During Charles 11 year rule without parliament, the levying of ship money bought the government close to success. For Charles' opposition such as John Pym this was disastrous, as they wished to use the king's financial difficulties to restrain him. They were even considering leaving the country as a way out. For Charles one of the major incidents that changed this was when he tried to enforce the English prayer book on the Church of Scotland in 1637.
Presbyterianism in Scotland was like a thorn in Charles side. He was the ruler of the three kingdoms, England, Scotland and Ireland, and he wished to rule these three uniformly in government and more importantly religion. Unlike his predecessor James І, Charles lacked in patience and common sense. …
