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Why did Charles use ship money?
After bitter constitutional disputes, Charles dismissed Parliament in 1629 and began 11 years of personal rule; during this time, deprived of parliamentary sources of revenue, he was forced to employ ship money as a financial expedient. Charles’s writs of 1638 and 1639 fell far short of their goal.
Why was the ship money tax illegal?
ship money was an occasional tax on property, traditionally levied in port towns for their protection by the navy. Because Parliament, together with its power to grant taxes, had been dissolved in 1629, Charles I lacked money both for the fleet and for other expenses. In 1641 Parliament declared ship money illegal.
Why were people angry about ship money?
Ship Money was a tax that could be levied by the Monarch, without the approval of Parliament, during wartime on coastal communities. It was very unpopular and Parliament disagreed with the King over the tax, and the Ship Money Act of 1641 made it illegal.
Why did ship money cause the Civil War?
From 1625 to 1629, Charles argued with parliament over most issues, but money and religion were the most common causes of arguments. In 1635 Charles ordered that everyone in the country should pay Ship Money. This was historically a tax paid by coastal towns and villages to pay for the upkeep of the navy.
Who opposed ships money?
Richard Strode was a long-term opponent of the tax. He appears in government records in 1631, 1635, 1637 and 1639 complaining about ship money.
Who took Charles to court over ships?
John Hampden
From 1635 he extended it to the inland towns, and raised up to £200,000 a year as a result. In 1637 John Hampden was taken to court for refusing to pay and claimed that Charles needed Parliament’s approval to levy such a regular tax.
Who paid ship money?
Ship money was supposed to be paid by counties near the coast. It was supposed to be paid in times of emergency to raise money for the navy to protect the country. However, from 1635 Charles I started collecting ship money every year. He also started collecting it from all counties, not just coastal counties.
Why did Hampden oppose ship money?
Opposition was based on the principle of taxes imposed without Parliamentary approval, not the tax itself; there was widespread support for a powerful navy to protect English trade. Its extension into inland counties like Hampden’s estates in Buckinghamshire widened opposition to its collection, and how it was spent.
How did Charles collect tax illegally?
Kings could not normally go this long without talking to Parliament. They usually ran short of money and new taxes had to be approved by Parliament. However, Charles hated working with MPs. He tried to get the money he needed by collecting taxes like ship money and tallage (a tax on landowners).
Why did King Charles decide to use ship money?
After bitter constitutional disputes, Charles dismissed Parliament in 1629 and began 11 years of personal rule; during this time, deprived of parliamentary sources of revenue, he was forced to employ ship money as a financial expedient.
How did the ship money affect the English Civil Wars?
Its revival and its enforcement as a general tax by Charles I aroused widespread opposition and added to the discontent leading to the English Civil Wars.
What was the purpose of the ship money?
Ship money. Written By: Ship money, in British history, a nonparliamentary tax first levied in medieval times by the English crown on coastal cities and counties for naval defense in time of war. It required those being taxed to furnish a certain number of warships or to pay the ships’ equivalent in money.
Why was Charles I able to raise so much money?
It was palpable that if that judgment held good there was no limit to the amount of money that Charles could raise on the pretext that it was required for the defence of the realm. Yet the nation could only rage in silence; it had no mouthpiece, for it had no parliament.