The Parliamentary Conflict

The 16th century saw the number of members in the House of Commons increase, while the House of Lords remained significantly smaller. The power base in Parliament shifted to the House of Commons who were well aware of the fact. Elizabeth I had a mix of determination, majestic presence and kindness towards the members of Parliament that her successors Jacob I and his son Charles I did not. The Parliament wanted to have more say in matters of the Church, justice and taxes to which the King naturally was opposed. When Jacob I tried to propose marriage of his son to a Spanish, and later a French princess (both Catholic) they had enough. The Parliament of 1628 voiced the Petition of Right which forbade arrests and taxation ordered by the King. In 1629 the Parliament voted for resolutions to condemn Religious and Tax politics and the King opposed the Parliament and tried to dissolve it. Eleven years of Dictatorship ensued. In 1642 the Civil War divided the country into Cavaliers (Royalists) versus Roundheads (the Parliament's wigless).