A trading society had practical reasons to support spending on the Royal Navy. Ship money was acceptable to merchants when it protected their access to the sea and the movement of goods. Raising that money for other purposes damaged their trust in the Crown. Trouble in Scotland and Ireland then made the question of paying for an army more urgent. A king who could not be trusted to spend naval money as promised also faced doubts about how he would use an army financed for him.
Notable Point · 33:03-34:51
Ship money and trust in the king's spending
Merchants accepted naval taxation when it protected trade, while diversion of the money raised doubts about funding a royal army.