The 1st Parliament of King James I was summoned by

King James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

on 31 January 1604 and assembled on 19 March following. It was known as the Blessed Parliament and took place in five sessions, interrupted by Holy Days and the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was an unsuccessful attempted regicide against James VI and I, King James VI of Scotland and I of England by a group of English ...

. The

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

was

Edward Phelips Edward Phelips may refer to: * Sir Edward Phelips (speaker) (c. 1555/60–1614), English lawyer and politician, Speaker of the English House of Common and subsequently Master of the Rolls * Sir Edward Phelips Jr. (1638–1699), English landowner ...

, the Member of Parliament for

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

. King James' objective from the first session of his first Parliament after taking the English throne in addition to that of Scotland was to bring about a statutory union of the two countries. As he said, he did not wish to be "a husband to two wives". However the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

rejected the proposal on the grounds that it would affect

English Common Law English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. The judiciary is independent, and legal principles like fairness, equality bef ...

, and when James sought legal help, he found the judges agreed with Parliament. He was also denied funds as the subsidy was still being collected. Parliament re-assembled for the second session on 5 November 1605, which was postponed until 6 January 1606 because of the

. A bill to outlaw

purveyance Purveyance, a greatly expanded form of the ancient customary right of prise, was a mediaeval prerogative right of the English Crown to purchase provisions and other necessaries, at an appraised price, and to requisition horses and vehicles for ...

, whereby the Royal Household could obtain goods by right at reduced prices, was thwarted by the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. However legislation was successively enacted to prohibit Englishmen from serving in the Spanish armed forces, then at war with the Dutch. The Spanish Company, a trading company which claimed a monopoly on trade with Spain, was also suppressed. In reaction to the Gunpowder Plot, King James was granted subsidies then worth £400,000. The third session (November 1606 to July 1607) returned to the issue of union between England and Scotland, but only agreed to abolish some medieval laws dealing with Anglo-Scottish hostilities. The fourth session, delayed by plague and King James' reluctance, met on 9 February 1610.

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, (1 June 156324 May 1612) was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart period, Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury ser ...

, the

Lord Treasurer The Lord High Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in England, below the Lord ...

, informed the House that the King needed £600,000 to clear his debts and modernise the Navy. In addition, he proposed a new annual subsidy for the Royal Household of £200,000, in return for which the King would give up his right of purveyance and other historic privileges. After some negotiation a deal was agreed and members left for the summer to consult their constituents on the issue. The fifth and final session met on 16 October 1610. Support for the "Great Contract" negotiated in the previous session to guarantee the King's finances ran into difficulties over specific taxes the King was imposing on trade and the Commons withdrew from the deal. The King's patience had by now run out. Although initially intended that Parliament should reconvene on 9 February 1611, the King's anger was so great that on 31 December he issued a Proclamation dissolving the assembly, therefore nicknamed "Blessed Parliament". The Parliament was officially dissolved on 9 February 1611.

Notable acts passed in the Parliament

Popish Recusants Act 1605 The Popish Recusants Act 1605 ( 3 Jas. 1. c. 4) was an act of the Parliament of England which quickly followed the Gunpowder Plot of the same year, an attempt by English Roman Catholics to assassinate King James I and many of the Parliament. ...

* Presentation of Benefices Act 1605 *

Shop-books Evidence Act 1609 The Shop-books Evidence Act 1609 ( 7 Jas. 1. c. 12) was an act of the Parliament of England. The act was continued until the end of the next parliamentary session by the Continuance of Laws, etc. Act 1623 ( 21 Jas. 1. c. 28). The words "Thi ...

Crown Debts Act 1609 The Crown Debts Act 1609 ( 7 Jas. 1. c. 15) was an act of the Parliament of England. Legacy The words of commencement were repealed by section 1 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1948. The whole act, so far as unrepealed, ...

* Assuring and establishing the Isle of Man

References

* {{cite web, url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/survey/parliament-1604-1610, title=The Parliament of 1604-1610, publisher= History of Parliament Online, accessdate= 25 October 2016 1604 establishments in England 1604 in politics Parliaments of James I of England

Notable acts passed in the Parliament

See also

References