ABSTRACT
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I the gentry of England became highly articulate in the House of Commons, many members showing themselves, though in a confused kind of way, to be more forthright, independent and inquisitive. Parliament rejected the proposal for union, and negotiations for the giving up of feudal rights by the Crown in return for a fixed permanent annual revenue to be voted by the Commons broke down. A parliament summoned by King James in 1614 was a complete failure, although the Commons were promised ‘graces’ in return for supplies, and it became known to history as, the Addled Parliament. In theory Charles should have been more capable of handling parliaments than his father had been, for because he had lived all his adult life in England he should not have been misled by analogies with Scottish parliaments.
