Early Stuart England

1634

A peace-time trade boom creates new winners and losers among London's merchant oligarchs. Municipal power shifts from merchants doing business in the Netherlands to those exploiting markets in the Mediterranean and the East.

1633

Charles visits Scotland to receive his crown and continue his father's religious reforms. Though he finds himself a stranger in his native land.

1633

Intent on turning Ireland into a profitable enterprise, Charles selects a new Lord Deputy - Thomas Wentworth, his top man in the north of England.

1633

The newly elevated Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, puts his distinctive stamp on the English Church.

1630-1633

Having determined to work without parliament, Charles gets creative in extracting revenue from his subjects.

1632

As the Swedish King, Gustavus Adolphus, re-draws the map of Germany, Charles contemplates calling a parliament and re-joining the Protestant war effort.

1630-1631

The Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus overturns a decade of Catholic dominance in Germany, opening new diplomatic opportunities for England.

Winter 1631

In the wake of widespread social unrest in 1629, England's property owning elites and the central government co-operate on the reform of county governance.

1630

Squeezed out by William Laud's anti-Calvinist Church, the Calvinists of England struggle to adapt to their new circumstances.  Some look to escape England altogether, and establish a new life in America.

1630

Rival pro-French and pro-Spanish factions race to make peace with England's enemies.  In doing so, they establish the main division at court for the next few years.