- Earl of Suffolk/ Thomas Howard: Treasurer 1614. Built Audley End
£80,000. Debt rose to £900,000, charged with embezzlement and
imprisoned with his wife.
- Cockayne Project 1618: James took away Merchant Adventures
monopoly and lent £10,000, no money and no expertise so it failed,
and the cloth trade collapsed.
- Bacon: Increased debt to £800,000, cut down pensions by patents
on monopolies
- Cranfield: cut expenditure, no money on courtiers (Book of Bounty),
England couldn’t afford war with Spain, but peace was expensive
£100,000. Enemy with Buckingham. Decreased household 50%.
- Personal spending: ignored Cranfield.
Religious Divides
- England: Protestant, 7% Catholic
- Ireland: Catholic
- Scotland: Lowlands Presbyterian, Highlands Catholic
- Catholic church: extravagant, richly decorated
- Protestant church: simple, bible in English for all to read.
- James = Supreme Governor of Church. Security and peace depend
on religion
- Puritan: salvation if deserved, guide bible, preaching, bishops have
no power, hate Catholics
, - Anglican: salvation by faith, holy communion, bishops represent
King, Catholics threaten faith
- Armenian: salvation to all, bishops are special, Catholics are the
sister church
- Catholics: salvation to all if they are catholic, Catholicism in the true
church. Pope receives the word of God.
James and Puritans
- 1603 Millenary Petition: 1000 signatures: disliked cross during
baptism, ring in marriage and bowing at the name of Jesus. They
also wanted Stricter observance of the Sabbath.
- 1604 Hampden Court Conference: English bible translation ‘King
James Bible 1611’. James failed to carry out any reforms. Used
church as a political tool and appointed Bancroft.
- Bancroft wanted uniformity, and wanted what Puritans did not e.g.
bowing at Jesus
- Bancroft Canons 1604: strengthen Bishops powers and enforce
uniformity.
- 300 Puritans refused – Silenced Brethren.
- James alienated Puritan opinions
- 1610 George Abbott appointed – more tolerant to Puritans.
- Book of Sports 1618: continues sports on a Sunday.
James and Catholics
- Reduced recusancy fines, but parliament complained so James had
to reintroduce
- James fluctuated from tolerant to severe
- 1604 legislated against Jesuits and Priests and forced them out of
the Kingdom
- Purge after Bye and Main Plots 1603/4 – 5,560 persecuted
- 1606 Gunpowder Plot: Penal Laws, had to attend church, public
execution of plotters, but refused to blame all Catholics for it.
- 1606 Oath of Allegiance
- Anti-Catholic measures not rigorously enforced
- Act for Better Discovering and Repressing of Popish Recusants:
Catholics can’t be in London, can’t hold public office.
- 30 years' war: Elizabeth and Fredrick of Palatinates fall victim to
Catholics, avoided commitment in Bohemian Question 1618.
Proposed Spanish match. Fear of counter-reformation: Habsburg
Domination.
First Parliament 1604-1610
- Parliament Privilege: Freedom from arrest, free speech, and free
elections
- Goodwin V Fortescue: Who’s elected, P. wants to pick. Neither
elected and a new election held.
Life in 17th Century
Vast majority lived in countryside. Merchants believed London was eating
up trade. Average death expectancy was 30 due to poor diet, giving birth,
no medical knowledge. Main export was Cloth, which was transported to
Netherlands to be ‘finished’. Parliament and Monarch clash over Royal
prerogative and finance issues. Monarch has control over church, army.
Political Nation = those who are involved in political activity.
James Character
- Born 1566 in Scotland to Mary Queen of Scots (executed) and Lord
Darnley (murdered).
- Raised Protestant and baptised Catholic.
- Highly educated: George Buchanan, Peter Young
- Violent upbringing: all 4 regents murdered e.g. Lennox
- Inclined to peace: Rex Pacificus
- Divine right & absolutism: not harshly implemented
- Books: Demonology, Trew Law of Free Monarchy
- Financially extravagant on courtiers and favourites
- Treaty of Berwick: peace between England and Scotland
- Denounced witches, ant-smoking, liked men
- Married to Anne of Denmark (Protestant later turned Catholic)
- 7 children, 3 survived: Henry (died at 13), Charles and Elizabeth
- Religiously tolerant.
Court and Favourites
- Patronage: giving titles, money in return for loyalty
- Howard Faction: Crypto- Catholics, approved Spanish Match,
attempted to replace Villiers with Monson.
- Abbot Faction: Protestants, Overbury scandal.
- Esme Stuart: gentlemen of the chamber
- James Hay: conspicuous consumption, placed aristocracy into debt.
- Buckingham/ George Villiers: created monopolies, sold titles, 1623
Spanish match, hated by parliament.
- 1606 Parliament Subsidy: £44,000 to 3 Scottish favourites + £500
for decorations for their uniforms.
Early Finance issues
- Crown lands losing values
- War with Spain
- Inherited debt of £422,000
,- James extravagant: household expenditure 60%, annual expenditure
doubled.
- £44,000 on 3 favourites
- Pay for 3 separate courts (himself, Anne, and Prince of Wales)
- Conspicuous consumption
- New Book of Rates: inflation
- Increased trade due to Treaty of London with Spain 1604
- Impositions: regulate trade, unpopular, referred to as ‘back door tax’
- Revised book of rates: £70,000 per annum
- Wardships
Parliament clashes
- Alienated Parliament
- Wants a say in expenditure
- Parliament privileges under attack: free election, speech, and arrest
- Great Contract 1610: crown gives up feudal rights in return for
£200,000, James asks for another £200,000 and it fails.
Finance 1614 – 1625
- Sold crown lands: Cecil reduced debt by £600,000. Cranfield refused
to sell as it weakened Kings authority.
- Sold titles: Baronet £1600 - £200, Gentry thought those who bought
weren’t right, Knighthoods £30 to ex-criminals. Total = £500,000
- Earl of Suffolk/ Thomas Howard: Treasurer 1614. Built Audley End
£80,000. Debt rose to £900,000, charged with embezzlement and
imprisoned with his wife.
- Cockayne Project 1618: James took away Merchant Adventures
monopoly and lent £10,000, no money and no expertise so it failed,
and the cloth trade collapsed.
- Bacon: Increased debt to £800,000, cut down pensions by patents
on monopolies
- Cranfield: cut expenditure, no money on courtiers (Book of Bounty),
England couldn’t afford war with Spain, but peace was expensive
£100,000. Enemy with Buckingham. Decreased household 50%.
- Personal spending: ignored Cranfield.
Religious Divides
- England: Protestant, 7% Catholic
- Ireland: Catholic
- Scotland: Lowlands Presbyterian, Highlands Catholic
- Catholic church: extravagant, richly decorated
- Protestant church: simple, bible in English for all to read.
- James = Supreme Governor of Church. Security and peace depend
on religion
- Puritan: salvation if deserved, guide bible, preaching, bishops have
no power, hate Catholics
, - Anglican: salvation by faith, holy communion, bishops represent
King, Catholics threaten faith
- Armenian: salvation to all, bishops are special, Catholics are the
sister church
- Catholics: salvation to all if they are catholic, Catholicism in the true
church. Pope receives the word of God.
James and Puritans
- 1603 Millenary Petition: 1000 signatures: disliked cross during
baptism, ring in marriage and bowing at the name of Jesus. They
also wanted Stricter observance of the Sabbath.
- 1604 Hampden Court Conference: English bible translation ‘King
James Bible 1611’. James failed to carry out any reforms. Used
church as a political tool and appointed Bancroft.
- Bancroft wanted uniformity, and wanted what Puritans did not e.g.
bowing at Jesus
- Bancroft Canons 1604: strengthen Bishops powers and enforce
uniformity.
- 300 Puritans refused – Silenced Brethren.
- James alienated Puritan opinions
- 1610 George Abbott appointed – more tolerant to Puritans.
- Book of Sports 1618: continues sports on a Sunday.
James and Catholics
- Reduced recusancy fines, but parliament complained so James had
to reintroduce
- James fluctuated from tolerant to severe
- 1604 legislated against Jesuits and Priests and forced them out of
the Kingdom
- Purge after Bye and Main Plots 1603/4 – 5,560 persecuted
- 1606 Gunpowder Plot: Penal Laws, had to attend church, public
execution of plotters, but refused to blame all Catholics for it.
- 1606 Oath of Allegiance
- Anti-Catholic measures not rigorously enforced
- Act for Better Discovering and Repressing of Popish Recusants:
Catholics can’t be in London, can’t hold public office.
- 30 years' war: Elizabeth and Fredrick of Palatinates fall victim to
Catholics, avoided commitment in Bohemian Question 1618.
Proposed Spanish match. Fear of counter-reformation: Habsburg
Domination.
First Parliament 1604-1610
- Parliament Privilege: Freedom from arrest, free speech, and free
elections
- Goodwin V Fortescue: Who’s elected, P. wants to pick. Neither
elected and a new election held.
