The rule of Charles I in England and Scotland, 1625-1640

Charles I Ascension to the Throne

Charles I succeeded his father James I and VI in 1625, becoming the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
He followed a similar absolutist style of rule as his father, showing fervent belief in the Divine Right of Kings.
Many of his subjects, particularly those within parliament and those of Puritan belief, were fervently opposed to this manner of ruling.

Charles I and Parliament had an adversarial relationship, initially revolving around royal finances and foreign policies.
The King’s habit of frequently resorting to non-parliamentary means of revenue generation (like levying Ship Money in 1635) and his marriage to a Catholic Princess, Henrietta Maria of France, strained this relationship further.
He dissolved the Parliament several times, leading to the period known as the “Personal Rule” or the “Eleven Years’ Tyranny” (1629-1640), during which he attempted to rule without Parliament.

Charles I’s reign was marked by increased religious tension between the Anglican and Puritan factions.
The appointment of the Arminian, William Laud, as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633, who sought to enforce religious uniformity and resisted Puritan demands, further fuelled these tensions.
Charles I and Archbishop Laud’s attempts to impose a new Prayer Book in Scotland (1637) resulted in widescale opposition and the signing of the National Covenant (1638), which sparked the first Bishops’ War.

The Bishops’ Wars (1639-1640) were a sequence of conflicts between Charles I and the Scottish Covenanters who opposed his religious innovations.
These wars led to an embarrassing loss for Charles and increased financial strain, forcing him to recall the Parliament in 1640.
Parliament demanded reforms and limitations on the King’s power before granting him the money to fight the Scots, leading to the Long Parliament which played a crucial role in the years leading to the English Civil War.

In Ireland, Charles endeavoured to attract English and Scottish Protestants to settle in Ireland while reducing the power of the Irish Catholic gentry, causing resentment.
The failed attempt to impose the new Anglican prayer book caused anger among the Irish and Scots, contributing to the rising tensions and setting the ground for conflicts.