John Pym

Common card · No. 440257

John Pym (20 May 1584 – 8 December 1643) was an English politician, commonly credited with helping establish the modern English Parliamentary system. A key leader of the opposition to Charles I of England prior to the First English Civil War, his use of procedure to outmanoeuvre opponents was unusual for the period. Although he was respected by contemporaries rather than admired, in 1895 historian Goldwin Smith described him as "the greatest member of Parliament that ever lived". Pym was raised by his stepfather Sir Anthony Rous, from whom he inherited his Puritan views and deep opposition to Archbishop Laud's reforms. He was also a leading member of the Providence Island Company, which attempted to establish a Puritan colony in Central America. Pym helped organise political opposition to the Personal Rule of Charles I from 1629 to 1640. His leadership in the early stages of the war was essential to the Parliamentarian cause, particularly his role in negotiating the Solemn League and Covenant...

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