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For many years, Parliament has had the power to keep England’s rulers under control by checking their power. Sometimes Parliament would go so far as to deny the monarch his finances. James I and his son, Charles I, were two monarchs with which Parliament caused problems. James I and Charles I disputed with Parliament over finances, religion, divine right, and foreign policy, eventually leading to a civil war. Parliament as unreasonably upset when James I ended the war with Spain. Since he made peace with Spain against Parliament’s will, members of Parliament became furious with him. They began believing that James was a Catholic but thought that he did not want to admit it. He arranged the marriage of his son, Charles I, to a nice young lady. Because she was Spanish Catholic, Parliament disliked this arrangement. Charles eventually married a Catholic woman from France. Parliament also disagreed with the way that Charles handled the foreign policy after he came into power. He tried to enlighten the Scottish by sharing the Anglican “Book of Common Prayer” to which he added a couple of Catholic rituals.
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