Scottish Incident and Irish Rebellion

Scottish Incident Key Details

• To persuade Covenanters to remove their army

• Could use Scottish military to seize Pym and Junto

• Parliament recess during visit

• Abortive plot - “the incident”

• Marquess of Argyll and Duke of Hamilton arrest

• Charles denies involvement

Scottish Incident Impact

• destroyed trust in him and failed to capitalise on his relatively strong position in the summer months

• concede to abolish episcopacy in Scotland and agree to Covenanter demands

• BUT quashes rebellion

Irish rebellion Key Details

• Phelim O’Neil, watched events in Scotland in 1641 and used this as an opportunity for rebellion

• Plot to overthrow the Protestant Ulster plantations and reassert Catholic power

• coincided with a popular uprising against Protestant settlers in Ulster

• Bloodbath

Irish Rebellion Causes

• the long-term repression of Wentworth

• the reports of the Scottish covenanters, the bad harvest of 1641

• legislation in the summer of 1641 prompted the rebellion

Irish Rebellion Significance

• Pym exposes a Catholic plot weakening the King

• Emergence of opposition of Oliver Cromwell

• King removes Royalists from Scottish Privy Council and replaces with Covenanters for support against Irish

• BUT King lingering in Scotland exacerbates fears of him working with Irish (since he’s not in England)

• Led to the Grand Remonstrance of November 1641​

Conrad Russell’s “Billiard Effect”

Events in Scotland and England make rebellion happen in Ireland, which in turn makes events happen in England (bringing civil war closer).

The Grand Remonstrance Key Details

• Doesn’t blame the king, instead blames role of bishops, papists and “malignant ministers”.

• Alleged to create discord and division in Parliament

• Rectifying grievances: abolition of prerogative courts, illegal taxes, legislation for the regular running of Parliament + partial reform of Church (e.g., Laud Removal)

• Called for Assembly of Divines (to supervise reform of the Church)

• King’s ministers should be approved by Parliament with the right of veto

Grand Remonstrance Significance

• HoC presented as true defender of King’s rightful prerogative

• The protestant faith

• The privileges of Parliament

• Liberties of the people

Grand Remonstrance Divisive

• HoC narrow margin votes 159 to 148

• 200 MPs abstained or did not want to debate

• Kings supporters tried to protest but shut down in angry confrontation nearly leading to riot

• Many didn’t turn up due to the intimidation of London Mob

• King appoints brutal Warden to ToL but ends up provoking further riots

London Mob Key Details

• London Key Contact for Puritan Merchants spreading influence

• Puritan sentiment begun radicalising under pressure of Laudianism

• Radicalised further as Charles lost control over censorship & press e.g., satire pamphlets flooded streets (The Wren’s Nest Defiled)

London Mob Significance

• Stimulated political conversation as never before

• Parliament began to actively harness the Mob to increase pressure on the King

• Mobilised in support of religious reform e.g., Root and Branch Petitions 1640

• Not alone in their opinions

• BUT membership and structure did not exist e.g., not a cohesive movement

Grand Remonstrance Failure for Parliament

• Viscount Falkland and Edward Hyde form first recognisable royalist opposition party

• King rejects remonstrance as:

• No guilty ministers, need to protect Church from scheming Papists and Seperatists and deferred decision on Ireland until after rebellion is resolved

Grand Remonstrance Printed Key Details

• Charles ignored the Remonstrance for as long as possible

• So Pym takes the step of by passing the Lords and having it printed and circulated in order to rally support

• Forces the King’s hand

Grand Remonstrance Print Significance

• Unprecedented

• Avoids a pyrrhic victory

• Publishing the Reomstrance would destabilise the political order of the country e.g., by the Mob rising to be too strong