The Long Parliament

The Long Parliament

The First Session

The fall of Strafford

• Pym tried to get him impeached on 11th November 1640 but Lords refused due to lack of evidence
• In 1641 Pym launched an Act of Attainder (an act of parliament) as that needed no evidence, but had to be signed by Commons, Lords and the King to execute Strafford
• The London Mob (puritan apprentice protestors) put pressure on Lords to pass the Attainder, they signed it, assuming Charles wouldn't
• But Charles had little choice as he needed money, so he signed it
• Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, was executed May 12th in front of 10,000

Why was he hated?

• Active role in Thorough and helped the King rule alone
• Accused of bringing a R/C army over from Ireland to support Charles' personal rule and establish military absolutism
• He changed sides from parliament to court after the death of Buckingham 

Significance

• The future of Ireland was now in question as Strafford had reigned them in and now they had no firm leader to make them conform
• Many MPs did not like the use of the London Mob or the Act of Attainder and they thought it was unjust of Pym
• Bedford called it "a rock on which we should all be split"

Root and Branch Petition

• December 1640
• Wanted to eliminate all catholic elements hence root and branch
• called for the abolition of bishops
• most MPs hated laudian reforms but didn't want a presbyterian system either
• Pym knew this was controversial and was likely to split his anti-court consensus 
• he gave it to a committee to discuss - Assembly of the Divines

Demolition of Personal Rule

• Ship Money was declared illegal
• The boundaries of forests were put back to how they were in 1623 under James
• Distraint of Knighthood became illegal
• May 1641 - Trinnial Act which said parliament must be called once every three years
• May 1641 - Act against forcible Dissolution - only parliament could close themselves down (only for this parliament)
• Court of Wards abolished

Death of Bedford

• May 1641, Bedford = Francis Russell
• 'man with a foot in both camps'
• he was seen as the last hope of a compromise between Charles and parliament
• he was arranging for pym to became chancellor of the exchequer
• only he could have built a 'government of national confidence'

10 Propositions

• Demands by parliament such as the right to control Charles' ministers
• More radical than any previous reforms
• Never officially passed
• A six week recess of parliament undermined the issue
• It encroached on Charles' prerogative
• Pym tried to convince MPs they were 'defensive' demands so they were generally accepted

The Summer of 1641

• Most MPs were happy with the first session of parliament 
• there was still a fear of a catholic conspiracy
• some MPs began to dislike Pyms use of the London Mob but he was still uniting commons
• questions arose like the future of the church and the role of parliament in crown affairs
• Most MPs just wanted a balanced constitution
• the…