The political and religious difficulties which marked the
reign of James I did not disappear when his son, Charles I, came to the throne.
Charles was a true Stuart in his devotion to absolutism and divine right.
Almost immediately he began to quarrel with Parliament. When that body withheld
supplies, Charles resorted to forced loans from the wealthy and even imprisoned
a number of persons who refused to contribute. Such arbitrary acts showed
plainly that Charles would play the tyrant if he could.
PETITION OF RIGHT, 1628 A.D.
The king's attitude at last led Parliament to a bold
assertion of its authority. It now presented to Charles the celebrated Petition
of Right. One of the most important clauses provided that forced loans without
parliamentary sanction should be considered illegal. Another clause declared
that no one should be arrested or imprisoned except according to the law of the
land. The Petition thus repeated and reinforced two of the leading principles
of Magna Carta. The people of England, speaking this time through their
elected representatives, asserted once more their right to limit the power of
kings.
