Charles I became King of England in 1625. He had problems with Parliament from the very beginning, because, his wife was French, and parliament resented his support of France. When parliament refused to grant him the money he wanted, he dissolved it and started collecting taxes illegally. Those who refused to pay were thrown into prison.
However, even these harsh steps failed to get Charles the money he needed, so he was forced to call parliament again in 1628. The House of Commons took this opportunity to force Charles to accept a document called the Petition of Rights. The petition restated some of the ancient rights and privilege of Englishmen. It declared that no free man could be thrown into prison without a trial and that the king could not collect any tax without the consent of parliament. The petition also forbade the use of private homes to house soldiers without payment, and reminded the king that he was not above the law of the land.
Charles I agreed to the petition and parliament voted him the revenues he sought. Shortly after-wards, however, the king dismissed parliament, and rejected the petition. He ruled for the next eleven years without summoning parliament.