Parliament of 1628–1629

Parliament of 1628–1629
Name	Parliament of 1628–1629
Country	Kingdom of England
Monarch	Charles I of England
Session start	1628
Session end	1629
Previous	Parliament of 1626
Next	Short Parliament

Parliament of 1628–1629

The Parliament of 1628–1629 was the third Parliament of Charles I of England’s reign, meeting amid international war and domestic tension. It convened after the defeats in the Anglo-Spanish War (1625) and the Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, and sat during crises involving taxation, religious policy, and the rights of English subjects. The assembly produced landmark statutes and confrontations that presaged the political ruptures leading to the English Civil War.

Background and Political Context

The summoning of this Parliament followed military failures at La Rochelle, setbacks involving the Duke of Buckingham, and fiscal strains from subsidies requested by Charles I of England to prosecute conflicts with Spain and France. English finance had been strained by the collapse of the expedition to Île de Ré and the costly naval expeditions led by George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham against Cadiz and La Rochelle. Domestic controversy over forced loans imposed by Charles I of England and imprisonment of opponents brought grievances from MPs associated with constituencies in Cornwall, Norfolk, and London. The broader European context included the Thirty Years' War and diplomatic alignments involving the Habsburgs, the Spanish Netherlands, and the French Crown.

Key Figures and Factions

Leading Commons figures included John Pym, John Hampden, Sir Edward Coke, and Sir Robert Phelips, who articulated rights-based resistance to royal prerogative. Prominent peers and advisors in the Lords and court were George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, William Laud, Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland, and Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. Factions coalesced around parliamentary critics of the court, allies of Puritan clergy such as William Strode and Benjamin Rudyerd, and royalist supporters including Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland and George Goring (soldier). Legal authorities and jurists—Sir Edward Coke, Sir Dudley Digges, and Sir Francis Bacon’s legacy—shaped debates about the Petition of Right and liberties claimed by Englishmen, aligning country gentry with urban merchants from City of London wards.

Legislative Agenda and Major Acts

Parliament focused on redressing grievances and securing statutory protections. The most consequential measure was the Petition of Right (1628), asserting limits on non-parliamentary taxation, arbitrary imprisonment, billeting of soldiers, and martial law; its framing involved John Pym, Sir Edward Coke, John Hampden, and endorsement by peers including Earl of Oxford. The Commons also debated subsidy bills and measures affecting trade with the Low Countries and Mediterranean commerce, implicating merchant interests from Bristol, Hull, and London. Legislation addressing recusancy and enforcement of ecclesiastical canons invoked figures such as William Laud and intersected with statutes concerning the rights of freeholders in Yorkshire and Essex. Petitions from boroughs like Winchester and Rye prompted scrutiny of crown purveyance and monopolies championed by courtiers like Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk.

Debates and Conflicts with King Charles I

Debate concentrated on jurisdictional limits: MPs including John Pym and John Hampden challenged the king’s use of forced loans, ship money precedents, and the Star Chamber’s coercive procedures associated with Sir John Finch and the Privy Council of the United Kingdom (historical). Confrontations escalated as Commons impeached royal favorites and sought redress for opponents detained without trial, referencing cases such as those of Denzil Holles allies and petitions regarding Dr. Robert Sibthorpe. The crown’s response, invoking royal prerogative, involved interventions by Charles I of England and his ministers like Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland and provoked speeches from MPs citing common law authorities including Sir Edward Coke and rulings linked to the Court of King’s Bench. Tensions peaked when the Commons resisted attempts by the court to suppress parliamentary privilege, culminating in charges and countercharges between the Commons and royal commissioners.

Dissolution and Aftermath

The Parliament was abruptly prorogued and dissolved by Charles I of England in 1629 after a dramatic episode in which MPs shouted petitions and held the Speaker in his chair to pass three resolutions against innovations in religion and taxation championed by William Laud and royal ministers. Following dissolution, the king embarked on the period known as the Personal Rule (1629–1640), relying on fiscal measures such as ship money and consolidating authority through officials like Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland and Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford later on. Imprisonments of MPs and legal confrontations continued in the Star Chamber and Court of High Commission, affecting figures such as John Eliot and William Prynne and setting the stage for further disputes over liberty, representation, and the royal prerogative.

Historical Significance and Legacy

The statutes and disputes of 1628–1629 reverberated into the constitutional crises of the 1640s, informing the arguments of parliamentarians in the Long Parliament and the legal reasoning of revolutionary figures like Oliver Cromwell and Henry Marten. The Petition of Right (1628) became a touchstone in debates about habeas corpus and resistance theory cited by later jurists and politicians from Whig and Tory traditions. Legal precedents invoked by Sir Edward Coke and parliamentary tactics pioneered by John Pym influenced subsequent legislation and pamphlet literature involving Hugh Peters and Richard Baxter. The parliamentary confrontations contributed to the polarization that culminated in the English Civil War, shaping constitutional developments leading to the trial of Charles I of England and reforms implemented during the Commonwealth of England.

Category:1628 establishments in England Category:Charles I of England Category:17th-century English Parliaments