1646-1649 Flashcards
When and what were ‘The Newcastle Propositions’?
July 1646
The political presbyterians presented Charles with a settlement whilst he was under Scottish control.
What were some of the major proposals of The Newcastle Propositions? (5)
- Parliament: Triennial Act to be maintained
- Officers of the State: Parliament to nominate 13 ministers
- Militia: Parliament to control it for 20 years
- Church: Episcopacy to be abolished and Presbyterian Church to be established for 3 years
- Royalists: 58 to be excluded from general pardon
POMCR
How did Charles respond to the Newcastle Propositions? Why did he respond this way? (1+1)
-Claimed that he needed more time to consider such a complex and important issue
–> Charles believed that if he stalled, divisions would eventually form between his enemies and he would be freed
Why was there a division between Parliament and the Scots in early 1646? (3)
- According to the Solemn League and Covenant, Parliament had to establish a Presbyterian Church in England for 3 years after the victory in the first Civil War
- -> However, the independents felt creating a national church would alienate many in England
–> They formed a compromise- Robert Ballie called it a “lame Erastian Presbytery” where Bishops were abolished but the Church was not entirely independent (as the Scots wanted)
Why were there tensions between Parliament and the NMA from 1646-1647? (3)
- Soldiers felt that as they had played such an important role in defeating the King, they should have a say in the peace settlement
- -> They were not content with the Newcastle Propositions
-A large army was no longer needed (12,400 men would be sent to Ireland; 6,400 would stay in England and the rest would be disbanded)
What were the tensions between the NMA and the Scots? (2)
- NMA believed they were fighting for religious liberty and non conformity
- -> The Scots Presbyterian church policy conflicted this
How was division developing within Scotland in 1646? (4)
- Growing reaction against the Covenanters
- -> Due to the failure of the Presbyterian church implementation in England
- -> And because of the defeat of the Covenanting forces in Ireland in June 1646
–> This led to a growing anti-covenanter group and the development of a Royalist presence in Scotland
What were the divisions within Parliament following the capture of Charles?
-The gap between the Presbyterians and Independents widened following the capture of Charles
How did the control of Parliament shift between presbyterians and independents between 1646-1647? (5)
- In 1646, the Presbyterians were the dominant group in Parliament
- As the King delayed his response to the Newcastle Propositions, the position of the Presbyterians weakened
- Recruiter elections in 1646-1647 saw many independents return to Westminster
- The Presbyterian position was strengthened once again when Scotland agreed to leave England and return Charles in exchange for £400,000
- -> The Presbyterians then set about dismantling the NMA which led to their ultimate downfall
What were the Presbyterians’ plans for the NMA?
-Send 12,400 men to Ireland, keep 6,400 in England and disband the rest without arrears of pay or indemnity against prosecution for war crimes
How did the NMA respond to the Presbyterians’ plans for them? (3)
- The soldiers and officers complained
- -> This resulted in Parliament offering 8 weeks’ arrears of pay (the infantry were owed 18 weeks pay and the Cavalry 43 weeks)
- On 29 May, the army officially refused.
When and what was the NMA mutiny? (3)
- June 1647
- A force of 500 soldiers took Charles from Holdenby House to their headquarters in Newmarket and created a representative body there, called the Council of the Army
- They were angry with the Presbyterian MPs treatment of them
When and what was the Declaration of the Army? (3)
- July 1647
- Declaration from the Council of the Army claiming they were not a “mere mercenary army”
- Called for a purge of the Long Parliament and the impeachment of 11 leading Presbyterians (including Denzil Holles)
What was the outcome of the 11 Presbyterian MPs following the Declaration of the Army? (2)
- The Eleven Members fled the Capital
- -> On 26 July 1647, demonstrators loyal to the Presbyterian MPs invaded Parliament and the MPs returned
How did the Independent MPs respond to the return of the 11 Presbyterian MPs and the protesters invasion of Parliament? (2)
- 60 leading Independent MPs took refuge with the army
- On 5 August 1647, the NMA occupied London and reinstated the Independent MPs.
What were the divisions within the NMA in 1647? (3)
-Division between the Grandees (Senior army officers) and the Agitators (representatives of the soldiers)
–> Soldiers feared that Grandees would soften the army’s position in order to achieve a settlement
(Some of the Agitators belonged to the radical democratic group, known as the levellers)
-Division between the Agreement of the People and the Heads of Proposals
When and what were the Heads of Proposals?
- July 1647
- The Grandees submitted Charles (who was their prisoner at this time) their own set of proposals for a settlement
What were the terms of the Heads of Proposals? How did this compare to the Newcastle Propositions? (5+1)
POMCR
- Parliament: Triennial Ac to be repealed in favour of Biennial Parliaments
- Officers of State: Parliament to nominate ministers for ten years
- Militia: Parliament to control it for 10 years
- Church: Bishops to remain but with limited power + Religious toleration to be established
- Royalists: Seven to be excluded from general pardon
–> Displayed differences from the Newcastle Propositions on matters such as religion and politics, emphasising how Charles plan to split his opposition was working
How did Charles respond to the July 1647 Heads of Proposals? (2)
He dismissed the Newcastle Propositions (which he had been stalling on) in favour of the Heads of Proposals
–> Aimed to divide and rule
When and what was The Agreement of the People?
- October 1647
- The Levellers came up with their own set of proposals for Charles
What were the terms of The Agreement of the People? (4)
- Argued that Parliament was sovereign in all but 5 areas
- -> These included religious matters and the ability to exempt individuals from the Laws of the land (Constitution)
- Also advocated universal male suffrage
- Essentially arguing for a democratic republic
When and what were the Putney Debates? (3)
- 28 October - 5 Nover 1647
- Series of debates held at Putney between the Levellers/Agitators and the Grandees over the proposed settlement for the King
- Eg. Levellers argued for universal male suffrage whereas Henry Ireton and the Grandees for restricted suffrage to those who had ‘a permanent fixed interest in the Kingdom’ (LAND)
When and what was the Army Rendezvous at Corkbush Field? (3)
-November-December 1647
- A meeting of soldiers at Corkbush field to declare an oath of allegiance to Cromwell and the Army Grandees
- Rendezvous was split into 3 separate meetings to avoid united army trouble
- -> a few regiments turned up to the wrong rendezvous trying to cause instability and promoting the leveller cause, with many holding the Agreement in their hats and chanting “England’s Freedom, Soldiers’ Rights” to the bill
How did Cromwell respond to the Army meet at Corkbush field? (3)
- Two of the Regiments should not have been there
- -> Resultantly, Cromwell had the leaders arrested or shot.
-This acted to restore army unity.
When did Charles flee Hampton Court? Where did he go? (2)
- November 11, 1647
- Fled to the Isle of Wight where he became the guest of the Governor there at Carisbrooke Castle
What was the proposal and the terms made to Charles by Parliament whilst he was on the Isle of Wight? (1+4)
-The Four Bills
-Parliament: Annul all the King’s proclamations against Parliament + Give Parliament the right to adjourn wherever it wants
-Officers of the State: Cancel Peerages provided since the start of the Civil Wars
-Militia: Parliament controls it for 20 years
+ Many of the components of the Newcastle Propositions
What was Charles’ response to the Four Bills? (2)
- Quickly rejected these bills
- -> But not before he signed The Engagement with the Scots on December 26
When and what was The Engagement?
- 26 December 1647
- An agreement with the Scots
-Charles agreed to implement Presbyterianism in England for three years in return for Military support from the Anti-Covenanting faction
When and how did Parliament respond to The Engagement? (2)
- Jan 1648
- Signed the Vote of No Addresses, forbidding further negotiations with Charles
Why was no settlement reached between Parliament and Charles between 1646-1647? (3)
- The King was not happy with the terms of the settlement and not willing to sacrifice anymore of his prerogative (Letters from this time suggest he had already resolved on martyrdom)
- ->He believed he had made his concessions in 1641
- Growing resentment at what many saw as Parliamentary tyranny (eg. continued levy of excise duty and assessment taxes + heavy-handed actions of County Committees)
- Divide within Parliament meant that there was very little agreement between the victors over peace terms.
Where were some of the rebellions within England in 1648? (3)
-Rebellions in Kent, Essex, South Wales against Army Rule
Why were there rebellions in 1648? (4)
- Harsh and invasive NMA rule
- Tyrannical rule of Parliament (This was more pressing than the desire to see Charles returned)
- Bad harvests had increased real food prices to their highest level for over 100 years
- Taxation remained at war time levels
What was the outcome of the Second Civil War?
-The Scots were easily beaten in a running battle at Preston on 17-19 August`
Why did Parliament win the Second Civil War? (4)
- Battle hardened efficiency of the NMA
- Lack of support in the English counties for Charles
- Engagement proved highly divisive and opposed by the Covenanters in Scotland and the Scottish military was subsequently weakened
- Military ineptitude of James Hamilton
What was the impact of the Second Civil War on Charles’ chances of freedom? (3)
- Vote of no Addresses (Jan 1648) limited possibility of Settlement
- Many radical soldiers in the NMA believed that Charles was now going against the word of God in attempting to overturn the outcome of the first Civil War
- Saw Charles as treasonous in calling a foreign force to invade his own country (used against him at trial)
Following the Second Civil War, how did Parliament attempt a settlement with Charles? (2)
- August 24, 1648 Parliament repeals the Vote of no Addresses and reopened talks with Charles at Newport
- Parliament ignored the NMA’s remonstrance and on December 5, 1648 voted that Charles’ answers at Newport were sufficient for further negotiation to take place
Did the NMA want a settlement with Charles following the Second Civil War/?
No
- 20 November 1648
- -> Issued a Remonstrance to Parliament claiming that Charles was the ‘Capital and grand author of all our troubles’ and declared that army leaders were not prepared to enter further talks with Charles
When and what was Pride’s Purge? (4)
- 6 December, 1648
- The NMA obstructed the entrance of the Commons and they decided which MPs should be allowed to enter
-Of the 507 MPs, 45 were arrested, 186 were secluded, 86 withdrew in protest and 80 others stayed away
–> The NMA had cleansed parliament, leaving only those who supported their cause remaining
Once the NMA had purged parliament, was Charles’ death inevitable? What were some of the alternatives? (1+4)
No- what the NMA would do remained a subject of debate for a number of weeks (The Purge just gave them the power to do what they wanted with him)
Some of the alternative options included:
- Exile
- Imprisonment
- One of Sons made king
- Henry, Duke of Gloucester- Charles’ son- who was born in 1639, was young and could be manipulated by Parliament
- -> The monarchy could have been abolished without killing Charles
Why did Parliament decide to have Charles’ killed? (2)
- As long as he remained alive, he would be a point of focus for all those who opposed Parliament and desired monarchy
- The trial and execution would legitimise their aims to establish a republic
How did Parliament put Charles on trial? (2)
- The remaining 70 MPs (following the Purge) established a High Court of Justice in which to try Charles
- To hear the case, 135 commissioners were appointed, including 29 Army Generals (one of whom was Cromwell)
What were the issues with the trial of Charles I? (3)
- On the first day of the trial, out of 135 commissioners, only 68 turned up and only 59 signed his death warrant
- House of Lords refused to accept the trial
- Charles questioned the legitimacy of the court in trying him
Did the House of Lords support the trial of Charles? (2)
-They refused to support the trial
However, the House of Commons claimed authority to speak for the English people
When was Charles I executed?
Jan 30, 1649 at Whitehall Palace
Why didn’t Presbyterians like the Army?
-Saw them as unnecessarily expensive and unneeded now that the war was over: Cost £111,000/month ; Forced Parliament to raise monthly assessment from £90,000 to £120,000
How did Parliament respond to petitioning from the Army (2)
April 1647- Presbyterian faction submitted the ‘Declaration of Dislike’
–> Condemns the Declaration of the Army as treasonable and labelled petitioners as ‘Enemies of state’
May 1647 voted that the entire NMA infantry would be disbanded with only 8 weeks worth of arrears despite some being owed up to 14 weeks
How did the Presbyterian MPs respond to the Heads of Proposals? How did the Army & Independents then respond to this? (2)
July 1647- Attempt a counter revolution in London- over 300 civilians invade House forcing MPs to reinstate Presbyterian control of the city Militia and to invite Charles to the Capital
August 1647- Army occupies London and the leaders of the counter-revolution are forced to flee
How did the Army respond to Presbyterian Attempts to remove them? (4)
- DECLARATIONS: Solemn Engagement of the Army and the Intervention of the Army Officers (June 14 1647) are both attempts at displaying unity amongst the army
- INVASIONS: Army occupies London, asserting its political control
- KIDNAP: June 2 1647, Cornet Joyce kidnaps Charles so Parliament can no longer negotiate with him without Army consent
- PROPOSALS: July 1647, Heads of Proposals approved by the Army general council
“DIKPic”
What was the common proposal between both factions of Parliament and the army?
The abolition of bishops & episcopacy- this was one thing that Charles was not willing to consider however
Why did Charles continue to disagree with Proposals? (5)
- He believed he was morally in the right
- Believed he was divinely ordained to protect the powers of the monarchy
- Believed he had made his concessions under the Long Parliament from 1640-1642
- Believed that he would eventually be able to divide his opposition and secure his freedom
- Felt that they needed him for a settlement to take place, saying to Army leaders in 1647, “You will fall to ruin if I do not sustain you”
