Grand Remonstrance
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The Grand Remonstrance was a list of grievances presented to King Charles I of England by the English Parliament on December 1, 1641, during the Long Parliament; it helped to foment the English Civil War.
Although the Remonstrance reflected the mistrust of the King by Parliament it only passed the House of Commons by 11 votes, 159 votes to 148, and helped to create pro-Royal feeling in a number of MPs who had previously opposed many of Charles's policies.
The Remonstrance itself outlined over 200 points on which Parliament felt betrayed by Charles or, more specifically, by his advisors. In particular it accused the despised Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (already executed in May 1641) and Archbishop Laud (imprisoned and finally beheaded 1645) of misleading the King and misrepresenting Parliament, and demanded that the King appoint counselors only with Parliamentary approval.
Parliament passed the Remonstrance without the King's permission. Charles responded by promising to look into the abuses mentioned, but he maintained his right to choose his own ministers.
[edit] Sources
- Purkiss, Diane. The English Civil War. New York: Basic Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-465-06756-5, ISBN 0-465-06756-5.
