Charles I 1640-1649

In what way does the Short Parliament represent a turning point in Parliament's role?

Parliament begins to sense where their power can be increased over Charles

When was the first session of the Long Parliament?

November 1640- August 1641

When was the second session of the Long Parliament?

October 1641-August 1642

How does the Scottish Parliament influence the English?

The Scots Parliament pass a Triennial act in 1640 which Pym takes inspiration from

When is the Triennial Act passed in England and what does it state?

February 1641- Parliament had to meet with the King for at least 50 days every 3 years. Limits the royal prerogative and made another personal rule impossible

Why was there so much opposition to the 'evil counsellors'?

They were seen as enabling the personal rule

Why are Parliament so eager to impeach Strafford?

They are scared of his Catholic standing army in Ireland and hate him for being a turncoat

When is Strafford impeached?

November 1640

When is Strafford executed?

May 1641

What constitutional changes were made in the first session of the Long Parliament?

-the prerogative courts are abolished

-ship money is forbidden without the consent of Parliament

-the Triennial Act is passed

-distraint of knighthood and forest fines are banned

What is the outcome of the first session of the Long Parliament?

Parliament have peacefully dismantled the Personal Rule- civil war does not seem likely

What accusation was Strafford impeached over?

Planning on using the Catholic army against rebels in England- largely spurious

What did Pym pass to impeach Strafford?

A bill of attainder

Why couldn't Pym be blamed for Strafford's death?

Charles was the one to sign the bill of attainder, therefore it was not technically Pym's responsibility

How did Strafford's death affect Charles?

Charles felt that abandoning Strafford was the one sin of his life. He thought that God was punishing him for this and therefore he became a stronger leader and did not want to compromise.

What evidence was put against Strafford in his trial?

Weak evidence when he claimed that he'd bring the Irish Army over to 'reduce this kingdom' (Scotland)

What tactics did Pym use to get the Bill of Attainder to pass?

He encouraged a mob to surround the House of Lords, meaning many members were too scared to vote against the public

Who was the Earl of Bedford?

A member of the House of Lords who was seen as the arbiter of Parliament, he was able to temper radical demands and create a consensus in the first session of Parliament

What was the effect of Bedford's death in May 1641?

It gave rise to factions within Parliament and Pym became the leader

What drove Pym?

His Puritan zeal

What did Pym convince both Puritans and Anglicans in Parliament?

That there was a Catholic conspiracy in England

Why were more radical Puritan views becoming more common in 1641?

The impeachment of Laud meant that censorship broke down so more ideas were able to be published

When was the Army Plot discovered?

April-May 1641

What was the Army Plot?

A conspiracy that Henrietta Maria had plotted to close Parliament by force and release Strafford

What was the effect of the Army Plot?

Pym feared Catholic absolutist retribution from the Crown and so this sped up the passing of the bill of attainder to get Strafford out of the way

From the autumn of 1641, how can Parliament be described?

It was intensely divided between Pym's faction that wanted to strengthen Parliament's power over religion and those who thought it had gone far enough

What evidence shows that by the end of 1641, fewer MPs were supporting Pym's initiatives?

In May only 59 people opposed the bill of attainder but in November 148 MPs opposed the Grand Remonstrance

What does Charles do in Scotland in 1641?

He goes to Scotland and agrees to roll back Laudian reforms and give them a Presbyterian Church in order to try and get Scottish noblemen on his side

What is Charles' aim when dealing with the Scots in 1641?

He wants to use the Scottish rebels to put down the English rebels

What was the Incident?

A plot to kidnap radical Scottish covenanters while Charles was in Scotland- shows his duplicitous dealings with the Scots

What did Pym attack Charles on in 1641?

-religious policy

-taxation and prerogative courts

-absolutist rule in Ireland and a plan to use the Irish army

-causing war with Scotland

What was the religious state of politics in Ireland?

Only Protestants were allowed to hold public office

Who were involved in the Catholic conspiracy in Ireland?

-Rory O'More

-Lord Conor Maguire

-Hugh MacMahon

-Sir Phelim O'Neill

What was the failed Irish plot in 1641?

Catholics planned to seize Dublin and then demand redresses however this failed and the plotters escaped

What did the Irish conspiracy spark?

Full-scale rebellion against the English

What is an example of an infamous massacre from the Irish rebellion?

In November 1641 in Portadown, 100 men, women and children were thrown off a bridge to drown

How did John Pym profit from the Irish rebellion?

He used it to create greater fears of Catholicism and suggested that the King was involved in the conspiracy himself

How did Parliament respond to the Irish Rebellion?

They defied the King and raised their own forces under the Militia Bill. They also passed the Adventurers Act in March 1642, rewarding those who sent troops.

What was the Grand Remonstrance?

A list of grievances presented to King Charles I of England by the English Parliament during the Long Parliament; it set out all that had gone wrong since his accession and demanded radical constitutional changes.

What was so clever about the Grand Remonstrance?

MPs had to either accept it all or decide not to criticise anything from Charles' entire reign.

What did the Self-Denying ordinance state?

All members of the House of Commons or Lords had to resign from the military to stop positions of rank being held only by the upper class

Who proposed the Self-Denying ordinance and why?

The war party because they felt that the army's commanders were too reluctant to properly defeat the King

Who did the King rely on to raise his armies in the first Civil War?

Wealthy landlords who would recruit their tenants and peasants in the area

How had the situation of peasants and landlords changed by the start of the Civil War?

Many peasants had lost respect and deference for their landlords and were thus reluctant to fight for them

How did the changing relationship between peasants and landlords negatively affect Charles?

He relied on the peasants to fight for the landlords and thus his armies were weaker when these peasants were reluctant to fight.

Describe the Royalist and Parliamentarian armies at the start of the first Civil War?

They were both ineffective as they were led by aristocratic commanders and were localised as soldiers did not want to leave their land

Who lost their positions in the army as a result of the Self-Denying Ordinance?

The Earls of Essex and Manchester as well as the Earl of Warwick in the navy

Who did Cromwell rely on to fight in the cavalry?

Middle class farmers who had a religious commitment to fighting and who were skilled soldiers

Who made up the New Model Army?

Volunteers motivated by political and religious enthusiasm

What was the Assessment Ordinance of February 1643?

A tax imposed by Parliament that every county had to pay a fixed sum (like ship money) to fund the parliamentary war effort

Who had more financial resources in the first Civil War?

Parliament as Pym levied ordinances that the King could not demand-only Parliament had the authority of taxation.

Who were the original leaders of the Parliamentarians army?

The Earl of Essex and the Earl of Manchester

What was the name of the deal Parliament made with the Scots?

The Solemn League and Covenant

When was the Solemn League and Covenant?

August 1643

What did social changes did the first Civil War bring?

It brought social chaos as deference broke down and the authority of the Church and the monarchy was questioned. Elites began to lose their power as land was passed to lesser gentry

How can the first Civil War be characterised?

As a search for a constitutional settlement, not a challenge to the DR

What were the soldiers of most Civil War armies like?

Demoralised and unenthusiastic

What outcome do the Peace Party want for the war?

A limited monarchy

What is the dominant party in Parliament until 1645?

The peace party

What did people call Cromwell's meritocracy?

"The world turned upside down" as social order was challenged in the army

What type of Puritans joined the New Model Army?

Independents who called for "liberty of conscious" toleration

What was the impact of propaganda about the Irish Rebellion?

It further radicalised the Puritans in Parliament and provoked anxiety of a popish conspiracy

What constitutional question was raised by the Irish rebellion?

Who should have control of the army, Parliament or the King

Why does Charles not want Parliament to control the army?

Defence of the realm and foreign policy falls under royal prerogative

When was the Root and Branch Bill?

May 1641

What did the Root and Branch Bill call for?

Introduced by Oliver Cromwell, it called for an abolition of the episcopacy, from the roots (the archbishops and bishops) and all its branches (the prayer book, structured worship etc)

How many Londoners signed the Root and Branch petition?

15,000

What was the result of the Root and Branch Bill?

It was defeated in August 1641 but they did decide to exclude the Bishops from the Lords in the Bishops Exclusion Act of December 1641

What does the defeat of the Root and Branch Bill show?

That the Puritans were a radical minority in Parliament

When was the Ten Propositions?

June 1641

What was the Ten Propositions in nature?

An offer of settlement to Charles

What were three important parts of the Ten Propositions and why were they proposed?

-control over Henrietta Maria (suspicion had grown since the army plot)

-Parliament would choose Charles' counsellors (reaction to Laud and Wentworth)

-Parliament would control the religious education of Charles' children (to stop the next monarch being Catholic)

Was Pym a radical?

Yes, he was certainly a radical for his time however compared to later radicals he was quite moderate as he did not question the Divine Right of Kings and respected Charles' position on the throne

Why do some moderates begin to take a royalist stance in 1641?

They are worried that, with the abolition of the episcopacy, Pym is challenging social hierarchy and the Great Chain of Being, which they disagree with

When was the Grand Remonstrance?

November 1641- same time as Irish Rebellion

What was Pym's intention with the Grand Remonstrance?

He wanted to undermine the King and so get control of the army given to Parliament

How did Pym try and present Parliament in the Grand Remonstrance?

He tried to present them as Charles' biggest supporters and defenders of royal prerogative. He emphasised that Parliament was on the King's side and blamed counsellors and bishops for all the failures of Charles' reign

What demand of the Grand Remonstrance meant it was rejected?

It called for a setting up of an Assembly of Divines, nominated by Parliament that would supervise reform of the Church

What rumours begin circulating in January 1642 and who was behind them?

That Parliament want to impeach the Queen, Pym creates these rumours to try and force Charles into an error

How does Charles respond to the rumours surrounding Henrietta Maria?

He enters Parliament and tries to arrest 5 MPs who he sees as responsible

What does Charles do after storming Parliament?

He flees to the countryside

How many members of the Commons and Lords also withdraw after Charles flees?

2/5 of the Commons and more than half of the Lords

How many MPs voted for the Grand Remonstrance?

Less than a third

How did support for Charles change after May 1641?

Support for the King began to increase after Pym began to be seen as potentially too radical

What were constitutional royalists?

Moderate MPs who wanted to dismantle the Personal Rule and then return to the status quo and who were against further religious reforms

What were MPs scared of throughout the first two sessions of the Long Parliament?

An aggressive royalist reaction towards their restrictions on the King

How can the Ten Propositions be seen as a turning point?

Parliament moved away from restoring the ancient constitution towards putting new restrictions on the monarch

What measure was passed by Parliament, at the same time as the Grand Remonstrance, that gave them some control over the army?

A measure which stated that the King should only use counsellors approved by Parliament which allowed Parliament to appoint the Earl of Essex as the head of some trained bands

What did Charles break in his attempted coup?

Parliamentary privilege- he was not meant to enter the chamber and MPs were meant to be free from arrest

What does Charles do when he flees London?

He sets up court in York and tries to build up royalist support

When was the Militia ordinance?

March 1642

What did the Militia Ordinance state?

That Parliament could act independently of the King for the defence and safety of the realm

What does Charles attempt to do in April 1642?

He tries to seize munitions from Hull but fails

When were the Nineteen propositions?

1st June 1642

What was Charles' response to the Nineteen Propositions?

He responded saying that the Propositions were completely subverting the constitution of England and that they would lead to outright rebellion- 'chaos of confusion'

When does Charles issue a Commission of Array?

6th June 1642

When did the Navy declare itself for Parliament?

2nd July 1642

What was a Commission of Safety and when was it appointed?

It was not an army but a delegation of people trying to liaise with the King, appointed in July 1642

When does Charles declare civil war?

22nd August 1642

What advantages did Parliament have over the royalists?

They had access to London which was the wealthiest nation and the control of the Navy meant that they could use ports to transport supplies. Also, by 1644, they had the support of the Scots