James I
A foreign King in a new land.
Instructions
• Read Chapter 21 - Historiography and do
Activity 21A.
• ANSWERS
• James alleged to have been coarse,
extravagant, homosexual, and a drunk.
Historians such as Notestein and Kenyon
criticised his judgement when choosing
advisors and friends.
• Pronounced Scots accent and awful eating
habits made him unpopular at Court; said to be
ignorant of how PMT worked and too lavish on
Answers cont..
•
In hindsight, his personality defects did not cause a rebellion (like Ez) or
lead to his execution (like Charles)
•
His Scots accent wasn’t that bad - other kings couldn’t even speak English
e.g. george I in 1714. Also, can’t be inarticulate AND verbose in same
sentence.
•
Much of the evidence of his flawed personality comes from one disgruntled
courtier Sir Anthony Weldon (kicked out of court for writing negatively abut
the Scots)
•
Was called senile for not solving financial problems - rough call?
•
His judgement of men WAS poor - e.g. Carr and Villiers. However, Villiers
wasn’t all bad - he did some good things (rebuilt navy, arranged Spanish
marriage of Prince Charles)
21 B Answers
•
Favourites were monarch’s personal companions - chosen
for their charm and good looks on occasion. Ministers were
royal advisers chosen for their ability only. Ez good at
distinguishing btw them, James, not so much.
•
Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset
•
Howard’s gained influence after Carr fell due to Overbury
scandal. Carr married Frances Howard (had divorced 3rd
Earl of Essex on count of impotence. Overbury disapproved,
Carr and Howard poisoned him. they were convicted and
imprisoned in 1615.
21 C answers
•
Buckingham unpopular because;
•
dominated royal offices; spent heavily; promoted his own
family; manipulated foreign policy for personal gains; rigidly
controlled clients in COmmons
•
Buckingham reversed ENG foreign policy after returning
home form shambles attempt to sort out marriage btw Charles
and Spanish infanta. Eng not at war with Spain, he wanted to
change that.
•
James use of faction had developed an alliance btw his son
Charles and Buckingham. SO when James died,
Buckingham, next most powerful man in the kingdom was on
Charles’ side.
James and Parliament
•
1604-1611 - First Parliament. 5 sessions
•
1604 May - July First session.
•
Shirley’s Case - guaranteed MP’s immunity from arrest while at
PMT
•
Union of Scottish and English Crowns. James was king of both,
wanted to combine them and be ‘King of Great Britain’. However,
English PMT not keen and in the end James gave up - prompted
Apology and Satisfaction of the Commons but never presented to
James.
•
It famously stated “prerogatives of princes may easily and do
daily grow; the privileges of the subjects are for the most part at
an everlasting stand”
James and PMT cont..
•
1605-1607 Second Session
•
Met in anti-Catholic paranoia after Gunpowder Plot was discovered.
Voted 4 subsidies due to threat to security of the realm.
•
Notes on plot from following websites. Spartacus
Site
•
NOTE: Important to understand that while we now associate Guy
Fawkes most closely with Gunpowder plot - he was not actually the
leader. Also watch mini doco on Plot and key players involved (see
MacTubes)
•
Second Session of PMT also had Bate’s Case - affirmed
Crown’s right to collect Customs Duties to ‘regulate trade’ this led to extension of duties = ‘New Impositions’ from 1608
History Learning
James and PMT cont...
•
1610-1611 - Fourth and Fifth Sessions
•
One subsidy voted
•
Impositions were debated - showed political ramifications of
exploiting this form of revenue.
•
Salisbury floated Great Contract - Crown giving up feudal dues
in return for annual PMT grant. It failed due to faction fighting
and fact that Crown asked for too much initially - 300,000
pounds.
•
Frustrated by continual sniping on the above matters, and at his
spending on Scottish favourites, James dissolved PMT in 1611.
James and PMT cont..
• 1614 ‘Addled’ Parliament
• Called ‘addled’ because it failed to pass any new
laws or vote any subsidies. James had called it
to get money but faction fighting ended any
chance of this PMT achieving anything.
•
James made the comment to his confidant the Spanish
Ambassador Gondomar, that the Commons was a ‘body without
a head’
•
This comment reflects James’ view of House of Commons as
being stubborn - BUT also reflects his own failure to manage
them properly
James and PMT cont...
•
1621 - 2 sessions Nov 1621 to Dec 1622
•
Issues here were religion, revival of impeachment and abuse of
monopolies.
•
Buckingham unpopular at this stage - offered Francis Bacon (famous
philosopher and Lord Chancellor ) as sacrificial lamb to PMT. He also
encouraged Commons anger towards James’ foreign policy in the hope
that James would dissolve PMT again.
•
Commons drew up a Protestation discussing feeling that their rights
were being taken away from them - claimed their privileges were
“ancient and undoubted birthright and inheritance of the subjects of
England”
•
James did not share their views and tore the Protestation out of the
Commons Journal
• 1624 Feb 1624
- March
1625.
James
and
PMT
• Spanish marriage policy. Buckingham trying to
marry Charles to Spanish infanta.
• Rebuffed, they came back to England
demanding war ! Protestants and governing
class enthusiastic about idea - Earl of Middlesex
opposed war and was impeached by
Buckingham and CHarles for corruption.
• James warned Charles about setting precedent
of impeachment - was certainly to affect Charles
later on.
• PMT automatically dissolved on James’ death
James and Religion
• When James gained throne both Catholics and
‘Godly’ Protestants had raised expectations of
the new king.
• Catholics were hopeful he would be more
tolerant than Ez.
• Godly Protestants hoped for further reform of
Anglican Church - wanted it more Protestant
than under Ez.
• Both groups were ultimately disappointed.
James and the ‘Godly’
•
James was presented with Millenary Petition on arrival in England.
•
Protestant authors of this wanted - end to pluralism (more than one
parish); establish preaching ministry (Prots keener on sermons than
Catholics); abolition of ‘Popish’ practices in church (wedding rings,
surplice and cap by clergy)
•
James did want to raise the level of education of clergy, but was
reluctant to make too many other changes. Hampton Court Conference
in 1604 largely an anti-climax - only new bible.
•
Also James was a Calvinist - he accepted predestination, and while he
didn’t think bishops had divine right he did think they were important in
the Church.
•
Appointment of Bancroft as ArchBish of Cant showed James view of
bishops, as Bancroft definitely liked episcopacy.
the Catholics
• MostJames
Catholics and
had reached
compromise with
Protestant contemporaries under Ez. They paid
their recusancy fines and were loyal to the
Crown on anything secular.
• Catholics had hoped James would end these
fines but they were far too lucrative for him to do
that.
• The climate of anti-Catholic feeling after
Gunpowder plot helped James get four
subsidies out of PMT.
• Foreign policy tied up with Crown - Catholic
relations. During Spanish marriage negotiations,
ACTIVITY
•
Write short paragraph of about 150 words outlining similarities and
differences between Elizabeth’s and James’ religious policies.
•
Both Ez and James saw the political significance of religion as being
just as important as the theological significance. James’ however, was
far more open to discussion regarding religion - he welcomed it often.
James did not alter the basic substance of the Ez settlement of 1559,
despite vigorous debate - indeed the only thin that happened at the
Hampton Court Conference was the issuing of a new translation of
the bible. James was personally tolerant of Catholicism - as Ez had
been; indeed his wife Anne of Denmark, converted to Catholicism
during his reign; but he was also happy to continue to receive money
from recusancy fine. This was financially smart, and also gave him
some political leverage over powerful factions like the Howards.
James and Finance
•
Finance source of friction with PMT for James for most of his reign.
•
He inherited a difficult situation - but probably made it worse with his
extravagant ways. Royal household had cost £14,000 in 1600; by 1607 it
was costing £21,000 -Crown debt went from £50,000 in 1600 to
£160,000 in 1607.
•
James had very competent Treasurers in Salsibury (Robert Cecil) 16031611 and Cranfield 1621=23 who were both in favour of cutting spending
but were unable to convince James he needed to cut down aswell!
•
PMT became unsympathetic to pleas of royal poverty - they were
unwilling to vote subsidies in peacetime - and apart from four in 1606 after Gunpowder plot- and one in 1610, there were no more until 1621.
James and Finance
•
As subsidies weren’t given anymore James had to find new
ways of getting money.
•
After Bates’s Case (1606 PMT) - a range of ‘new impositions’
were charged on goods from 1608. Boosted revenue by around
£70,000, BUT - was very unpopular.
•
Crown land sold - why was this only a short term measure?
•
James unashamedly sold titles (as opposed to Elizabeth) created title of Baronet in 1611. This also upset people particularly who?
•
Old peers with titles going way back.
james and Finance
•
Feudal dues were exploited (particularly purveyance - Crown getting
stuff cheap) but it angered the people.
•
Response by the Crown was the idea of the Great Contract - 1610 (put
forward by Salisbury - Robert Cecil)
•
Idea was to replace feudal dues with an annual grant to the Crown
based on property tax.
•
Failed because Crown asked for way too much initially 600,000 and
an annual sum of 200,000 - and also there was too much faction
fighting going on for anyone to agree (anyone watching the USA debt
debacle?)
•
Plus gentry hated property taxes and generally evaded them anyway!
james and Monopolies
•
There had been anger during Elizabeth’s reign about
monopolies as they restricted trade rather than expanded it.
•
By 1621 PMT was so annoyed at the Crown’s use of
monopolies they impeached two of James’ courtiers who had
been receiving monopolies.
•
•
Then in 1624 a bill was passed in PMT that restricted the
Crown’s right to grant any more monopolies.
James never really managed to solve the financial problems the
Crown faced
His extravagance may have got him
some friends but it upset many MP’s
who were reluctant to vote subsidies
that would be spent on favourites.
Impositions aroused resentment and
became THE constitutional issue of
the reign.
The Crown’s revenue gathering was
really inefficient. Only a third of the
Crown’s revenue actually reached
the Treasury.