Grand Remonstrance
Encyclopedia
The Grand Remonstrance was a list of grievances presented to King Charles I of England
by the English Parliament
on 1 December 1641, but passed by the House of Commons on the 22nd of November 1641, during the Long Parliament
; it was one of the chief events which were to precipitate the English Civil War
.
Queen Henrietta Maria. Then, in 1626 when Charles I had dissolved Parliament in order to prevent it impeaching his favourite, the influential Duke of Buckingham
and, in need of money to prosecute war with Spain as part of his strategy for intervention in the Thirty Years War, had then been obliged to resort to means of dubious legality to raise the funds he required, imprisoning without charge those who refused to pay. This had resulted in Parliament presenting the King with the Petition of Right
in 1628, in response to which Charles had again dismissed Parliament and for the next eleven years – sometimes called Eleven Years' Tyranny
– attempted to govern without it.
In 1640, the situation had become desperate enough for Charles to summon Parliament again: faced with the Bishops' War in Scotland, he attempted to raise money for a new royal army and immediately dismissed the Parliament in May when it refused to accede. He attempted to send an army anyway, but starved of funds, the ill-equipped and poorly led English army was easily crushed by Scottish supporters of the National Covenant. Now in need of money to pay indemnities to the Scots, Charles was advised by a hastily summoned Magnum Concilium
that he had no choice but to go back to Parliament, which assembled again in November.
, the effective leader of opposition to the King in Parliament and taken up by George Digby
, John Hampden
and others, the Grand Remonstrance summarised all of Parliament's opposition to Charles' foreign, financial, legal and religious policies, setting forth 204 separate points of objection and calling for the expulsion of all bishops from Parliament, a purge of officials, with Parliament having a right of veto
over Crown appointments and an end to sale of land confiscated from Irish rebels
. The document was careful not to make any direct accusation against the King himself, or any other named individual, instead blaming the state of affairs on a Roman Catholic conspiracy, made the easier by his reconciliation with Spain and marriage to Henrietta Maria
, a French Catholic. It was strongly anti-Catholic in tone, taking the side of the Puritan
party in the English church in opposition to William Laud
, whom Charles had appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
in 1633 and who, by implication, was therefore placed at the heart of the Catholic plot.
On 22 November 1641, following a protracted debate, the Grand Remonstrance was passed by a relatively narrow margin: 159 votes to 148. Its passage divided Parliament and drove some prominent parliamentarians such as Hyde
and Falkland
, who had previously been critical of the King, into the Royalist camp. At the same time, it strengthened the resolve of those who opposed what they saw as a drift toward Catholicism and Absolutism
: Cromwell
commented to Falkland that if the Grand Remonstrance had been defeated, 'I would have sold all I had the next morning and never seen England more; and I know there are many other honest men of the same resolution'
In regard to church government, the Grand Remonstrance called for
.
The response, drafted in consultation with Hyde, was an attempt at moderation calculated to win back the support of more moderate members of Parliament, but in spite of this and concessions including the Triennial Act and the arrest of William Laud, subsequent events made reconciliation impossible.
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
by the English Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
on 1 December 1641, but passed by the House of Commons on the 22nd of November 1641, during the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
; it was one of the chief events which were to precipitate the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Background
Relations between King and Parliament had been uneasy since 1625, when he married the French CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Queen Henrietta Maria. Then, in 1626 when Charles I had dissolved Parliament in order to prevent it impeaching his favourite, the influential Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG was the favourite, claimed by some to be the lover, of King James I of England. Despite a very patchy political and military record, he remained at the height of royal favour for the first two years of the reign of Charles I, until he was assassinated...
and, in need of money to prosecute war with Spain as part of his strategy for intervention in the Thirty Years War, had then been obliged to resort to means of dubious legality to raise the funds he required, imprisoning without charge those who refused to pay. This had resulted in Parliament presenting the King with the Petition of Right
Petition of right
In English law, a petition of right was a remedy available to subjects to recover property from the Crown.Before the Crown Proceedings Act 1947, the British Crown could not be sued in contract...
in 1628, in response to which Charles had again dismissed Parliament and for the next eleven years – sometimes called Eleven Years' Tyranny
Personal Rule
The Personal Rule was the period from 1629 to 1640, when King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland ruled without recourse to Parliament...
– attempted to govern without it.
In 1640, the situation had become desperate enough for Charles to summon Parliament again: faced with the Bishops' War in Scotland, he attempted to raise money for a new royal army and immediately dismissed the Parliament in May when it refused to accede. He attempted to send an army anyway, but starved of funds, the ill-equipped and poorly led English army was easily crushed by Scottish supporters of the National Covenant. Now in need of money to pay indemnities to the Scots, Charles was advised by a hastily summoned Magnum Concilium
Magnum Concilium
In the kingdom of England, the Magnum Concilium, or Great Council, was an assembly convened at certain times of the year when church leaders and wealthy landowners were invited to discuss the affairs of the country with the king. It was established in the reign of the Normans, and was called for...
that he had no choice but to go back to Parliament, which assembled again in November.
The Grand Remonstrance
First proposed by John PymJohn Pym
John Pym was an English parliamentarian, leader of the Long Parliament and a prominent critic of James I and then Charles I.- Early life and education :...
, the effective leader of opposition to the King in Parliament and taken up by George Digby
George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol
George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he was raised to the House of Lords...
, John Hampden
John Hampden
John Hampden was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643) was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643)...
and others, the Grand Remonstrance summarised all of Parliament's opposition to Charles' foreign, financial, legal and religious policies, setting forth 204 separate points of objection and calling for the expulsion of all bishops from Parliament, a purge of officials, with Parliament having a right of veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
over Crown appointments and an end to sale of land confiscated from Irish rebels
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...
. The document was careful not to make any direct accusation against the King himself, or any other named individual, instead blaming the state of affairs on a Roman Catholic conspiracy, made the easier by his reconciliation with Spain and marriage to Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
, a French Catholic. It was strongly anti-Catholic in tone, taking the side of the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
party in the English church in opposition to William Laud
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
, whom Charles had appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
in 1633 and who, by implication, was therefore placed at the heart of the Catholic plot.
On 22 November 1641, following a protracted debate, the Grand Remonstrance was passed by a relatively narrow margin: 159 votes to 148. Its passage divided Parliament and drove some prominent parliamentarians such as Hyde
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon was an English historian and statesman, and grandfather of two English monarchs, Mary II and Queen Anne.-Early life:...
and Falkland
Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland
Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland was an English author and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1642...
, who had previously been critical of the King, into the Royalist camp. At the same time, it strengthened the resolve of those who opposed what they saw as a drift toward Catholicism and Absolutism
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
: Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
commented to Falkland that if the Grand Remonstrance had been defeated, 'I would have sold all I had the next morning and never seen England more; and I know there are many other honest men of the same resolution'
In regard to church government, the Grand Remonstrance called for
The result was the establishment of the Westminster Assembly of Divines
A General Synod of the most grave, pious, learned and judicious divines of this island, assisted with some from foreign parts professing the same religion with us, who may consider all things necessary for the peace and good government of the Church.
Westminster Assembly
The Westminster Assembly of Divines was appointed by the Long Parliament to restructure the Church of England. It also included representatives of religious leaders from Scotland...
.
The King's response
The Grand Remonstrance was delivered to King Charles I on 1 December 1641, but he long delayed giving any response to it. Parliament therefore proceeded to have the document published and publicly circulated, forcing the King's hand. On 23 December, he gave his reply, refusing to remove the bishops, insisting that none of his ministers were guilty of any crime so as to merit their removal and deferring any decision on Irish land until the war there had been brought to a conclusion. He stated that he could not reconcile Parliament's view of the state of England with his own and that regarding religious affairs, in addition to affirming his opposition to Roman Catholicism, it was also necessary to protect the Church from 'many schismatics and separatists'.The response, drafted in consultation with Hyde, was an attempt at moderation calculated to win back the support of more moderate members of Parliament, but in spite of this and concessions including the Triennial Act and the arrest of William Laud, subsequent events made reconciliation impossible.