Opposition to Charles I's ship money divided between people who rejected the levy and a larger merchant group that distrusted how the king would spend it. Those merchants wanted frigates and other cruising ships to protect commerce rather than expensive first rates designed primarily for battle. Their concern centered on fleet composition as much as taxation. The interests represented in a legislature can shape force structure as strongly as the nominal size of a naval budget. Russia's Duma lacked a comparable merchant constituency pressing for trade protection.
Notable Point · 1:14:36-1:16:27
Charles I's ship money and the politics of fleet design
An early-modern comparison shows that opposition to naval taxation can reflect distrust over what kind of fleet the government will build.