Charles I. he strove to be loyal to his friends. But he also possessed in full measure the stubborn tenacity of the Stuarts and their inordinate appreciation of the kingly character and office. Character of Too long had King Charles listened to those who had taught that in matters. of government the only test of right and wrong, of legality and illegality, was the sovereign's own intentions. There were certain hindrances in the way of a complete realization of the Stuart theories, and to overcome these the king made use of expedients that were not honest. He was constantly asking his subjects to accept his "royal word;" but the royal word of Charles Stuart was utterly worthless. 322. Stuart Absolutism: Summary. The period from 1629 to 1642 falls into four divisions. (1) During the first four years, the king was organizing the machinery of government, looking for men upon whom he could depend, punishing Development the leaders of the opposition, and experimenting of absolutism. with new forms of taxation. This was also the period of extensive colonization in New England. (2) In 1633 Laud was placed at the head of the English church, and the king was ready to establish absolutism in every field of government. This was the period of persecution of Puritan clergymen and of the agitation over ship money. But "personal government" had an active period of a little more than three years only (1633-1637). (3) In 1637 began the trouble with Scotland over episcopal offices and a new ritual, and the Stuart system broke down when Charles failed to overcome the Scotch in the two Bishops' Wars. (4) In 1640 parliament was Failure of personal again summoned. The Long Parliament enacted government. a number of very important constitutional reforms; but when the parliamentarians began to attack the English church, the party split, and a strong royalist faction was formed under the leadership of Hyde and Falkland. A few months. later, King Charles proclaimed civil war (1642). It is not to be forgotten that the effort to establish absolute monarchy in England was not an isolated instance of such a STUART ABSOLUTISM: SUMMARY 353 Absolutism on the Continent. movement it was a part of a great movement in that direction that covered the entire Continent. When the seventeenth century closed, absolutism had conquered in nearly all the more important states in Europe, the notable exceptions being the Dutch republic and the British kingdom. The failure of personal monarchy in England is, therefore, a matter of European importance. REFERENCES PERSONAL GOVERNMENT OF CHARLES I. Cheyney, Short History of Eng land, 418-429; Cross, History of England, 460-473; Innes, History of England, 409-414; Oman, History of England, 366–370; Tout, Advanced History of Great Britain, 439–443. LAUD AND THE PURITANS. Beard, Introduction to the English Historians, 355-363 (Gardiner); Fletcher, Introductory History of England, I, ii, 302–308; Gardiner, Student's History of England, 516–521; Ransome, Advanced History of England, 526-528. Cross, 466-468; Fletcher, I, ii, FINANCIAL METHODS OF CHARLES I. 308-315; Gardiner, 521-524; Ransome, 528-530. THE AMERICAN COLONIES. 531; Tout, 423-424. - Fletcher, I, ii, c. xx; Ransome, 497-499, 530 CHARLES I AND THE SCOTCH. Brown, Short History of Scotland, 412-423; Fletcher, I, ii, 316–326; Innes, 414-422; Lang, Short History of Scotland, 179– 190; Ransome, 532-537; Tout, 443-445. THE LONG PARLIAMENT. - Andrews, History of England, 354-361; Beard, 364-372 (Gardiner); Crcss, c. xxix; Firth, Cromwell, c. iii; Fletcher, I, ii, 327-356; Gardiner, 529-537; Innes, 423-428; Morley, Oliver Cromwell, 71-84; Oman, 372-379; Ransome, 539-555; Tout, 446-449. The First CHAPTER XVI THE AGE OF CROMWELL 323. Parties of the Civil War. The civil war that broke out in the summer of 1642 continued for a little more than three years till the autumn of 1645, when the royalist forces began to disintegrate; when the following spring came, the cause of the Stuarts was definitely lost. It is called the First Civil War to distinguish it from the brief period of hostilities in 1648 which is known as the Second Civil War. In this great conflict England was divided socially, politically, and geographically, though clear lines of division existed nowhere. On the one side were the partisans of parliament, by which is meant the majority of the house of commons; on the opposite side were gathered the followers of the king, men with a profound respect for the historic rights of monarchy, who were unwilling to see the royal prerogative diminished in favor of the upstarts in the house of commons. The An Parties in the conflict. glican naturally drifted into the royal following, while the Puritan stood with parliament; still, there were many Puritans who finally chose to support the king. The peers with their tenants and retainers were commonly found in the royalist ranks; at the same time there were many men of substance on the side of the revolutionists: the parliamentarian armies were commanded by Puritan lords. In general, the north and the west rallied to the support of the dynasty, while the east and the south sympathized with the parliamentarians. 324. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Parties. When the war broke out, each side had certain decided advantages, though at first conditions appeared to favor the king. The nobles and the gentlemen who volunteered for his service |