To what extent & for what reasons did divisions emerge in Parliament between the summer of 1641 & the summer of 1642?

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Ben Ruddock 12A

To what extent & for what reasons did divisions emerge in Parliament between the summer of 1641 & the summer of 1642?

In the Summer of 1641, between May to June, Prerogative taxation and the courts were abolished, under the control of the Long Parliament. The Ten Propositions followed closely behind in June of that same year, but when Charles leaves to negotiate peace with the Scots he leaves Parliament to sort everything, which is a bad idea as I November, the Irish Rebellion and the Grand Remonstrance occurred. Charles returns to his throne from Scotland during this time. Finally, in December of 1641, the Militia Bill was passed. The following year in January, there was the attempted arrest of the Five members of Parliament and the King leaves London.

In early 1641, to begin to dismantle Personal rule, the Prerogative Courts of Star Chamber and High Commission were abolished, and Ship Money and Knighthood issues were declared illegal. The limits of the royal forest were also redefined, (so some people could move back) and the collection of tonnage and poundage without parliament intervening was outlawed. Pym was left with then problem of how to safeguard the concessions they had already won. They thought that if Charles had the opportunity, he would refuse to see the limits of his prerogative. Therefore, further restraints may be needed, to protect them of laws already in place. The Deaths of Bedford and Strafford had ended any prospect of Charles attempting to cooperate with his opponents because Charles had offered positions in Government to some of his parliamentary critics, and Bedford was only one of this group who Charles had any trust in. Any remaining chance was taken away when Strafford was killed, and instead Charles looked to build an alternative party within Parliament from those who opposed Strafford’s Attainder, such as Lord Digby. Religion convinced Charles that it was his opponents who were becoming divided because even though Charles wanted Bishops gone, as they had done nothing to endear him, and MP’s feared that the removal of bishops’ from Church government could have dangerous implications. In a society that hierarchy as a cornerstone, its removal of its church might threaten that which operated in secular society. Despite heated debate, no agreement could be reached apart from bishops being limited in Government and even this was rejected by the Lords. Petitioning over the summer continued and MPs began to think Parliament might become a vehicle for dangerous religious and political radicalism.

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The ‘Ten Propositions’ of June 1641, were revolutionary in that they called for the King to submit his choice of ministers to Parliament, a measure that could not easily be presented as a correction of an imbalance of power that had grown up during the 1630’s. The Crown’s right to chose its ministers was old and established as part of the royal prerogative, and not something that Charles was likely to accept. Parliament had moved from reacting against innovations of the Personal Rule, to suggesting innovations in its own right, something that gave great cause for concern to more ...

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