Image Of King Essay
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The Image of a King
Charles I's obsession with kingship played an important role in his political career, motivating him to take liberties in spending and policy that he believed were granted to him by the title of king. The period of the Personal Rule contributed to Charles' already lofty image of himself: little to no opposition existed among his councilmen who feared a loss of favor with the King; Archbishop Laud supported the return of adornments to the Church despite the public's fear of 'popery'; Parliament had been dismissed; no citizen could speak directly against the king, fearing treason, punishable by death. Motivated by his image of kingship, Charles spent money on aesthetic improvements to enhance his image, dismissed Parliament, supported Laud's changes to the Church, and used highly unfavorable methods to raise money for the Crown. Charles's activities and policies angered his Parliament and his people, creating tension between king and kingdom, supporters and opponents, a tension that would grow into serious conflict, and eventually civil war.
Charles did everything to reinforce his image of kingship, commissioning Van Dyck to paint commanding kingly portraits of him and dressing in pure white at his coronation to symbolize his rebirth as the ruler of the kingdom. "Charles was preoccupied with visual representation, with the authority of images (and images of authority)"(Sharpe, 181). He re-instituted the formalism and patronage of Court, laying out rules of conduct and restricting access to his presence, both of which created the Court as a place of ceremonial worship of the king. In creating his image as king he thought he would encourage his citizens to revere and obey him.
The divine right of kings, the belief that God Himself granted a king the rule of the kingdom formed the foundation of Charles's idea of kingship. In a heavily religious time when all major wars still raged for religious reasons, the idea of divine right was strongly supported. Bishop Henry King stated that 'every king...is a medal cast in Christ's own mold.' Parliament had evolved from medieval times to become a representative of the people so that no king asserted complete control over a kingdom. Yet, the king still had the right to dismiss Parliament, a right that Charles exercised during the Personal Rule, establishing that he alone could rule his kingdom. Rather than be a king who listened to his Parliament, Charles chose to be a king who had no ear for dissent, who assumed that all people would be of the opinion of the king. Laud once said Charles was 'more willing not to hear than to hear' . His idea of kingship was "the king was the kingdom," and that none of his people "could honestly differ from their king"(Hirst 132-3). As king he had absolute ability and power to personally run his country- his people would listen to him and agree with him solely because he was the king appointed by God. Consequently, Charles devised policies that he deemed important (and in the case of ship money, 'national emergency'), inflicting highly unfavorable demands upon his people.
Knowing no limitations to his desires, Charles acted carelessly with the Crown's fortunes, allowing himself to indulge in aesthetic improvements and acquisitions of art. In the early years of his reign, he bought Italian art, commissioned Van Dyck paintings, and planned architectural projects at Whitehall. At the time the wars with Spain and France were also quickly depleting his money supply. Charles, suddenly desperate, began to raise money, devising methods of direct taxation of his citizens, in complete disregard of Parliament or popular opinion:
Charles's mind was steadily torn between the grandeur of his crown and the straitness of his resources. Charles's vision of monarchy was not just domestic, ceremonious and uplifting; it was also strikingly imperial.
(Hirst 145)
His plans for raising money best exemplify Charles's 'vision' of the Crown's authority....
Sharpe, Kevin. The Personal Rule of Charles I. London: Yale University Press, 1992.Quintrell, Brian. Charles I: 1625-1640. London: Longman Group UK Limited, 1993.
Hirst, Derek. England in Conflict. London: Arnold, 1999.
Revolutionary England 1640-1660. Handout.
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