Personal Rule 1629-1640

Personal Rule 1629-40

• 11 years without parliament
• Finance methods took away the rights of the people
• religion threatened the broad church of James
• Foreign policy was english neutrality favouring spain
• growing fear of r/c absolutism that charles did little about

Religion

Aims

• restore the 'beauty of holiness' to churches and services
• to make the church more powerful and influential
• educate the clergy and make them 'equal to any gentleman'

Opposition to Laud

• 1633 Laud became the Bishop of Canterbury
• Laudian Bishops enforced their ideology onto the people, regardless of what they want
• Opposed by the gentry for his political power in the Royal Council/supporting diving right
• laudian reforms worked against the gentry and there were R/C elements in services
• everything he did had some political aim 
• puritans hated the 'beauty of holiness' and the noticeable differences in services
• Offered cardinal but denied it with 'rom how it is' which was not against catholicism. 

Laudian Reforms

• All bishops that died were replaced with Laudian bishops
• Parish priest was made independent of the gentry and the gentry pews were remove - this undemined social structure and the CofE natyre of the church and showed Laud's lack of respect for rank and dignity
• "that pestilential stye of all filth"
• Church courts were made to be as powerful as possible

Laud's Political Influence

• He sat in every church court and was involved in fining the gentry with the fence tax
• Laud used the hated Star Chamber to punish his political enemies
• Bishop Juxon was made Lord Treasurer in 1636 which was a sign that the church were running the government

Burton, Bastwick and Prynne

• 1637
• Showed Lauds indifference to public opinion and his determination to enforce the power of the church
• These gentlemen were treated like common criminals with Pillory for criticising the new church
• The became public martyrs for the protestant/puritan cause and the public laid…