Specimen Papers 2014 – 2016
1) Were divisions over religious matters the main reason for the failure of republican government in
the years
1649–60?
2) Was the Restoration Settlement of 1660–64 the main reason for Charles II’s difficult relations with
his parliaments
in the years 1665–81?
3) To what extent was Charles I personally responsible for the problems which faced the monarchy
in the years
1629-46?
4) To what extent was military involvement in politics responsible for political instability in the years
1646-60?
5) Were financial problems the main reason for the failure of Charles I’s personal rule in the years
1629 – 1640?
Yes - Finance
Monopoly licenses - resented, led to debate '41, many unemployed, prices rose to benefit
king.
Ship money trial - John Hampden refused to pay '36 -> legal challenge Nov '37 -> Charles
won but only by 7-5.
Ship money - reduction from 98% to under 25% people paying it in 4 years.
Campaign against distraint of knighthood '34 (BUT little support for it).
Gentry didn’t want to fund civil war -> taxpayers strike '39-40 = call short Parl, ultimately led
to abolition of ship money during Long Parl 1640.
BUT: triggered by Scotland/religion.
MOST IMPORTANT: what caused the need to call Parl.
No - Religion/Laud
Laud = BoL 1628 and ABoC 1633.
Organs, raised and railed altars in east, vestment controversies (green vests for priests),
visitations -> checks and fines.
June 1637 - Prynne, Burton and Bastwick's ears chopped off and branded 'SL' for publishing
attacks on Laud.
July 1637 - English Prayer Book, read at Giles Cathedral -> riot, 1638 clergy and nobility met
to make National Covenant, led to the bishops wars of June 1639 and 1640 (Charles had no
MONEY so suffered defeat at BoNewburn -> Treaty of Ripon where he had to pay £850 a day
while troops were in Newcastle). Charles' army sympathised with the Scots.
BUT: link to Scotland.
MOST IMPORTANT: caused issues with Scotland too.
No - Scotland
Scottish coronation 1633.
EPB July 1637 - read Giles Cathedral -> riot -> '38 clergy and nobility met to make national
covenant.
June '39 - Charles and covenanters raised armies - no money - couldn’t win - Treaty of
Berwick ended war (Eng invades)
, Nov '40 - unorganised force, army sympathised with Scots -> defeat at BoNewburn -> Treaty
of Ripon = forced to pay Scots £850 per day Scots were in Newcastle and Parl wasn’t called
(Scot invades Eng).
BUT: link to religion (EPB rebellion, Laud's canons '37, covenanters), could argue finance was the real
problem that was influenced by religiously motivated wars.
6) Were the difficulties faced by the restored monarchy in the years 1660 – 1688, mainly due to the
strength of anti-
Catholic sentiment?
7) Were the actions of Charles I the main reason for the outbreak of Civil War in 1642?
8) Were the actions of Cromwell the main reason for the instability of republican government 1649-
60?
A Level 2017 Exam
1) To what extent was republican rule (1649 – 60) different from the personal rule of Charles I (1629
– 1640)?
A Level 2018 Exam
1) How accurate is it to say that Charles I’s Personal Rule (1629–40) was a financial success?
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LoA: it worked to a very limited extent. However, some methods were successful and it did list 11
years.
Criteria: it only lasted 11 years, eventually forced to call Parl for finance, objections to and issues
with many methods of raising money limited them.
Yes -
Treaty of Madrid ended war - reduced spending from £500,000 a year to £70,000.
Feudal payments - fines for building on royal forests -> gentry taxed (Earl of Salisbury fined
£20,000).
Monopoly licenses revived - '34 patent-production of soap.
Ship money - entire country '35 (£200,000 to exchequer a year to upkeep navy), made
annual '36.
Distraint of knighthood - land worth £40+ a year expected for knighthood and fined if not,
9000 fined.
Purveyance = crown right to purchase necessities at reduced price.
Wardships - landowner death leads to crown's right to administer estates while heir is child.
Credit - borrowing money from city of London…
Fines for building outside city walls (London - 60,000 since 1603)
Enclosure fines.
Rents from crown lands.
Tonnage and Poundage (new impositions?).
Wentworth - fines (e.g. Earl of Coke fined £40,000 for dishonest acts), control of Irish Parl
meant that it voted Charles 6 subsidies, encouraged trade and industry ('37 levels of custom
revenues over '33 levels), gained about £25,000 in income (and 59,000 acres).
LIMITED: many issues with some of these methods and wasn't enough to pay for a civil war.
MOST IMPORTANT:
LoA: some methods were successful but overall most were not and didn't generate enough
money without Parl -> failures undermined the successes.
