1.2 To what extent did republican rule provide a stable government, 1649-1660 Flashcards
9 threats facing the commonwealth 1649
prince rupert - had small royalist fleet off coast of ireland
scottish decleration of charles 2 as king
naval war with dutch - aa threat, not yet a reality
levellers
relgious radicals
threat of intervention by france or spain
irish rebellion
royalist reaction
unpopularity of new regime - high taxes, centralised government, legitimacy
interegnum when?
1649-1660
commonwealth when?
jan 1649 - december 1653
protectorate when?
decmeber 1653- april 1659
creation of the commonwealth
jan 4th 1649 rump reassembled
feb 14th lords would not return to govern
rump declares itself sole legislative body and elects a council of state to govern in its name
march 1649 monarchy and hofl abolished and england declared a commonwealth ruled by a single house
9 problems facing rump parliament (actual problems not threats)
rebellion in ireland
scots declaring chalres 2
economy (poor harvest 1649 as civil war)
CONSERVATIVE / ROYALIST opposition
army/leveller pressure for greater reform
radical religious and political groups forming
naval war threat (dutch and rupert)
unpopularity of high taxes
normal political process grinding to a halt
key issue 1649 rump
regicide by minority as last resort rump accidentally now in power local gov depended on cooperation stability needed to be restored MAIN PROBLEM; biggest fear = army upon which the rump relied to keep them in power
burford may 1649
levellers soldier mutiny
levellers wanted a more radical reform than just the rump
leaders shot
army in ireland
still in rebellion cromwell landed in ireland 1649 garrisons at Drogehda and Wexford slaughtered even though they had surrendered cromwells prestige increses message sent to other foreign powers
army in scotland
feb 1649 scots declare charles 2 as king
cromwell (now commander in chief) led army across border at dunbar
(his amry of 3,000 defeats scottish army of 10,000)
third civil war
chalres 2 invades england
defeated swiftly at battle of worcester again by cromwell
shows very little support for chalres 2 / resotring monarchy
aims of rump
reform government
reform law
social justice (ending arbitary imprisonment for debt & bring down high taxation levels)
why did rump fail to achieve stability
legal reform = complex, not easily agreed and fixed
Hale Commission established to fix this
failed to agree
unable to reduce taxes (army = biggest cost but was what kept rump in power), (war: Anglo Dutch 52-54, scotland, ireland)
rate of reform stats 1649 & 1652
49: 125
52: 51
monthly assessment
a tax modelled on ship money originally collected in areas under parliamentary control during civil war
still being used across england raising £90,000
Rump downfall
after defeat of charles, rump under pressure form army
wanted more significant law and political reform
cromwell supported these ideas (was member of army, rump and council of state = very powerful)
many saw members of rump as self-serving oligarchs ( Henry Vane & Sir Arthur Hesselridge both of whom were hostile to the amry)
to the army the rump was a disappointment
as army and rump separate cromwell now had to take a side
once again sides with army
why did cromwell side with army
only secure power
believed army was gods chosen instrument
rump reluctant to embrace toleration
heselridge attempted to remove cromwell as commander in chief of the army
cromwell closes the rump
may 20th 1653 - rump debating a bill for new elections
these elections would replace the members lost during prides purge
due to present mood of england, would produce a deeply conservative house
any further chances of reform would end
cromwell denounced the rump and used troops to forcibly close the house
what was the nominated assembly
an assembly of all good men
four generals (cromwell nominated) got independent churches to nominate members
council of officers added more men
then cut down to 140 members from all over scotland, wales, england and ireland ‘to answer the call of god’
what did the nominated assembly achieve
handful of moderate and progressive measures
- war withe dutch continued for trade reasons
- legal measures to help people in debt
- regulation on treatment of lunatics
- civil marriages allowed (supervised by JPs)
what divisions existed in the nominated assebly
radical ‘saints’ vs conservative gentry ‘sinners’
propertied members upset about abolishing tithes
radical minorities inc Fifth Monarchists
how did nominated assembly come to an end
december 1653 moderate members voted to dissolve itslef
Instrument of government
december 53
major-general john lambert
entirely new constitution
-protectorate led by a single figure = cromwell
structure of new provisional government
lord protector (Cromwell unitlhe died then elected by council of state)
council of state to support (460 men voted for by men with +£200 of personal property every 3 years, sitting for a minimum of 3 months)
state church
freedom of religion
rule over england, wales, scotland and ireland
