Ship money was a tax of medieval origin levied intermittently in the Kingdom of England until the middle of the 17th century. Assessed typically on the inhabitants of coastal areas of England, it was one of several taxes that English monarchs could levy by prerogative without the approval of Parliament. The attempt of King Charles I from 1634 onwards to levy ship money during peacetime and extend it to the inland counties of England without parliamentary approval provoked fierce resistance, and was one of the grievances of the English propertied class in the lead-up to the English Civil War.
The Petition of Right
John Hampden
Charles I was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649.
Charles I of England
Engraving by Simon de Passe of Charles and his parents, King James and Queen Anne, c. 1612
Portrait by Robert Peake, c. 1611
Portrait of Charles as Prince of Wales after Daniel Mytens, c. 1623