Charles I is well documented to have been highly intolerant of any criticism directed against him, believing himself to be in many ways divine, his right to the throne meant that others did not have the right to criticise him. As well as this Charles seems to have been unable to understand viewpoints that weren’t from his own, making him very unwilling to compromise in any way.
When Charles marched into Parliament with armed troops to seize five members of Parliament which he regarded as being leading opponents, it is no surprise that many were outraged. The political tension had reached such a point that Charles had decided to act, but his weak leadership and poor decision making meant that, instead of re-establishing his authority, he set in motion forces which would completely destroy both him and his authority.
He thus became the first monarch, and the last, to declare war upon his own Parliament.
Yet despite this Charles still had a major advantage over Parliament; being the central recognised authority in the country would sway many who were trying to decide their allegiance.
Parliament, however, did not have this luxury, and instead had to try and galvanise support through the use of propaganda pamphlets which argued that Parliament had the legitimate authority not the King, and highlighted the fact that the current monarch had relied on private advisors rather than heeding the advice of the ‘greater council’ – Parliament.
The English Civil War (And Its Long-Term Effects) 