Ship money and the state behind naval policy

The story begins before the Navigation Acts, with the fiscal and constitutional crisis around Charles I. Ship money was supposed to sustain a navy, while tonnage, poundage, and Crown income helped maintain the monarchy and defensive positions such as Pendennis and Berwick-upon-Tweed. Parliament distrusted how Charles raised and used the money, then resisted giving him an army whose command remained with the king. Charles's inability to keep political agreements made negotiation harder once the conflict began. The dispute over finance, armed force, and command formed the political setting from which the Commonwealth's maritime policy emerged.