1607. Settlement of Jamestown (p. 291). 1608. Establishment of new impositions. 1610. The Great Contract; in return for the surrender of some feudal privileges the king was to receive a yearly income of £200,000. The agreement was frustrated by a dispute over the impositions. Dissolution of parliament (Feb. 9, 1611). 1611. Plantation of Ulster, which was forfeited to the crown by the rebellion of Tyrone. Creation of baronets, an hereditary knighthood; sale of the patents. 1611. Completion of the translation of the Bible, which was authorized by the king and had occupied forty-seven ministers since 1604. Imprisonment of Arabella Stuart. 1613. Robert Carr, the king's favorite (viscount Rochester in 1611), created duke of Somerset, and lord treasurer, on the death of the earl of Salisbury (Robert Cecil). Death of Henry, prince of Wales (Nov. 1612). First English factory at Surat. 1613. Marriage of the princess Elizabeth (" queen of Bohemia ") to the elector Palatine. Death of Sir Thomas Overbury, who was imprisoned in the Tower by the malice of Somerset. Marriage of Somerset and the countess of Essex. 1614, Apr. 5-June 7. Second Parliament of James I. Three hundred new members, among whom were John Pym (Somersetshire), Thomas Wentworth (Yorkshire), John Eliot (St. Germains). The whole session was spent in quarrelling with the king over the impositions, and parliament was dissolved without making an enactment, whence it is called the addled parliament. 1615. Renewal of the negotiation for the marriage of James's son to a Spanish princess (opened in 1611). Imposition of a benevolence, which was resisted by Oliver St. John and condemned by the chief justice, Sir Edward Coke, who was afterwards dismissed from office. Death of Arabella Stuart. Mission of Sir Thomas Roe to the Great Mogul. 1616. Condemnation of the duke and duchess of Somerset for the poisoning of Overbury. Rise of George Villiers in the king's favor; viscount Villiers, earl, marquis, duke of Buckingham. 1617. Sir Walter Raleigh, released from the Tower, allowed to sail for the Orinoco, where he hoped to discover a gold mine. Failing in this he attacked the Spanish towns on the Orinoco. 1618. Proclamation allowing sports on Sunday after church in Scotland (Articles of Perth). Francis Bacon, lord Verulam, viscount of St. Albans, lord chancellor. In this year Sir Walter Raleigh, returning from his expedition, was executed under the old sentence, as reparation to Spain. 1619. Commercial treaty with the Dutch respecting the East Indies. 1620. Settlement of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, in New England (p. 294). 1621, Jan. 30-1622, Feb. 8. Third Parliament of James I. The parliament granted a supply for the prosecution of the war in the palatinate (p. 310), in which James was half-hearted, and then took up the subject of grievances. Impeachment of Mompesson and Mitchell, who had bought monopolies of inn-licensing and the manufacture of gold and silver thread; they were degraded, fined, and banished. Impeachment of Francis Bacon, the chancellor, for bribery. Bacon admitted that he had received presents from parties in suits, but denied that they had affected his judgment. He was fined £40,000 (which was remitted) and declared incapable of holding office in the future. Petition of the commons against popery and the Spanish marriage. The angry rebuke of the king for meddling in affairs of state ("bring stools for these ambassadors ") drew from the parliament 1621, Dec. 18. The Great Protestation: "That the liberties, fran- Imprisonment of Southampton, Coke, Pym, Selden. Earl of 1623. Charles, prince of Wales, and the duke of Buckingham, went to Spain and negotiated a marriage treaty, the provisions of which were so favorable to the Catholics as to excite great dissatisfaction in England; finally, being unable to secure any help from Spain in regard to the palatinate, Charles and Buckingham returned in anger. Massacre of English residents on the island of Amboyna by the Dutch. 1624, Feb. 12-1625, Mar. 27. Fourth Parliament of James I. The Spanish marriage was broken off, but even the anger of Buckingham could not drive the parliament into a declaration of war with Spain. Supplies voted for defense. Mansfeld raised 1,200 men in England who reached Holland but nearly all perished there from lack of proper provisions. Marriage treaty with France for the marriage of Prince Charles with Henrietta Maria, sister of Louis XIII. 1625, March 27, death of James I. at Theobalds. 1625-1649. Charles I. 1625, May 11. Marriage of Charles I. and Henrietta Maria. Ships sent to Louis XIII. secretly engaged not to fight against the Huguenots. 1625. First Parliament of Charles I. (Assembled June 18; adjourned to Oxford July 11; dissolved Aug. 12.) Grant of tonnage and poundage for one year only, and of £140,000 for the war with Spain. Proceedings against Montague ("appello Cæsarem," 1624). Unsuccessful expedition of Wimbledon against Cadiz. 1626, Feb. 6-June 15. Second Parliament of Charles I. Charles had hoped for a more pliable parliament, as he had appointed several of the leaders of the first parliament sheriffs, and so kept them out of the second. But this parliament, under the lead of Sir John Eliot, was more intractable than the last. Lord Bristol, to whom no writ had been sent by order of the king, received one on the interference of the lords, but was requested not to appear. He took his seat and brought charges against Buckingham, on which that lord was impeached (May). Imprisonment of Sir John Eliot and Sir Dudley Digges, who were set at liberty upon the refusal of parliament to proceed to business without them. War declared against France (1626–1630). 1627. Inglorious expedition of Buckingham to the relief of Rochelle (Isle of Rhé). Exaction of a forced loan to raise money for the French war, and for the subsidy which Charles had agreed to supply to Christian IV. of Denmark. Five persons, who were imprisoned for refusing to contribute, sued out a writ of habeas corpus, but, having been committed by the king's order, though without distinct charge, they were remanded to prison. 1628, March 17-1629, March 10. Third Parliament of Charles I. May. Passage of the Petition of Right: 1. Prohibition of benevolences, and all forms of taxation without consent of parliament. 2. Soldiers should not be billeted in private houses. 3. No commission should be given to military officers to execute martial law in time of peace. 4. No one should be imprisoned unless upon a specified charge. Assent of the king (June 7). Grant of five subsidies. Suppression of the royalistic sermons of Mainwaring. Charles having, after the first year of his reign, continued to levy tonnage and poundage, the commons drew up a remonstrance against that practice. June 26. Prorogation of parliament. Seizure of goods of merchants who refused to pay tonnage and poundage. Aug. 23. Assassination of Buckingham by Felton. 1629, Jan. New session of parliament. Oliver Cromwell spoke, for the first time, in this parliament. The commons at once took up the question of tonnage and poundage; claim of privilege in the case of Rolfe, one of the merchants, whose goods had been seized, and who was a member of parliament. Adjournment of the house of commons. March 2. Meeting of parliament. Turbulent scene in the house of commons; the speaker held in the chair while the resolutions of Eliot were read: Whoever introduced innovations in religion, or opinions disagreeing with those of the true church; whoever advised the levy of tonnage and poundage without grant of parliament; whoever voluntarily paid such duties, was an enemy of the kingdom. March 5. Arrest of members; imprisonment of Eliot († Nov. 1632). March 10. Dissolution of parliament. For eleven years Charles governed without a parliament, raising money by illegal levies of taxes, sale of monopolies, and many other ways. Charles' advisers: William Laud (b. 1573, president of St. John's college, 1611-1621; dean of Gloucester, 1616; in Scotland as James I.'s chaplain, 1617; bishop of St. David's, 1621; chaplain to Buckingham, 1622; bishop of Bath and Wells, dean of the chapel royal, 1626; privy councillor, 1627; bishop of London, 1628; chancellor of Oxford, 1630; in Scotland with Charles I., 1633; archbishop of Canterbury, 1633; commissioner of the treasury, 1634; impeached, 1641; attainted (by bill) and executed, 1645), Thomas Wentworth (b. 1593; in parliament, 1614, 1621–1625; sheriff, 1625; imprisoned for refusing to comply with the forced loan; in parliament, 1628 ; baron Wentworth, lord president of the council of the north, viscount Wentworth, 1628; privy councillor, 1629; lord deputy of Ireland, 1633; went to Ireland, 1633; earl of Strafford, and lord lieutenant of Ireland, 1639; impeached, 1640; attainted (by bill) and executed, May, 1641), Weston, lord treasurer. 1630, April. Peace with France. 1629. First charter of Massachusetts Bay Colony (p. 295). 1630, Nov. Peace with Spain. 1632. Predominant influence of Wentworth. 1633, June. Charles crowned at Edinburgh with ceremonies distasteful to the Scots. Government of Laud and Wentworth. Energetic enforcement of conformity. The declaration of sports (p. 341) reissued. Inrailment of the communion table. William Prynne, author of Histrio-Mastix, an attack on players, which was thought to reflect on the queen, pilloried and deprived of his ears. Wentworth, governor of Ireland. "Thorough." 1634. First writ for ship-money, a war tax levied only on seaboard towns, issued at the suggestion of Noy, attorney-general, and extended over the whole kingdom. 1635. Second writ for ship-money. 1637. Prynne, Bastwick, Burton, pilloried. June 23. An attempt to read the English liturgy in Edinburgh, in compliance with the order of Charles, produced a popular tumult at St. Giles. June. Trial of John Hampden, for refusing to pay his allotment of ship-money (twenty shillings). The court of exchequer decided against him, which created a strong popular excitement. Shortly after, Hampden, Pym, Cromwell, were prevented from sailing for America by a royal prohibition of emigration. 1638, Feb. 28. Signing of the Solemn League and Covenant (based on that of 1580), at Greyfriar's church in Edinburgh, for the defense of the reformed religion and resistance to innovations. 1638, Nov. 21. General assembly at Glasgow; abolition of episcopacy, the new liturgy, and the canons; the kirk declared independent of the state. 1639. The first bishops' war. The Scots seized Edinburgh castle, and raised an army. Charles marched to meet them near Berwick, but an agreement was reached without a battle. 1639, June 18. Pacification of Dunse (or Berwick). The armies were to be disbanded, and differences referred to a new general assembly and parliament. The general assembly at Edinburgh confirmed the acts of the assembly of Glasgow, and the parliament proved intractable. The king's necessities were now so great that he took the advice of Wentworth, now made earl of Strafford, and summoned 1640, April 13-May 5. The fourth Parliament of Charles I. ("The Short Parliament ") at Westminster. As no supplies could be obtained without a redress of grievances, the parliament was soon dissolved. Popular tumults; attack on Laud's palace; assault upon the court of high commission (created 1559, by Elizabeth, to try offenses against the ecclesiastical supremacy of the crown). 1640. Second bishops' war. Defeat of the royal troops at Newburn on the Tyne (Aug. 28). The king summoned a council of peers at York (Sept.). Treaty of Ripon (Oct. 26). A permanent treaty was set in prospect; meanwhile the Scottish army was to be paid £850 a day by Charles. Acting upon the advice of the peers, Charles now summoned 1640, Nov. 3. The Fifth and last Parliament. The Long Parliament (Nov. 3, 1640-March 16, 1660). Nov. 3, 1640-Sept. 8, 1641. The fact that the Scotch army was not to be disbanded until paid, gave the commons an extraordinary power over the king, which they were not slow to use. Lenthall, speaker. Nov. 11. Impeachment of the earl of Strafford, followed by the impeachment of Laud. Both were committed to the Tower. 1641, Feb. 15. The triennial act passed, enacting that parliament should assemble every three years even without being summoned by the king. March 22. Commencement of the trial of Strafford. The result of the impeachment being uncertain, it was dropped and a bill of attainder introduced, which passed both houses (commons, Apr. 21, lords, Apr. 29). Bill to prevent clergymen from holding civil office introduced but thrown out by the lords (June). Introduction of a bill for the abolition of bishops ("root and branch bill "). May 10. Charles with great reluctance signed the bill of attainder against Strafford, and also the bill to prevent the dissolu tion or proroguing of the present parliament without its own consent. ("Act for the perpetual Parliament.") |