On 21 June 1642, Charles I presented his response to the Nineteen Propositions which had been submitted to him by the English Parliament. While the Propositions are mostly known for their demands for limitations upon the power of the King, they also contain demands regarding the treatment of Catholics in England.

The Propositions demanded that the present laws against Jesuits, Catholic priests, and those who refused to attend Anglican services. They also demanded that the votes of Catholics in the House of Lords be removed and that the children of Catholic receive a Protestant education. Moreover they demanded that King Charles I formalize an alliance with the Dutch “in order to defend them from the Pope and his followers”.

While Charles I, in his Answer to the Nineteen Propositions, will reject those proposals which he believed illegitimately limited his power, he will not reject those propositions directed against Catholics. Indeed he will support them and offer to strengthen their enforcement.

The conflict between Charles I and the English Parliament as demonstrated in the Nineteen Propositions and Charles I’s response will eventually lead to the English Civil War.

The Nineteen Propositions and Charles I’ Answer to the Nineteen Propositions