1618
- Depression in English textile export trade.
- Thirty Years’ War begins on the Continent.
1625
- Death of James I and VI. Charles I becomes king.
- Charles appoints a royal governor to Virginia colony.
1626
- Charles bans Calvinist teaching.
1627
- Charles orders forced loan.
- Five Knights case.
1628
- For the first time, London Common Hall nominates and elects all four MPs to the House of Commons.
- Parliament passes the Petition of Right.
- Anti-enclosure riots by peasants break out in the west of England. Disturbances continue for the next three years.
1629
- Beginning of Charles I’s Personal Rule without Parliament.
1633
- William Laud appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles.
1635
- First annual collection of Ship Money extended to inland areas.
1637
- Rebellion in Scotland over imposition of Episcopal Book of Common Prayer;
- Puritan religious martyrs of Star Chamber maimed and imprisoned.
1638
- Scots raise army to defend the National Covenant.
1639
- First Bishops’ War.
- London Common Council votes petition of grievances.
1640
- Earl of Strafford raises Catholic army in Ireland to fight the Scots.
- Short Parliament.
- Charles imprisons four Aldermen for refusing to provide lists of wealthy men in their parishes.
- Rowdy demonstration at Archbishop Laud’s palace.
- Common Council refuses king’s request for 4,000 troops.
- King seizes Mint in the Tower.
- Mutinies and disorders of conscripted English soldiers marching north to Scotland.
- Scots’ army invades England — Second Bishops’ War.
- Twelve peers petition king for new Parliament.
- Popular London petition of grievances with 10,000 signatures presented to king in York.
- London Common Hall rejects oligarchic candidate for Mayor, elects four Puritan merchants as MPs.
- High Commission session at St. Paul’s Cathedral disrupted by large throng.
- Long Parliament opens.
- Puritan martyrs of the Star Chamber freed and enter London in triumph with demonstration of 10,000 people.
- “Root and Branch” mass petition for abolition of episcopacy presented to House of Commons.
- Archbishop Laud and Earl of Strafford impeached by House of Commons.
1641
- Commons investigates monopoly overseas companies, reverses many previous actions by magistrates who are penalized.
- Archbishop Laud attempts to flee London, committed to Tower.
- Commons votes to exclude bishops from House of Lords and clergy from government offices.
- Mass petition and demonstrations against Strafford.
- House of Commons passes Bill of Attainder condemning Strafford to death.
- Commons passes bill against dissolution of Parliament without its consent.
- John Pym and Earl of Bedford negotiate with Charles to join government.
- Mass demonstrations against Strafford at Parliament.
- First Army Plot — Armed men sent by Charles to rescue Strafford from the Tower are refused entrance. Plans for coup d’etat by the king and royalists discovered.
- Protestation passed in Commons.
- House of Lords passes the Bill of Attainder and bill against dissolution of Parliament without its consent.
- Strafford executed.
- London Common Hall demands the right to elect both sheriffs.
- House of Lords rejects exclusion of bishops.
- Star Chamber and High Commission abolished.
- House of Lords rejects exclusion of Catholics from government offices.
- Modified Root and Branch bill introduced in Commons.
- Charles leaves London for Scotland.
- Commons votes to abolish superstition and idolatry.
- King signs treaty with Scots whose army returns to Scotland.
- Commons and Lords issue conflicting orders on religion.
- Attacks on churches and ministers by radical Puritans increase.
- Peasants attack royal deer park for food.
- Charles conspires against Covenanter leaders in Scotland — “The Incident” sparks fears of popish plots in England.
- At request of both Houses Trained Bands are posted by Earl of Essex to guard Parliament.
- Irish rebellion and massacre of colonial Protestants.
- Commons votes requirement for Parliamentary approval of all military officers appointed by the king.
- Grand Remonstrance passed by Commons.
- Motion to quash first Militia Bill fails in Commons.
- King returns to London. Against Parliament’s wishes, he replaces Earl of Essex with Earl of Dorset over Trained Bands.
- Dorset orders Trained Bands to shoot at hundreds of demonstrators with swords and staves chanting “No bishops!” at House of Lords.
- Grand Remonstrance presented to king.
- Mass petition presented to Commons for expulsion of bishops and papists from House of Lords, and parliamentary control of militia.
- House of Lords again reaffirms episcopacy as state church.
- Commons votes to publish Grand Remonstrance.
- Elections give Puritan radicals majority in London Common Council.
- Charles rejects the Grand Remonstrance, and replaces Lieutenant of the Tower with Colonel Lunsford, a royalist.
- Commons passes Declaration against Lunsford.
- Disturbances in London against Lunsford, shops close.
- King dismisses Lunsford, but authorizes Trained Bands to shoot to kill demonstrators.
- Large crowds at House of Lords chanting “No bishops!”.
- Seven Cavaliers, including Lunsford, attack demonstrators inside Parliament with swords. John Lilburne leads crowd in defense.
- Demonstrators prevent bishops from entering House of Lords.
- Armed men assemble at Westminster Abbey and Whitehall.
- Cavalier guards twice attack demonstrators.
- Lords defeat motion “this is no free parliament”.
- Twelve bishops protest their exclusion to Charles who declares laws passed without them null and void. They are impeached by Commons and imprisoned by Lords.
- King appoints new royalist to Tower, and again authorizes use of force against demonstrators. Common Council threatens anyone failing to report for duty in Trained Bands.
1642
- King attempts to arrest Five Members in House of Commons for treason.
- House of Commons takes refuge in London.
- Puritan opposition takes control in Common Council and elects London Committee of Safety (Militia Committee).
- Armed populace occupies the streets overnight in support of the Five Members, and against any coup attempt by the king.
- Charles appears at Common Council and demands Five Members be turned over to him.
- Armed people again guard the City overnight on 6 January, along with Trained Bands who join them without Mayor’s authorization.
- House of Commons takes away the Lord Mayor’s sole authority over the Trained Bands.
- Charles flees London.
- MPs return to Westminster accompanied by huge crowds, seamen and Trained Bands.
- Thousands of people from surrounding counties bring petitions of support with grievances to Parliament.
- Militia Committee reorganizes and expands Trained Bands.
- Mass petitions and demonstrations force Lords to pass bills to exclude bishops from their House, and to require Parliament’s approval of military officers.
MARCH
- Militia Ordinance is declared law without royal approval.
- Hull refuses to open gates to Charles.
- Royalists from both Houses leave Westminster to join King at York.
- Anti-enclosure riots and attacks on manors and deer parks occur in counties north of London.
- Parliament sends its demands to Charles in the Nineteen Propositions. The king rejects them.
- Parliament recruits army in London headed by Earl of Essex.
- Parliament puts Lord Mayor on trial.
- House of Commons begins collection of voluntary contributions from London.
- Weapons caches are seized for Parliament around the country by yeomen and townsmen over the next months.
- Additional Sea Adventure to Ireland is authorized.
- Royalist Lord Mayor convicted and imprisoned by Parliament;
- Charles raises standard in Nottingham.
- Anti-royalist riots occur in East Anglia.
- MP Isaac Pennington elected Lord Mayor.
- Charles disarms county Trained Bands, and accepts armed Catholics into his army.
- Inconclusive Battle of Edgehill.
- London population builds initial fortifications against the king’s army, completed the following spring.
- Essex’s army, Trained Bands and Auxiliaries muster at Turnham Green, preventing a Cavalier attack on London.
- Weekly assessment on London is instituted by Parliament to pay for the war.
1643
- Three aldermen and other wealthy men imprisoned for refusing to pay assessment.
- Ordinance expanding weekly assessment outside London and establishing parliamentary county committees.
- Charles rejects London government’s peace proposals, and demands City leaders be turned over as traitors.
- Parliament agrees on bill to abolish episcopacy.
- Charles’ intercepted letters read in Parliament.
- Radicals’ Petition and Remonstrance asserts sovereignty derives from people and resides in Parliament.
- Ordinance for sequestration of delinquent’s estates.
- Negotiations in Oxford for treaty collapse.
- Subcommittee of Volunteers established at Salters Hall.
- Five royalist aldermen removed from office.
- Royalist conspiracy of Edmund Waller exposed.
- Parliament passes new Vow and Covenant pledging defense of its forces against those of the king.
- Assembly of Divines authorized by Parliament.
- Parliament’s three armies defeated.
- London government petitions Parliament for control over its armed forces.
- Petition with 20,000 signatures submitted to House of Commons for a “committee for a general rising”.
- Meeting organized by Isaac Pennington and Henry Marten elects Puritan Sir William Waller military commander of Committee for a General Rising. Appointed by Parliament to head London forces under Militia Committee instead.
- Ordinance for Excise tax passed.
- Bristol falls to Royalists.
- Commons narrowly rejects Lords’ peace propositions after 5,000 men demonstrate at Parliament in favor of war.
- Violent demonstration in London by women led by royalists against the war broken up.
- Impressment Ordinance passed.
- Essex’s army and Trained Bands relieve siege of Gloucester, but are cut off from London.
- First Battle of Newbury — army returns to London.
- Isaac Pennington replaced as Lord Mayor by a moderate.