ABSTRACT
The Petition of Right, the product of the British Parliament's efforts to control the power of Charles I, was part of a larger controversy about the rights of the people and the limits of the king's prerogative. The House of Commons, led by the famous lawyers John Selden and Sir Edward Coke, passed a series of resolutions in early April declaring that the king had abused his powers and violated the law. The House of Commons was furious but held a trump card: Charles needed money. Charles also wasted no time in collecting tonnage and poundage; taxes that he claimed were his by right, though traditionally Parliament granted them to monarchs. In clear violation of the Petition of Right, Charles began collecting these taxes, and his officers began confiscating the goods of those who refused to pay a nonparliamentary tax.
