Charles I Government

 The origins of Parliament and the challenge to monarchical power began in June 1215 King John signed the Magna Carta to make peace with rebel barons who were displeased with the way John was ruling the country. Magna Carta established the principle that the King was subject to laws in the same way his subjects. 

During the reign of John's son Henry III (1216 to 1272), the rule of the country by an absolute monarch was ended. Following a power struggle between Henry and his barons, the noblemen won and the rebel baron's leader, Simon de Montford called the first Parliament in English history which had no prior royal authorisation.  Montford's parliament was a single chamber consisting of bishops, noblemen together with two knights from each shire and two burgesses from each borough.

From 1295 Parliament met at the palace of Westminster.

In 1341 the clergy and nobility met separately  from the knights and  burgesses which created an Upper Chamber (House of Lords) and a Lower Chamber (House of Commons), with the knights and burgesses sitting in the latter. The structure of the Lower Chamber would develop into the representatives being Members of Parliament representing constituencies. The monarch ceased to be a member of either chamber by the time Henry VII came to the throne in 1457, relying now on supporters in both chambers to influence the affairs of Parliament. 

In 1534 Henry VIII broke away from the authority of the Catholic Church in Rome and established himself as the head of the Church of England. The Church would no longer answer to the authority of the Pope in Rome, but to the King.  The Archbishop of Canterbury, the first and most senior Bishop of England was appointed by the King, thus consolidating the monarchs power within the church. 

During the Tudor period (1485 to 1603) the relationship developed between the Monarch and Parliament. The monarch could convene and dissolve Parliament whenever they wished. They did however look to the support of Parliament as a means to legitimise decisions and raise money through taxation.

Westminster the power base of Parliament

The day to day running of the country lay with the Privy Council. This consisted of advisers to the sovereign and the means by which the monarch exercised their power through their royal prerogative. The council could be a a place of intrigue and positioning for favour of the King, a power struggle within the court, and also another source of conflict with Parliament. 

Court of Charles I

On ascending to the throne Charles I retained James I & VI's principal adviser, the Duke of Buckingham, as his primary confidant. Buckingham 

Buckingham had accompanied Charles, when he was heir to the throne, to Madrid in in 1623 in an ill-fated attempt to arrange a marriage Infanta Maria, sister of Philip IV of Spain. It was Buckingham who negotiated Charles' marriage to the Catholic princess Henrietta Maria of France. This action together with his his monopoly of royal favour and patronage made him extremely unpopular with parliamentarians. 

George Villers
Duke of Buckingham

A member of either chamber could propose a Bill for deliberation by Parliament. As members of the Privy Council sat in Parliament, the monarchs proposals could be put to both chambers for consideration. In order for a Bill to be passed into law it had to be approved by a majority in both Houses of Parliament. The monarch would need to give royal ascent before it became an Act of law, giving them the power of veto, another area of contention between the monarchical and parliamentary power.

The House of Commons consisted of Members of Parliament 'elected' from County and Borough franchises. Each franchise returned two members. In addition the Cinque Ports each returned two members, as did the University franchises of Oxford and Cambridge. [1]  An exception was the County Palatine of Durham which was administred by a "Prince Bishop" who's powers dated back to medieval times. Durham did not return any MP's to Parliament. [2] 

Stuart England

In County franchises those allowed to vote was restricted to resident freeholders who's with a freehold value of land or property was 40 shillings a year. [3] 

The voting qualification in Borough franchises  varied. It could be based upon payments to local poor and church rates, or the ownership of a hearth on which to cook a pot. It may be based upon the payment of  monies to the king or local lord. [4] Some cities required those who voted to be freemen of that city. Some boroughs would only allow those who were members of the corporation that ran the town, often men under the patronage of local dignitaries. [5]

NEXT: Charles I Northumbria

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[1] The History of the Parliamentary Franchise RESEARCH PAPER 13/14 1 March 2013 page 5

Research Paper (parliament.uk)

[2] ibid page 8

[3] ibid page 8

[4] ibid page 10

[5] ibid page 11