| Copyright | ||
|
Home Charles I and Domestic Affairs, 1625-42 1640-1642 1640-1642; Part 2 |
1640-1642; Part 2Now at last, after nigh forty years, some of the questions at issue between King and Parliament were to be definitely settled. And it is worth noting that the House of Commons during these nine months worked with practical unanimity—a fact which shows how universal the dissatisfaction with the king's government had been. Under Pym's leadership laws were passed declaring that this particular Parliament was not to be adjourned or dissolved without its own consent, and that, in future, Parliaments must be summoned every three years (the Triennial Act). The arbitrary courts—such as the Star Chamber and the Court of High Commission — were abolished, and taxes such as ship-money and knighthood fines were declared illegal. Only on a Bill for the abolition of Episcopacy—the Root and Branch Bill—was there great divergence of opinion.Along with these laws came the punishment of the king's former advisers. Some, however, had fled overseas, but others were imprisoned and impeached (In the whole course of English history there have only been seventy impeachments, and of this number a quarter took place between 1640 and 1642), and amongst these were the two greatest, Laud and Strafford. Laud was not beheaded till 1645, but to the popular imagination “Black Tom Tyrant", as Strafford was called, was the embodiment of the arbitrary power of the king. In the words of a contemporary, "the whole kingdom was his accuser", and when he was impeached for treason it was felt that his trial would decide the question whether government was to be in future by the king's prerogative alone or by King and Parliament combined. But it was impossible to prove that Strafford had been guilty of treason: he might have been guilty of acts against the nation, but not of acts against the king. Of his government in Ireland, which was one point of attack, he made a very able defence. It was universally believed—possibly with some justice —that Strafford had advised the king to utilize the Irish army to overawe English resistance. But the only evidence of this was contained in some notes taken at a Privy Council meeting by one of its members, in which Strafford is reported to have said: "You have an army here you may employ to reduce this kingdom", and from the context it was impossible to judge whether "this kingdom" referred to England or Scotland. |
Chronology |
| london builders Glendive | copyright by uuo-ununoctium.info |