The
long parliament began in November of 1640, and it lasted (in various forms)
until 1660, though the year 1641 was particularly important. Religious dissent
was rampant at the time: anti-Catholic fervor was fomenting, dissatisfaction
with the Church of England was growing, anger toward the Scots Covenanters
(Presbyterians) was continuing, and the Roundhead Revolution was occurring
(Schama 104-106). In May of 1641 King Charles I signed a bill that “prohibited
the dissolution of parliament without its own consent” (Schama 114), limiting
his powers and increasing the powers of parliament. In August of 1641, Charles
I went to Scotland ostensibly to garner a peace settlement with the Covenanters,
but also to find a way to use the Scots against the English. This plotting was
all for naught as the rebellion in Ireland violently exploded in October of
1641. The leaders of the Irish rebellion thought they were helping the king,
but they only fed the fires of anti-Catholic sentiment (Schama 116). At the end
of November 1641, King Charles returned to England. A bill suggesting that
parliament control the militia was read in the House of Commons (Schama 120),
again limiting the powers of the king. The Grand Remonstrance, a list of grievances
against Charles I, was passed in the House of Commons in November and presented
to the king in December of 1641 (Schama 120). These actions, for all practical
intents and purposes, led to the English Civil War.
Schama,
Simon. A History of Britain, Volume II: The Wars of the British
1603-1776.
Talk
Miramax Books, 2001.
Hollar, Wenceslaus.
The True Manner of Sitting of the Lords and Commons, 1641. Getty
Images.
Accessed 12
January 2019.
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