Charles I, though more handsome, courteous and manly than his father James I, was unfortunately no more wise. He plunged recklessly into wars with Spain and France and in both cases met with disastrous defeats. The continued tension with Parliament, now led by three capable men named Wentworth, Eliot and Pym, culminated in the formulation of a ‘Petition of Rights’ in 1528 which Charles was forced to sign because of his need for funds. This has been compared with the Magna Carta which King John reluctantly signed in 1215.
In religious affairs, Parliament tried to suppress non-Protestant sermons and books while Charles encouraged such views. The situation exploded in 1629 when the king refused to allow the appearance of certain offending clergymen and others who had been summoned to appear before Parliament. He sent instead a message that Parliament should postpone its sitting. Certain members held the speaker down in his chair while Eliot read a series of resolutions against the king’s actions. For this, Charles suspended Parliament for eleven years, and during this period got his revenge by charging Eliot and Pym with rioting. The former died in the Tower of London.
Eventually, in 1640, Charles became embroiled in a bitter controversy with the Scots by attempting to force on them a prayer book and the rule of bishops, as in England. A great number of prominent Scots signed a ‘National Covenant’ to resist the king, and formed an army which proved to be stronger than that sent by Charles. He was obliged to call Parliament in hopes of raising money, and from this point on Parliament gained the upper hand. Pym became its most influential leader, new constitutional powers were voted in, and in time a long document called the ‘Grand Remonstrance’ enumerated all the crimes and wrongdoing that could be charged to Charles.
In 1641 the king, taking advantage of some disunity among Parliament members over a rebellion in Ireland, marched with 500 armed men to the Parliament House and attempted personally to arrest Pym and some other leaders (who escaped into the City of London). The entire Parliament then moved from Westminster to London for a few days, with the welcome and support of its citizens. Charles, seeing that the only route open to him was armed conflict, rode with his followers to the north of England where the people generally were royalist, and on 22 August 1642, called on all loyal citizens to support him. The Civil War was on!