Stuarts 1646-1649: Parliamentary victory, divisions and the English Revolution

March 1646-March 1647

the search for settlement

Newcastle Propositions

July 1646

Based on 19 Propositions.

-Triennial Act maintained

- Parl nominate 13 ministers to officers of state

- Parl control militia for 20 years

-Abolish episcopacy and establish Presbyterian church for 3 years

- Pardon all but 58 royalists

CHARLES DELAYS as thought would turn on each other, strengthening his position

Main divisions in anti-royal alliance

Parl vs NMA, Parl vs Scots, Scots vs NMA, Scots vs Scots, Parl vs Parl

Divisions within Scots

Covenanters vs anti-Covenanters

Covenanters losing control when army defeated in Ireland 1646

anti-Covenanters gaining strength

Divisions within Parl

majority Presbyterian (46)

- want to agree terms w CI ASAP, position weakened w Charles delayed response

vs Independents

Parl vs NMA

NMA not keen on Presbyterian Structure

-NMA want greater role in peace negotiations

-NMA want pay

Parl vs Scots

Who guards Charles

-Scots want Fully Presbyterian church

April-June 1647

Parliament vs the army

parl tried to break up NMA

order 12.4k men to go to Ireland and 6.4k to stay in England. Rest to be dismissed.

-No reference to pay so NMA complain.

-Cavalry owed 43 weeks' pay and Infantry 18 weeks' pay.

-Army to disband

Army rebelled vs Parl Control

-29th May- refuse to disband

4th June- 500 soldiers led by Cornet Joyce seize Charles at Holdenby House and take him to Army HQ at Newmarket.

-Army sets up General Council of Officers and marches on London

14th June- GCO issue Declaration of the Army. Demand Long Parl to be purged.

-GCO demands impeachment of 11 leading Presbyterians.

-6th Aug- army occupies London and reinstates Independent MPs.

July-December 1647

the army divided - conflict within army: potential anarchy (note overlap with B)

Election of Agitators

rank and file vs grandees (generals)

-soldiers scared grandees would be too lenient on Charles, so elect agitators per regiment to present demands through officers to parliament

Heads of Proposals

Jul 1647 - Grandees offer terms to Charles

- Biennial Parliaments

- Parl nominate ministers for 10 years

- Parl control army for 10 years

- Religious toleration and limit bishops power

- General pardon except 7 royalists.

The Levellers' impact: the Putney debates

28 Oct-5 Nov 1647

following Agreement of the People by Lilburne, call for more radical proposal to replace HotP/NewProps

HofC sovereign: two years Parl election, universal male suffrage, religious toleration.

- General Council debate in Putney

- Debate over HofC should be sovereign, universal male suffrage especially.

-Corkbush Field 15th Nov- rendezvous of army- call for mutiny in support of Levellers.

-Cromwell arrests ringleaders

Charles escapes: army unity restored

11 Nov 47: CI escapes, helping fix divisions w/n army

CI receives proposals from:

Parl 24 Dec - Four Bills (initially proposed b4 CI escape from army), parl control militia for 20 years, included elements from Newc Props

Scotland 26 Dec - the Engagement - CI to introduce Presb in England for 3 yrs in return for military support for anti-Covenanters - SIGNED BY CHARLES

Vote of No Address

in response to Engagement signing, Jan 1648 parl pass Vote of No Address forbidding further negotiations with Charles

Parliament and NMA reunite

parliament and different elements of NMA, so Grandees and soldiers all reunited to fight Charles again

why was there no negotiated settlement 1646-1647?

1. Charles couldn't accept terms offered as committed to traditional CofE, protecting Crown

2. Growing anger vs Parliamentarian tyranny

- taxes imposed during war continued after war

- CI aims to draw on anger vs parl's County Committees

3. Victors divided in peace aims

Jan-Aug 1948

Rebellion and 2nd civil war - parliamentary forces have to unite

Rebellion - economic distress

major uprisings March-July in Kent, Essex, SW Eng, S Wales

-Due to bad harvests

- High tax (war)

-Call for return to traditional order

Crushed by army easily as uprisings are uncoordinated

2nd Civil War: NMA vs CI/Scots

Easy NMA Victory vs Scots at Preston 17-19 August 1648

- strong, experienced troops vs weak royalists

- little support from English counties

- CI's Engagement divisive in Scotland - Scot military poorly prepared, Scottish military leader, Hamilton, inept

August 1648-Jan 1649

English Revolution - victors argue again resulting in a military coup leading to CI's execution and the end of monarchy

New proposals: army wants to punish Charles, parl doesn't

-Army think Charles went against God by trying to overturn result of 1st Civil War

24th Aug 1648: Parl repeals Vote of No Address- try to talk with CI at Newport. He delays.

20th Nov 1648: Army Grandees submit Remonstrance to Parl, calling CI the ‘’capital and grand author of all our troubles’’ and call for justice. Want end to negotiations.

-Army marches towards London, Parl ignored army’s Remonstrance. HofC agree to continue negotiations with Charles.

Pride's Purge

December 1648

Parliament got rid of everyone who supported the monarchy - 45 arrested, 186 excluded, 86 withdraw in protest - so the Rump Parliament of 240 was left

Trial of Charles I - the Whitehall Debates

14 Dec-13 Jan 1649

following purge; grandees, MPs, Leveller leaders decided action to take

- some grandees wanted dissolution of parl and new elections instead of purge, but Independents convinced them no

By end Dec- OC and grandees sure Charles won't compromise, so must be removed

decision for trial and execution of Charles I

make case public and legal to execute him

-remove focal point for any opposition

The execution

6th Jan 1649- remaining 70 MPs set up a High Court of Justice (of 135 commissioners, of which, 29 are army officers, including OC)

20th Jan- Only 68 attend 1st day of Trial

Charles found guilty of ‘’divers high crimes and treason’’

-Death Warrant signed by 59 commissioners.

30th Jan 1649- execution outside Whitehall Palace

why was Charles put on trial?

- army wanted public to legitimise its desire to kill monarch

- way of getting Charles to confess, would justify the regicide = act of necessity

- but king refused to confess winning him support (only 59 signed death warrant) and highlighting the illegal nature of the court

Why was Charles executed? - earlier events inevitably led to regicide

-doctrines of passive obedience widely respected, rebellion = sinful

- repeal of Vote of No Address - shows that at this late stage, still major desire to reach deal w CI despite actions in 2nd CW

Why was Charles executed? - CI's execution was direct result of army's purge of parliament 1648

why did army purge parl?

CI's actions

- starting 2nd CW - hold accountable for bloodshed

- army and some MPs exasperated w CI's duplicitous approach in secretly negotiating w Scots whilst in talks with parl - cant be trusted to fulfil agreements

Influence of London radical groups

- support for Levellers -

- NMA grandees hold Whitehall debates where opened reopened discussions of Agreement of the People -> Levellers didn't openly support execution, but didn't oppose

Leadership of Ireton and OC

- Ireton built radical coalition to push through execution

- wrote Remonstrance 20 Nov

- Fairfax ill, leaving Ireton, w support of OC, in charge of working towards regicide

Belief in Providence

- OC and others - believe they are applying God's will to remove CI

- victories of NMA in 1st/2nd CW show God's will

- CI had not been to submit concessions, so settlement ordained by God would have to be reached w/o him