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3. THE SCOTTISH AND EUROPEAN DIPLOMACY 1641-1647: THE PALATINE, THE AND SWEDEN1

John R. Young

During the 1640s the Scottish Parliament underwent a process of unprecedented constitutional and procedural development. The Scottish constitutional settlement enacted in 1640-41 fundamentally enhanced the powers of the Scottish Estates at the expense of the Charles I's royal prerogative in . 2 This was one of the most powerful constitutional settlements enacted in early modern Europe, provid• ing a model for the English , and reversing 'the contemporary European trend of subordinating constitutional assem• blies to the dictates of autocratic kingship'. 3 Traditional historiogra• phy of this period, however, has emphasised the crucial importance of the British dimension to Covenanting diplomacy in terms of strate• gic, military and religious considerations. Nevertheless, during this period of important constitutional development the Scottish Parliament also developed structures for considering specific issues of both Anglo• Scottish and continental diplomacy. This paper therefore considers the 1641 Parliament and the devel• opment of Scottish foreign policy. It then proceeds to explore the development of parliamentary committee structures for the conduct of such diplomacy in the context of attempting to extend the 1643 Solemn League and Covenant on a European basis, particularly to the Dutch Republic, while trying to create a British confederation with . Throughout this discussion, close attention is paid to the membership trends apparent in these new parliamentary initiatives.

1 I would like to thank Steve Murdoch and Alexia Grosjean for providing me with material from the Swedish archives and Ardis Dreisbach-Grosjean for trans• lating several documents from these sources. 2 See John R. Young, The Scottish Parliament 1639-1661: A Political and Constitutional Ana[ysis (: 1996). 3 A.I. Macinnes, Charles I and the Making ef the Covenanting Movement 1625-1641 (Edinburgh: 1991) 184. See also L.A.R. Myers, 'The of Europe and the Age of the Estates', History, LX, (1975) 11-27; H.G. Koenigsberger, Politicians and Virtuosi: Essays in Ear[y Modem History (: 1986) 1-25. 78 JOHN R. YOUNG

Scottish Parliamentary Committees and the Palatinate

The king arrived in the Scottish Parliament on 1 7 1641, his first attendance since the controversial Coronation Parliament of 1633. The third session of the Parliament of 1639-1641 had been sitting since 15 (the king had actually been expected then) and a significant body of legislation enhancing the powers of the Estates had already been enacted, especially in the 1640 session. 4 Charles had entered Edinburgh three days earlier on 14 August and he was joined in the House by his nephew, the Prince Elector Palatine, Charles Louis. 5 The Prince Elector attended Parliament with the for• mal permission of the Estates and the king thanked Parliament on his nephew's behalf. On 20 August, the king produced a manifesto to the Estates con• cerning the restitution of the Palatinate which had already been approved by both Houses of Parliament in . This was read to the assembled Estates and the king requested that it should be approved by the Scottish Parliament. In accordance with recent Scottish parliamentary regulations and procedural innovation, the manifesto was remitted to each of the three estates separately (the nobility, commissioners of shires and commissioners of burghs) for their consideration over a 24-hour period. The Estates reconvened the next morning and formed a session committee to draw up their approval of the king's manifesto. The session committee of 21 August consisted of nine members drawn equally from each of the three parliamentary estates.6 The committee met in the Duke of Lennox's lodgings with the Marquis of Hamilton where they were collectively to discuss the 'Prince Elector's bussines'. 7 Both Hamiliton and Lennox had arrived

4 See Young, The Scottish Parliament, 19-53. 5 Sir James Balfour, Historical Works, four volumes, ed. J. Haig (Edinburgh: 1824-25) volume II, 44; Robert Baillie, Letters and Journals 163 7-1662, three vol• umes, ed. D. Laing (Bannatyne Club: Edinburgh, 1841-42) I, 385. 6 Archibald Campbell, eighth Earl of Argyll, Robert Ker, first Earl of Roxburgh and David Carnegie, first Earl of Southesk were the three noble representatives. Sir Thomas Morton of Cambo (Fife), Sir Robert Innes of that Ilk (Elgin) and Sir Thomas Hope of Kerse (Clackmannan) represented the shire commissioners, whilst Thomas Bruce (Stirling), (Irvine) and Patrick Bell (Glasgow) repre• sented the burgh commissioners. See Balfour, Historical Works, II, 48; APS, V, 645, 647; Journal ef the House ef Commons, 2, 15 April 1640-14 1642, 199, 201; Baillie, Letters and Journals, I, 387. 7 Balfour, Historical Works, II, 50.