Assess the significance of religious conflicts in creating a Essay

Assess the significance of religious conflicts in creating a parliamentary challenge to royal authority in the years 1529-164 - Essay Example The open conflict that developed between the King and parliament in 1629 arose from a series of clashes that had begun when Charles I succeeded to the throne in 1625, but its root course laid much deeper intensions that had existed since 1603. James had inherited a monarch with conditions of a mixed inheritance from his predecessors. On one hand, he had inherited a very stable system of government where the royal power was accepted and also exercised through a legal system which drew from the common law in the kingdom. There were also areas where direct power was exercised through the royal prerogative. The society he inherited was relatively prosperous and well ordered with characteristics of increased education and able administrators (Noble, Strauss, Osheim, Nauschel and Accampo, 2010). During the same time, he was the head of the Church of England and so he had the responsibility of very contentious issues that could affect individuals in the society. He was also faced with major financial problems which were worsened by the war against Catholic Spain and the rebellion in Catholic Ireland. Most of Elizabeth’s subjects welcomed the accession of James I into power because being a male protestant king with several children; he offered the prospects of security and stable succession. Catholics hoped that the respect for his dead mother, Mary queen of Scots would make him ease the persecution they suffered. The puritans on the other hand hoped that his upbringing in the Presbyterian church of Scotland would actually favor their plans for reform. However in the long run, both were utterly disappointed because James suspended the collection of fines for recusancy. However he re- imposed them in 1604 when he was faced with complaints in his parliament and thus feared the loss of income (Noble et al, 2010). His move led an extremist minority