Editing English Civil War (section)

===Personal rule===
Charles avoided calling a Parliament for the next decade, a period known as the "[[personal rule of Charles I]]", or by its critics as the "Eleven Years' Tyranny".<ref>{{Harvnb|Rosner|Theibault|2000|p=103}}.</ref> During this period, Charles's policies were determined by his lack of money. First and foremost, to avoid Parliament, the King needed to avoid war. Charles made peace with France and Spain, effectively ending England's involvement in the [[Thirty Years' War]]. However, that in itself was far from enough to balance the Crown's finances.

Unable to raise revenue without Parliament and unwilling to convene it, Charles resorted to other means. One was to revive conventions, often outdated. For example, a failure to attend and receive [[knighthood]] at Charles's coronation became a finable offence with the fine paid to the Crown. The King also tried to raise revenue through [[ship money]], demanding in 1634–1636 that the inland English counties pay a tax for the [[Royal Navy]] to counter the threat of privateers and pirates in the English Channel.<ref name="Adair 1976"/> Established law supported the policy of coastal counties and inland ports such as London paying ship money in times of need, but it had not been applied to inland counties before.<ref name="Adair 1976"/>

Authorities had ignored it for centuries, and many saw it as yet another extra-Parliamentary, illegal tax,<ref name="Pipes-143">{{Harvnb|Pipes|1999|p=143}}.</ref> which prompted some prominent men to refuse to pay it. Charles issued a writ against [[John Hampden]] for his failure to pay, and although five judges including George Croke supported Hampden, seven judges found in favour of the King in 1638.<ref name="Adair 1976"/> The fines imposed on people who refused to pay ship money and standing out against its illegality aroused widespread indignation.<ref name=Pipes-143/>

During his "Personal Rule", Charles aroused most antagonism through his religious measures. He believed in [[High church|High Anglicanism]], a sacramental version of the [[Church of England]], theologically based upon [[Arminianism in the Church of England|Arminianism]], a creed shared with his main political adviser, Archbishop [[William Laud]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Carlton|1987|p=48}}.</ref> In 1633, Charles appointed Laud [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] and started making the Church more ceremonial, replacing the wooden [[Mass (liturgy)#Communion rite|communion]] tables with stone altars.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carlton|1987|p=96}}.</ref> [[Puritans]] accused Laud of reintroducing Catholicism, and when they complained he had them arrested. In 1637, [[John Bastwick]], [[Henry Burton (Puritan)|Henry Burton]], and [[William Prynne]] had their ears cut off for writing pamphlets attacking Laud's views – a rare penalty for [[Gentleman|gentlemen]], and one that aroused anger.<ref>{{Harvnb|Purkiss|2007|p=201}}.</ref> Moreover, the Church authorities revived statutes from the time of Elizabeth I about church attendance and fined Puritans for not attending Anglican services.<ref>{{Harvnb|Carlton|1987|p=173}}.</ref>