WEBVTT 1 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:26.199 Hello and Welcome to Western SIEV episode four hundred and 2 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:34.359 fifty six, Charles the First. On March twenty seventh, sixteen 3 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:38.840 twenty five, the Jacobean period of England came to a close. 4 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:42.920 Charles Stewart had become the King of England at the 5 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:46.560 age of twenty four. He was proclaimed on the same 6 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:50.600 day as his father's death, and a contemporary at Cambridge 7 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:53.880 wrote that, quote, we had thunder the same day presently 8 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:57.200 on the proclamation, and twas a cold season, but all 9 00:00:57.200 --> 00:01:00.840 fears and sorrows are swallowed up in joy, hopeful of 10 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:06.680 a successor end quote. What do we know about Charles's personality? Well, 11 00:01:06.680 --> 00:01:08.799 we're going to come to know a lot. You know. 12 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:11.719 He was more severe and much more reserved than his father. 13 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:16.280 He had a strong sense of formality and order. The 14 00:01:16.359 --> 00:01:20.280 change of tone at court was evident almost immediately. Charles 15 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:23.040 announced that during the reign of his quote, most dear 16 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:27.319 and royal father, idle and unnecessary people have thronged the court, 17 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:31.079 bringing much dishonor to our house end quote. There were 18 00:01:31.159 --> 00:01:35.760 to be no more bawdery shows or displays. The new 19 00:01:35.879 --> 00:01:39.280 king had been impressed by his time in Spain by 20 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:43.480 the decorum of the Spanish court. He appreciated the privacy 21 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:47.200 by which the royal family was protected and the gravitas 22 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:52.040 with which courtly affairs had been conducted. This moral tone 23 00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:56.560 appealed to the young man who had become dismayed by 24 00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:00.439 the laxness of his father's court. He began to dress 25 00:02:00.519 --> 00:02:03.959 all in black again, in a Spanish preference and a 26 00:02:04.040 --> 00:02:07.480 prefest to his orders for the royal household. He remarked 27 00:02:07.480 --> 00:02:12.159 that his purpose was to quote establish government and order 28 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:15.599 in our court, which from thence may spread with more 29 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:20.280 order throughout all parts of our kingdom. And quote this 30 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:24.120 idea of control is going to be one that's going 31 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:29.199 to dominate the turbulent reign of Charles the First. The 32 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:34.120 Venetian ambassador noted that within days of Charles's ascension, quote, 33 00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:37.439 the king observes a rule of great decorum. The nobles 34 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:41.639 do not enter his apartments in confusion, as heretofore, but 35 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:46.520 each rank has its own appointed place end quote. The 36 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:48.680 ambassador for the report that the king had drawn up 37 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:52.879 a significant list of rules and regulations that divided up 38 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:56.240 his day from first rising when he had time to pray, 39 00:02:56.599 --> 00:02:59.240 a time for exercising a time for business, and a 40 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:01.759 time for audience and says, plus a time for eating 41 00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:05.280 and a time for sleeping. He didn't want to deviate 42 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:08.960 from this schedule, nor did he want his subjects to 43 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:12.039 ever be introduced to him without warning. They would only 44 00:03:12.080 --> 00:03:16.159 be sent for. Servants would offer him meals, now on 45 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:20.919 their bended knees, again a Spanish custom. And such was 46 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:24.199 the protocol around the royal dining that Charles hardly ever, 47 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:26.719 if he ever ate a hot meal, his food took 48 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:32.080 too long to serve, did it solitarily. Whenever he washed 49 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:34.919 his hands, those part of the towel which he touched 50 00:03:34.919 --> 00:03:37.439 were raised above the head of the gentleman usher, who 51 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:42.560 removed it from his royal presence. All was now decorum 52 00:03:42.599 --> 00:03:46.479 and grandeur. Gone were the easy days of James. The 53 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:50.039 first people would be wishing for them before too long. 54 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:55.000 Charles got to work really in earnest in the beginning 55 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:58.319 of April, when he asked his favorite, the Duke of Buckingham, 56 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:01.599 and other grandees to review all aspects of foreign policy. 57 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:05.039 You wanted to examine the relationship with Spain, which was 58 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:07.759 fraid to say the least. You wanted to know about 59 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:10.919 a possible alliance with France, and these were to be 60 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:14.800 considered in light of Charles's desire to recover the Palatinate 61 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:17.879 for his brother in law Frederick. Remember, of course, the 62 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:22.399 Thirty Years War is raging. A committee was established a 63 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:25.439 few days later in order to supervise the nation's defenses 64 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:28.399 in case of war. The new king then set up 65 00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:32.600 two further commissions to investigate financial fraud by the collectors 66 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:35.319 of Customs and to examine the trade of the East 67 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:39.759 India Company with Russia. It was a business like start, 68 00:04:40.120 --> 00:04:41.959 but as is generally the case with the work of 69 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:48.279 committees and commissions, it accomplished very very little. Buckingham, of course, 70 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:52.360 was still the principal counselor to the King. That's going 71 00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:55.560 to be our key flashpoint in these first few episodes, 72 00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:59.360 as King in Parliament begin their protracted struggle and then 73 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:03.399 civil war or you. Buckingham, of course, had been the 74 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:06.000 principal counselor at the end of the reign of James. 75 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:08.680 He stayed in the company of the King all day 76 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:11.480 and slept in a room next to the royal bedchamber. 77 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:15.279 He possessed the golden key that allowed him entrance to 78 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:19.240 all the apartments of the palace. Frankly, it seemed like 79 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:23.439 Charles couldn't do anything without his favorite. He had an 80 00:05:23.480 --> 00:05:27.800 almost vice president like status and was in part able 81 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:34.600 to compensate for the King's unskillfulness in persuasion and management. Charles, 82 00:05:34.600 --> 00:05:36.399 we do know, when it came to public speaking, had 83 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:40.480 a stutter, which, together because he just wasn't very good 84 00:05:40.519 --> 00:05:44.759 at normal conversation, led him to convince once that quote, 85 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:50.360 I know I am not good to speak much end quote. 86 00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:53.079 When he was a child, his doctors had tried to 87 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:55.560 cure this problem by putting small stones in his mouth, 88 00:05:55.839 --> 00:06:00.519 but this obviously provided no benefit. He tried to complete 89 00:06:00.519 --> 00:06:03.920 sentences in his mind before uttering them, but the impediment remained. 90 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:08.079 He was always shy, therefore and hesitant in speech, so 91 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:11.439 he communicated with his household servants by means of gestures 92 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:16.079 as much as he ever did by words. Charles's first 93 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:19.279 public appearance was in April at the port of Blackwall, 94 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:21.759 on the north of the Thames River, where he visited 95 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:25.120 the royal fleet. He was a small man, just over 96 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:28.759 five feet in height. It might be described as rather delicate. 97 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:33.560 He had it disciplined himself in training and healthy exercise, 98 00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:37.839 so that his slight exterior was deceptive. His complexion was 99 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:41.800 very pale, set off in his youth by curly chestnut hair, 100 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:46.319 had a long face, gray eyes, and full lips. He 101 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:50.279 was temperament in his habits. He preferred plain beer to 102 00:06:50.360 --> 00:06:54.480 spice wines, and was of apparently a cool and dispassionate nature, 103 00:06:55.319 --> 00:06:59.639 and he always always blushed if he heard any body jokes. 104 00:07:01.639 --> 00:07:04.959 The potentially dangerous matter of his marriage to the French 105 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:09.600 Catholic Princess Henrietta Maria soon became the principal topic of 106 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:15.120 London gossip, but Charles was not inclined to heed any warnings, 107 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:18.879 and he went forward anyway. The marriage was celebrated first 108 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:22.600 by proxy on May the first, sixteen twenty five, in 109 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:26.759 front of the west door of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. 110 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:31.279 In the middle of that month, Buckingham himself traveled to 111 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:34.800 Paris in order to accompany Henrietta Maria across the Channel 112 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:38.920 and to expedite the proposed alliance between England and France. 113 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:42.120 He hoped to persuade the French king to treat his 114 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:46.439 Protestant subjects, the Huguenots, with the same tact that Charles 115 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:49.759 was now displaying to the Catholics. He also wished to 116 00:07:49.839 --> 00:07:53.959 draw the French into open warfare against the Spanish. In 117 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:59.879 both of these endeavors, Buckingham failed. The French King Louis 118 00:08:00.040 --> 00:08:03.879 the thirteenth had no interest in a war with Spain 119 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:08.920 and did want to destroy the Huguenots. Henriette and Maria 120 00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:13.639 eventually arrived at Dover on the twelfth of June sixteen 121 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:19.560 twenty five. Once Henria, to where Maria arrived in the 122 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:24.120 friends aligne seemed secure, the attention was now turned to 123 00:08:24.199 --> 00:08:28.920 the king's finances. His plea for wartime expenditure was not 124 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:32.759 taken very seriously on the grounds that he hadn't put 125 00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:37.879 forth any military plans or policies. Quite frankly, at all, 126 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:41.679 the incompetence of Buckingham came up for the first, not 127 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:44.720 the last time in his reign. You can recall he 128 00:08:44.759 --> 00:08:48.240 made it rather ill executed march toward Breda at the 129 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:53.600 end of James's reign, and frankly, Parliament wondered why give 130 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:59.720 money to an inept commander. One parliament member, Sir Robert 131 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:03.720 felt Helps said, quote we know not yet of any 132 00:09:03.799 --> 00:09:11.480 war nor of any enemy end quote. I agree Parliament 133 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:14.360 proposed to give the king only a tenth of the 134 00:09:14.399 --> 00:09:18.600 sum which we had anticipated, and to compound this offense 135 00:09:19.159 --> 00:09:23.639 from Charles's perspective, the customs duties of tonnage and poundage 136 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:29.720 would be granted for only one year. All of Charles's predecessors, 137 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:32.840 since the time of Henry the sixth back in the 138 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:37.080 Wars of the Roses, had been awarded tonnage and poundage 139 00:09:37.080 --> 00:09:40.759 for the duration of their reign. It is likely that 140 00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:43.120 the duties of one year were in fact only a 141 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:47.639 temporary measure until Parliament had the opportunity to debate a 142 00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:53.200 permanent settlement. Yet this initial session of Parliament had set 143 00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:58.559 a precedent. The resistance to increase taxation, the opposition to 144 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:02.240 the king's marriage, and their for religious policy would be 145 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:08.919 the prime movers of later discontent. Charles was absolutely indignant 146 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:12.440 at this lack of early success, but he didn't have 147 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:16.960 a strategy to deal with any parliamentary opposition. He had 148 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:22.120 simply expected that his orders would be followed. Now, he 149 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:26.320 didn't have an opportunity in early sixteen twenty five to 150 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:30.759 push the matter, and that's because the plague intervened. The 151 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:34.399 plague continued and I'm talking about the bubonic plague continued 152 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:37.240 to come back all about every ten years or so 153 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:40.639 in cyclical fashion, and every time it did, Parliament would close, 154 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:44.279 the theaters would close, the taverns kind of would close, 155 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:46.919 and those who could would leave the capitol. And that's 156 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:50.480 what happened on this occasion in July of sixteen twenty five, 157 00:10:51.720 --> 00:10:56.360 and so Charles traveled instead to Woodstock and summoned the 158 00:10:56.519 --> 00:10:58.720 members of his court to meet him at the Hall 159 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:02.960 of Christ Church. He wanted to talk about financial matters 160 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:06.879 rather than religious matters, and that was going to be 161 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:11.000 problematic because, as the members of his court kept telling him, 162 00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:14.639 that was the direction that Parliament wanted to go. Initially, 163 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:17.840 we're going to be talking about a lot of these 164 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:21.679 fault lines as they developed throughout the early reign of Charles, 165 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:24.360 and all of them are going to be exacerbated by 166 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:27.440 his personality. We keep in mind there are really two 167 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:30.879 and they're just a set of priorities that both sides 168 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:35.279 can't ever seem to get across. The one I'm going 169 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:37.799 to sort of group into a big category called liberties. 170 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:40.960 Of this the matter of religion is one, but also 171 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:44.759 just personal liberties. This is what matters to Parliament. They 172 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:49.159 want liberties and rights guaranteed to them in certain ways, 173 00:11:49.559 --> 00:11:53.320 and we'll see why that matters in future episodes. Charles's 174 00:11:53.399 --> 00:11:57.559 concern is always pretty clear. It's with his power and prerogative, 175 00:11:57.879 --> 00:12:03.679 and above all the money. Charles wants money and is 176 00:12:03.720 --> 00:12:06.639 willing to do some things to get it, but not 177 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:10.240 bend over backwards. Now, at this point it's still not 178 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:13.279 clear how much money was required and quite frankly, what 179 00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:16.120 it was supposed to be used for. Was there a 180 00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:20.240 naval war with Spain being contemplated that nobody knew about, 181 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:23.720 or were they going to transport an army to the 182 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:26.799 continent to aid Frederick to try to get back the 183 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:30.799 Palatin eate. No one in the administration could speak up 184 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:35.279 with a consistent or certain voice. Why then should members 185 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:38.559 of the Commons, they would wonder, support a policy that 186 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:42.399 they didn't understand and upon which they hadn't been consulted. 187 00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:46.360 One member of Parliament declared it would be better if 188 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:51.159 they concentrated on domestic and financial affairs rather than getting 189 00:12:51.399 --> 00:12:55.679 involved with more foreign affairs. And it was now that 190 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:59.399 Buckingham came under clear attack. It could be inferred from 191 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:02.240 the early each against him, that he was incapable of 192 00:13:02.279 --> 00:13:06.559 controlling the government or organizing any credible war effort whatsoever. 193 00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:10.440 So now Buckingham started to bend with the wind. The 194 00:13:10.519 --> 00:13:14.120 information was conveyed that he and his master Charles had 195 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:18.120 never really believed in religious toleration for its own sake. Frankly, 196 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:20.279 they let it slip that it was merely a device 197 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:23.919 to woo the Spanish and then ultimately the French. Buckingham 198 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:26.320 was supposed to believe that the religious treaty drawn up 199 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:28.720 with Louis the thirteenth was merely for the sake of 200 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:32.519 form a piece of paper to appease the Pope. The 201 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:35.840 King was ready, quite frankly, to turn on the Catholics, 202 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:41.360 and by doing so, to appease Commons. As a consequence, 203 00:13:41.720 --> 00:13:45.720 the official war against Spain was declared through the administration 204 00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:50.159 in early autumn sixteen twenty five, even though again they 205 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:53.200 didn't have the money to fight it. In the same period, 206 00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:56.879 a treaty was established between England and the Dutch Republic, 207 00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:01.840 but of course the perennial problem of finances hadn't been solved, 208 00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:05.360 and as a desperate remedy, it was proposed that the 209 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:09.600 Crown jewels should simply be sold to finance this expedition. 210 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:12.120 That Charles and Buckingham wanted to fight, but that they 211 00:14:12.120 --> 00:14:15.039 didn't have the money to fight. Frankly, to be honest 212 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:18.200 with you, they didn't have the soldiers or the ships either. 213 00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:20.759 But let's not put the cart before the horse here. 214 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:26.000 The soldiers would be impressed into service, but they remained unpaid, 215 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:29.320 and so they roamed about Plymouth, where the people of 216 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:32.600 South Devon would not supply them with food. These hungry 217 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:35.799 men ultimately killed the available sheep and oxen they could 218 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:41.000 find and ate them, letting an already volatile situation boil over. 219 00:14:42.440 --> 00:14:44.960 The English fleet, which was at Plymouth, was under the 220 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:48.480 command of Sir Edward Cecil, who had first seen service 221 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:52.320 all the way back in their reign of Elizabeth. Finally 222 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:55.080 he left the harbor at about the eighth of October, 223 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:58.279 but unfortunately he left the harbor with the fleet and 224 00:14:58.320 --> 00:15:03.240 the men still without a war aim. The principal purpose 225 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:06.759 of the fleet remained undecided even as it sailed out 226 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:10.600 of Plymouth. In some way there was this vague idea 227 00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:13.080 that it should strike a blow against the Spanish coast. 228 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:16.279 But where and how no one had given them any 229 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:22.759 indication maybe they should assault Cadiz right, and so the 230 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:26.480 Fort of Puntal, guarding the entrance to Cadiz Harbor, was taken. 231 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:31.559 When the blockade of Cadiz was attempted, however, news reached 232 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:34.399 Cecil and his commanders that a large Spanish force was 233 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:37.360 on its way to save the town. As a consequence, 234 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:40.399 the English soldiers were disembarked and hurried out to meet 235 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:43.360 the threat. But it turned out all this information was false. 236 00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:47.639 No enemy was in sight, and their force march under 237 00:15:47.639 --> 00:15:51.679 a hot Spanish sun had left them without provisions. Casks 238 00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:54.840 of wine were taken from neighboring villages and dwellings, and 239 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:59.360 the men gorged themselves until they were totally intoxicated. The 240 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:03.120 Spanish de of Keddy's noticed this, fell upon them and 241 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:07.240 engaged in a general slaughter. The siege of Kedys and 242 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:11.399 the brief occupation of the Fort de Puntal were therefore abandoned, 243 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:17.480 and yet another embarrassing failure. Now the English vessels had 244 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:20.600 also been charged to intercept the Spanish silver fleet sailing 245 00:16:20.600 --> 00:16:22.840 from Mexico, but at this point they were in no 246 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:27.480 condition to confront anything. Their hulks were rotten the tackle frail, 247 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:31.320 whether through corruption or neglect, their supplies had been insufficient 248 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:35.840 from the beginning. All the whole thing was yet another 249 00:16:35.960 --> 00:16:42.000 complete and humiliating fiasco. Now, if you're thinking to yourself, well, 250 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:46.240 why would Parliament continue to pay for something that was 251 00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:49.399 obviously so inept, you'd be thinking the same thing I am. 252 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:52.480 If Charles was going to attempt to do something here, 253 00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:58.000 he probably should have taken his time and do something. Well. Now, 254 00:16:58.120 --> 00:17:01.840 an attempt was made to avoid the wrath of the country. 255 00:17:02.600 --> 00:17:05.519 The basic story was going to continue to be well, 256 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:09.599 let's deflect the attention from this disaster back towards Catholic Europe. 257 00:17:09.960 --> 00:17:12.880 We'll just claim that it's going to be okay, Buckingham 258 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:15.680 is going to lead a Protestant league against the Spanish 259 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:21.000 and imperial pretensions. The problem with all of this was that, remember, 260 00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:27.359 the Queen of England is now Catholic. Now, while we 261 00:17:27.400 --> 00:17:30.079 do have some evidence that Charles was doing his best 262 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:34.319 to reign in the Catholic tendencies of Henrietta Maria, the 263 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:36.880 bottom line is, even though Charles might be able to 264 00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:39.640 be master of his own house, he was far from 265 00:17:39.720 --> 00:17:42.680 master of his own kingdom. As we'll continue to see. 266 00:17:43.079 --> 00:18:08.240 Right after this. Charles's formal coronation came on the second 267 00:18:08.240 --> 00:18:12.480 of February fifteen twenty six, a little under a year 268 00:18:12.599 --> 00:18:17.759 since his actual ascension to the throne. Henrietta Maria refused 269 00:18:17.799 --> 00:18:21.160 to accompany her husband to what she considered to a 270 00:18:21.240 --> 00:18:24.640 heretical service to its lack of Catholic elements, so he 271 00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:30.119 proceeded alone. Frankly, there was little rejoicing at the service itself. 272 00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:33.160 When the newly crowned king was presented to the people, 273 00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:38.799 the crowds remained largely silent. Charles wore a cloak of 274 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:42.920 white rather than a robe of regal scarlet, which was 275 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:47.079 considered by many to be an unfortunate innovation in what 276 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:51.200 was otherwise an ancient ceremony. The coronation oath was also 277 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:55.400 carefully changed by William Laud, the Bishop of Saint David's, 278 00:18:55.640 --> 00:18:59.000 with a prayer that the king might have quote Peter's 279 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:03.440 Key of Discipline and Paul's Doctrine end quote. This was 280 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:06.680 not at the time considered any big deal, but at 281 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:10.759 a later date Lud was accused of conferring absolute power 282 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:13.720 upon the king to the injury of all the people. 283 00:19:15.079 --> 00:19:19.160 Any will or resentment was at this time, however, largely 284 00:19:19.240 --> 00:19:25.559 redirected against Buckingham rather than the sovereign himself. Parliament met 285 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:30.279 four days later in a state of absolute seething discontent. 286 00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:35.279 Buckingham's mismanagement of the expedition to Cadiz was all that 287 00:19:35.359 --> 00:19:39.359 anyone could talk about. The King opened the proceedings with 288 00:19:39.559 --> 00:19:43.440 a customary short and blunt speech quote I mean to 289 00:19:43.480 --> 00:19:46.640 show you what I should speak in actions end quote. 290 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:50.519 He offered no apologies or explanations for what it transpired. 291 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:56.160 He simply asked for more money. When PM Elliot rose 292 00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:59.519 to speak, he demanded that no further supply should be 293 00:19:59.559 --> 00:20:02.480 granted until an account had been given of all the 294 00:20:02.519 --> 00:20:06.359 previous sums that Parliament had previously granted to the King. 295 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:10.759 He called for an inspection of the Admiralty ledgers, which 296 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:14.319 as Vice Admiral of Devon he was uniquely well placed 297 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:18.960 to examine. But he then he made a wider plea 298 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:23.000 to the King, not a demand, a plea, saying quote, Sir, 299 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:26.880 I beseech you cast your eyes about view the state 300 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:30.960 we are in, consider the loss we have received way 301 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:37.119 the wrecked and ruined honor of our nation end quote. Now, 302 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:41.119 member of parliament. Elliott might be described as one of 303 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:45.279 the first great parliamentarians in English history, ready to curb 304 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:49.839 the abuses of the royal prerogative. He went on to 305 00:20:49.880 --> 00:20:54.279 say that their honor was ruined, their ships sunk, their 306 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:58.960 men perished, quite frankly, not because of the enemy, not 307 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:04.759 by chance, but because, from the m Eliot's perspective, God 308 00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:09.079 had preordained it. God was angry, was now punishing the 309 00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:14.240 English people. The Catholic forces of the Holy Roman Empire 310 00:21:14.920 --> 00:21:19.599 were advancing through Bohemia and Germany. The Protestants of France 311 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:23.759 were being threatened, even destroyed, by the French king. And 312 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:26.920 here were the English, supposed to be the greatest Protestant 313 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:30.720 nation in all of Europe, unable or perhaps unwilling to 314 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:36.880 do anything now. At this point nothing came of Elliot's speeches, 315 00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:41.200 but they were definitely a precursor of future conflicts and events. 316 00:21:41.960 --> 00:21:44.920 On March tenth, Charles let it be known that he 317 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:47.759 wished for an immediate supply of what he called the 318 00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:51.880 necessities of state, without any further questions of his past 319 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:56.960 conduct or otherwise. Keep in mind we're barely a year 320 00:21:57.160 --> 00:22:02.079 into Charles's reign. Here an accounting of his past would 321 00:22:02.119 --> 00:22:05.079 be an accounting of the last three hundred and sixty 322 00:22:05.160 --> 00:22:08.799 some days at most. It was now generally believed that 323 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:12.319 the cause of all the grievances was the Duke of Buckingham. 324 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:16.480 He had appointed incompetent officers and was responsible for the 325 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:20.559 calamity at Cadiz. He had taken crowned land for his 326 00:22:20.599 --> 00:22:24.039 friends and family. He had sold many of the offices 327 00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:28.039 of state and acquired others just for his own enrichment. 328 00:22:28.920 --> 00:22:32.960 His mother and father in laws were both Catholic recusants 329 00:22:33.079 --> 00:22:37.200 and might be considered enemies of the state. He not Charles, 330 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:41.599 for the moment, was the sole source of enmity for Parliament, 331 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:46.119 and the King replied to all this at Whitehall five 332 00:22:46.200 --> 00:22:49.039 days later, in a speech in which he declared that 333 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:52.440 quote I would not have the house to question my servants, 334 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:56.839 much less one that is so near me. I would 335 00:22:56.839 --> 00:22:59.720 you hasten for my supply, or else it will be 336 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:03.000 worse for yourselves. For if any ill happen, I think 337 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:07.279 it shall be the last that feel it end quote. 338 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:11.079 But the Commons was now in no mood to retreat, 339 00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:17.079 and simply pursued the Duke ever more forcefully. The nobility, 340 00:23:17.160 --> 00:23:21.480 in fact, had also had too much of this favorite. 341 00:23:21.519 --> 00:23:25.720 The Earl of Bristol charged Buckingham with attempt to change 342 00:23:25.759 --> 00:23:29.920 the Prince's religion. He accused him of kneeling to the 343 00:23:29.960 --> 00:23:33.799 sacrament to quote give the Spaniards a hope of the 344 00:23:33.799 --> 00:23:39.359 Prince's conversion end quote. This was under English law, in 345 00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:45.880 effect accusing Buckingham of treason. On May tenth, a deputation 346 00:23:46.039 --> 00:23:49.799 was drawn up to prepare articles of impeachment against the Duke. 347 00:23:50.920 --> 00:23:55.200 When members of the deputation then presented themselves to Buckingham, however, 348 00:23:55.559 --> 00:23:58.279 it was reported that he only laughed in their faces. 349 00:23:59.079 --> 00:24:01.880 The Duke knew the law, loyalty and rigidity of the King, 350 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:05.559 and was aware that Charles would never abandon him, know 351 00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:09.880 what anyone else said. On May the eleventh, now the 352 00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:12.559 King visited the House of Lords, where he tried to 353 00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:15.119 exonerate bucking Him from all the charges attached to him 354 00:24:15.160 --> 00:24:18.480 by the Commons. He said, I can bear witness to 355 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:22.880 clear him in every one of them end quote. Unfortunately, 356 00:24:23.599 --> 00:24:27.039 this was the very day that the House was informed 357 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:30.240 that the member of Parliament I mentioned before, Sir John Elliot, 358 00:24:30.279 --> 00:24:34.720 and another Sir Dudley Diggs, had been arrested and taken 359 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:39.200 to the tower without any due process. It seems Charles 360 00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:41.960 and Buckingham had decided that they were the problem and 361 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:45.480 to remove them would resolve all of their issues. How 362 00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:51.039 wrong they were. However, the Commons erupted into turmoil when 363 00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:54.240 they got the news of the two arrested MP's and 364 00:24:54.279 --> 00:24:58.240 the entire house broke up in utter turmoil. When the 365 00:24:58.240 --> 00:25:00.920 Speaker rose on the twelfth of May to commence business, 366 00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:05.000 he was told to sit down. There was no business 367 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:08.240 to be had, so the members of marvelament until they 368 00:25:08.279 --> 00:25:13.079 were righted in their liberties. The French ambassador warned the 369 00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:15.319 King personally at this time that if his power did 370 00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:19.079 not prevail, he would become as impotent as the Doge 371 00:25:19.160 --> 00:25:22.400 of Venice, who could do nothing without the approval of 372 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:28.680 his Senate. All the horror, Parliament stood firm and eventually 373 00:25:28.680 --> 00:25:32.039 it was able to prevail. Within a week, both Diggs 374 00:25:32.079 --> 00:25:35.359 and Elliott were set free. It was not a good 375 00:25:35.400 --> 00:25:39.279 precedent for the King, who appeared resolute, but in truth 376 00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:43.720 he had prevaricated behind the scenes. He then compounded this 377 00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:47.839 offense by immediately appointing Buckingham to be the Chancellor of 378 00:25:47.880 --> 00:25:51.680 the University at Cambridge, a post for which he was 379 00:25:51.720 --> 00:25:56.119 by no means qualified. Such was the displeasure of the 380 00:25:56.160 --> 00:26:00.000 Commons at hearing this latest offense that they drew up 381 00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:05.640 a general remonstrance for Buckingham's dismissal from public life entirely. 382 00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:11.440 The war of words now began to intensify. Charles responded 383 00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:14.839 with the demand that Parliament should immediately proceed to pass 384 00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:19.480 him a subsidy bill. Now was one of the biggest 385 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:24.039 conflicts of early Charles's reign, and it was again going 386 00:26:24.079 --> 00:26:26.480 to be this question between who was going to come 387 00:26:26.519 --> 00:26:32.279 out on top, Parliament or the King. For centuries, English 388 00:26:32.359 --> 00:26:35.920 kings had consulted Parliament on matters but never been driven 389 00:26:35.960 --> 00:26:39.720 by it. Now the question was would that state of 390 00:26:39.720 --> 00:26:44.000 affairs continue. If Parliament were forced to yield and to 391 00:26:44.039 --> 00:26:48.480 grant Charles' supply without the redress of grievances, it would 392 00:26:48.559 --> 00:26:52.319 set an unfortunate president from their perspective, in which the 393 00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:55.480 King might continue to be the permanent victor in this 394 00:26:55.559 --> 00:26:58.880 tug of war. The Members did not, in the current 395 00:26:58.920 --> 00:27:02.839 phase wish to give any reason for a civil war, 396 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:07.720 but that was what was barreling towards them. Court and Parliament, 397 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:11.240 at now cross purposes with one another had reached a 398 00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:16.480 deadly impass. A conversation between the King and Buckingham was 399 00:27:16.519 --> 00:27:20.839 overheard and later widely reported that when as follows quote, 400 00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:24.400 I have lost in a manner the love of my subjects, 401 00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:28.440