The Main Reason for Charles I’s Weakness in 1641 Was the Execution of Strafford

‘The main reason for Charles I’s weakness in 1641 was the execution of Strafford’

On the 12th May 1641, Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford was executed in public in front of an estimated 100,000 witnesses. Even though he was a close advisor to the king, Charles I played a part in his death, giving his assent to the Bill of Attainder and effectively signing off on his execution; this was one of the king’s greatest regrets and marked the end of any possibility of compromise based on good will and trust to improve Crown-Parliament relations. Parliament were wary of Strafford and his increasing influence over the king, with the Earl of Essex stating ‘Stone dead hath no fellow’, as they saw his death as the only way to reach the king in order to fix their grievance’s that had risen during the Personal Rule. The Long Parliament aimed to remove Strafford as part of their plan to remove any ‘evil councillors’ and to reduce Arminian influence. However, without the extreme growth of opposition to the king it is debatable whether or not the death of Strafford would have had such an impact on the king.

Strafford was one of the king’s main advisors and enforcers of policies meaning he was of high importance to the King’s Court and to Charles personally. As a close companion of the king, Strafford believed he was the under the protection of the king meaning that when Charles gave his assent to the Bill of Attainder, it seemed that Charles was weak and that he was incapable of protecting those closest to him - similar to how he ‘sacrificed’ Buckingham in 1626. In Strafford’s words ‘put not your trust in princes’. This left Charles without a trusted advisor, who he was in dire need of considering the fact that he was perceived as politically inept and opposition in Parliament was becoming increasingly influential. Unlike Charles, Strafford had displayed good political skills, particularly when it came to managing government, as demonstrated by his success with ‘Thorough’ in Ireland and the fact that he was partly responsible for the recall of Parliament to end the Personal Rule. Without Strafford maintaining control in Ireland, there was a very real threat of an uprising, which became the Irish Rebellion in by 1642. With Strafford’s execution, Charles lost a key political consultant who would have undoubtedly helped him in resisting the increasing pressure from the Long Parliament; this meant that the king was forced to submit to Parliament’s will and gave his assent to the Bill of Attainder, appearing weak as if he almost had no choice. The execution of Strafford was a main reason for Charles’ weakness in 1641 as Strafford was vital to aid the king in his decisions.

The execution of Strafford was the ‘last straw’ in Parliament and Pym’s plan in removing the ‘evil councillors’ as part of a bigger plan to therefore largely eradicate Arminian influence, prevent