JAMESIANDTHERELIGIOUSQUESTION

THE Tudor kings had been national gods. To placate them, their
subjects, their clergy, and even their bishops, had more than once
changed the country's religion. the parliament sometimes criticizes their wishes ,but never
rejected it.Since
theaccessionofHenryVIItheTudors'powerhadbeenpsychological
andemotional,notmilitary.

Queen Elizabeth's death caused great anxiety in England.Calmwasrestoredwhen

it

waslearnedthattheCalvinistJamesVIwastocomesouthfrom

hisScottishkingdomasJamesIofEngland.Fromtheborder,allthewaytoLondon,thenew

King's
progresswasaprolongedtriumph.Onlyoneofhisactionswas
displeasinganddisturbing:heoverlookedtherightsofthefree

Englishman,andhadathiefwhohadbeenarrestedduringhis
journeyhangedwithouttrial.

Jameswasthirtyseven,devoidofanydignity,

spokemuchandheavyIthasbeenremarkedthat

thesuccessionofJamesItoElizabethTudorwasthe
supplanting

ofamasculinebyafemininenature.Andcertainlyachildhoodand
youthspentinamazeofmurdersandplotshadleftKingJames
withaterrorofarmedmen.

hewroteworksonpoliticaldoctrinewhereinhe
demonstratedthatKingsareintendedbyGodtorule,and
subjectsintendedlikewisetogiveobedience.

JamesIarrivedinEngland
withadangerousconvictionofhisintellectualsuperiority.Heknewvirtually
nothingofthecharacterofhisnewsubjects,anddidnottryto
understandthem,

the king was raised in Calvinist religion, but he had a good relationship with the Anglican
Church, moreover, it suited him that the church recognized a hierarchy in which the tip is king
TheCatholicsin
England,duringthelatterpartofQueenElizabeth'sreign,had
sufferedpersecutionstheseverity.TheycherishedhighhopeswhenjamesI
ascendedthethrone.Heofferedtoabolish
linesforreligiousoffences,butonlyonconditionthattheCatholics
declaredtheirloyaltytotheKingandnottothePope,andthat
theyshouldrefrainfromproselytizing.theCatholics
becamesodisappointedthatanumberofthembeganplotting
againsttheKing.

Themostdangerousoftheseconspiracieswasthefamous
GunpowderPlot.Itsaimwasthesimultaneousslayingofthe
King,theLordsandtheCommons,byblowinguptheHouseof
Lordswhenallwerethereassembled.TheGunpowderPlot
achievedtheruinofCatholicisminEnglandformanyyearsto

come.

AnglicanChurchhadontheonehandtodefendCatholicsandPuritansontheother

AtthebeginningofJames'sreignthePuritansformedpart
ofthenationalChurchandhopedtoimbueitwiththeirteachings.

Aconferencewasheldtoconsidertheirpetition,butintheend,Jameshadtoexpelfromthe
ChurchthreehundredPuritanclergywhorefusedtoobservetheAnglicanrite.
threepartiesmustbedistinguishedin
theEnglishclergy aHighChurchparty,aPresbyterianandanindependentorcongregationalist
:

party,thuscomingtobeknownasBaptists.
theindependentProtestants,if
theyremainedinEngland,couldnothopetopractisetheirfaith
inpeace.Manychoseexile,

andafter1608emigratedtoHollandandestablishedatheocracy.

KINGAGAINSTPARLIAMENT
KINGJAMESIandhisParliamenthadnothingincommon.A
frivolousandviciouscourtseethedwithscandals,

theknightswhorepresentedtheEnglishyeomeninParliament.Thesecountrymemberswere
unspoiltbyLondonlife.The
courthadnogriponthem.Theywerenotcovetousofpreferment,theyproudlyexercisedthe
privilege

ofattackingtheroyaladministration.
TothisparliamentJamesIingenuouslywishedtoimposethe
doctrineofthedivineandhereditaryrightsofkings,

TheKingwasresponsible
toGod,butnottohissubjects*Hewasnotsubjecttolaw,

becausehewasthelaw.thisdoctrine,
couldonlyoffendtheHouseofCommons.

ToParliament,astothe
Crown,thesovereigntyofthepeoplehadbeendelegated,andin
Tudortimesthemonarchhadoftenexpressedpopularfeeling
betterthantheCommons,

James.JUwithhisostentatiouscourtand
favouritestobeloadedwl5i"gifts,wasboundtobeanextravagant

sovereign!
FinallyheproposedtoParliament
theGreatCompact,wherebytheKingwastorenounceall
hisformerfeudalrightsinexchangeforalifeincomeof200,000.
ThiscompromisewasrejectedbyParliament,whichwasdissolved

bytheKing.Fortenyearsonend,between1611and1621,itwas
notagainsummoned
Ifakingistolivewithoutmoney,hemustlivewithoutwar.

AndthiswastheferventdesireofthepacificJames.In1604he
concludedaningloriousbutnotshamefulpeacewithSpain.The
SpaniardsgaveEnglandherclaimtothefreedomoftheEuropean
seas theEnglishdidnotrenouncethefreedomoftheOcean.
In1618therebeganinCentralEurope
thatgreatwarwhichwaslatercalledtheThirtyYearsWar,
wherebytheHouseofAustria,withSpanishsupport,stroveto
renewtheunityoftheEmpireandthehegemonyoftheRoman
Church,
theywerereadytodefendthefrontierof
;

theRhine,Todosoitwouldhavebeennecessarytopreventthe

SpaniardsfromlandingintheLowCountries,andthismeant
havingafleetaspowerfulasEnglandhadhadinDrake'sday.But

Jameshadbeennegligentofhisstrength.WithnoParliament
andnomoney,hehadalsonoshipsreadyforwar.

Andatlastin1621,inordertopreparefor
waragainstSpain,oratleasttogivetheSpaniardsthatimpression,
JameshadtosummonParliament.
BetweenaParliamentknowingitwasreluctantlysummoned,
andaKingwhodisbelievedinitsrightfulclaims,aclashwas

AstronglyProtestantHouse

inevitable.

wantedwaragainstSpainandacampaigninthePalatinate.The
King'sintentionhadbeenonlytothreatenSpain,Alongwith
Buckingham,hepreparedanewschemeforaSpanishmarriage,
thistimeforhissonCharles,butitfailed.