On 7th June 1614 King James I dissolved the “Addled Parliament”. The Addled Parliament was so-called because it failed to achieve anything of significance during its short lifespan. It was called by the king to address the financial issues that were plaguing the country at the time, but it quickly became apparent that the parliament was deeply divided and unable to agree on anything.
Francis Bacon advised King James on the establishment of this parliament. I have posted recently about Bacon’s later disgrace. Sadly his advice seemed to be ineffective. The main issue that divided the parliament was the question of taxation. The king wanted to raise taxes to help pay for his military campaigns, but the parliament was unwilling to agree to this without significant concessions. The result was a stalemate that lasted for months, with both sides refusing to back down.
King James sent four members of parliament to the Tower of London. He did not call parliament again for another seven years. The Addled Parliament changed the relationship between parliament and the sovereign and perhaps set the scene for the next king, Charles I. Charles married Henrietta Maria, daughter of Louis XIII and Marie de Medici. So there are multiple points of contact with my Sir Anthony Standen Adventures.
In The Spy who Sank the Armada, Anthony befriends the child Maria de Medici and, much later, is sent by King James to the Tower. Francis Bacon’s brother, also an Anthony, was Sir Anthony Standen’s controller for a while. In The Suggested Assassin we meet Louis. My next book will also feature Louis XIII and Marie de Medici. It will also introduce Cardinal Richelieu, who is the evil mastermind of The Three Musketeers, by Alexander Dumas.
The dictionary defines addled in two ways. The first is unable to think clearly, or confused. The second is rotten, although it only applies that to an egg.