page 4 about civil war

What helped
create the foundation
for the Civil War was
the fact that many of
the
gentry were sympathetic
to the Puritans, who
argued that the
Anglican Church
established by Elizabeth
was far too close to
Roman Catholicism, and
so they sought to
reduce the influence of
ritual and hierarchy
within the Church.
Elizabeth refused to do
so.
James I, however, was
handicapped. He was
brought up in Scottish
court society, a society
patterned on the
French court. He was
greedy and squandered
his wealth. His tutors,
however, were Scottish
Calvinists who taught
him that tyrannical kings
may be deposed by the
people. His reaction to
this was strong since he
was a vigorous believer
in the divine right of
kings. And so in his
defense he wrote the A
Trew Law of Free
Monarchies: Or the
Reciprock and Mutual
Duetie Betwixt a Free
King, and his Naturall
Subjects (c.1597).
Monarchy was a divinely
ordained institution --
the king was
accountable to God
only and was above the
law. This manner of
thinking brought James
into frequent conflict
with Parliament in 1604.
Did the Commons have
the right to determine
the disputed elections
of its own members?
James was also faced
with Puritans who
wanted to reform the
Anglican Church
through legislation as
well as the gentry, who
wanted to extend their
influence in politics. And
in 1609, James delivered
a series of SPEECHES to
Parliament in which he
laid down his claim to
rule by divine right.
Finally, by 1611, James
had had enough of
Parliament and ruled by
himself until 1621.