1646-1649 Flashcards

1
Q

Give three events between November-December which acted as a catalyst for a renewed period of war

A

Charles’ escape from his imprisonment at Hampton Court - 11th Nov, escaped to the Isle of Wight to Carisbrooke castle (imprisoned there)

The 4 Bills

Charles’ secret negotiations with the Scots

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2
Q

When were the 4 bills and what did they propose

A

Dec 1647

1) Parliament control military for 20 years
2) Prevented Charles form revoking parliamentary business carried out in his absence
3) Charles couldn’t adjourn parliament
4) Revoked recent honours made by the king

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3
Q

What did Charles promise for the Scots to side with him

A

Guarantees such as a presbyterian settlement on the CofE for 3 years, uniting England and Scotland and the occupation of border towns such as Carlile and Berwick-upon-Tweed

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4
Q

What was the Vote of No Adress and why was it passed

A

Banned any kind of settlement with the king

In response to Charles’ behaviour and faced with the prospect of a Scottish invasion - the only way forward was through another period of war

Passed through Lords under the pressure of the Ary council

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5
Q

Give a weakness of Charles side during the 2nd Civil War

A

There was no longer a focused royalist part as there had been in the First Civil War

Until the Scots invaded in early July, there were just a few pitched battles and local skirmishes

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6
Q

Why would it be wrong to fully argue that there were mass uprisings for the support of Charles

A

Mostly prompted by specific grievances and did not reflect particular loyalties

Some people such as Lucy, Countess of Carlisle, were simply anti-parliamentarian rather than pro-loyalist

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7
Q

What was the first act by parliament that politicised the NMA

A

Fearful of the army’s militancy, it tried to disband the army as quickly and as cheaply as possible

  • The army to be purged of Independent officers
  • The army to be sent to Ireland under presbyterian officers
  • Disbanded NMA soldiers only to be given 8 weeks arrears of pay, many were owed much more than this

Soldiers responded with the NMA petition in March which was condemned by Parliament as an act of treason (Dec of Dislike)

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8
Q

What did the Agitators demand in April

A

Indemnity of actions committed during the war

Freedom of conscription (Ireland)

Freedom of worship

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9
Q

When was the king seized and what was the effect

A

June 1647 - a troop of cavalry from the NMA ed by Cornet Joyce seized the king

Parliament could no longer negotiate with Charles without the army’s approval

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10
Q

When was the Proposition of Newcastle

A

July 1646

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11
Q

Give the key features of the Prop Newcastle

A

New parliament every 3 years

Parliament to control the military for 20 years

Bishops abolished, presbyterian church for a 3-year trial

58 royalists not pardoned

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12
Q

When were the Heads of Proposals and what were its key features

A

August 1647

New parliament every 2 years

Parliament to control the military for 10 years

Bishops to remain, no presbyterian church, voluntary use of Book of Common prayer

Parliament to nominate all officers for 10 years

7 royalist not pardoned

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13
Q

What was Charles’ response to Henrietta Maria on receiving the propositions of Newcastle

A

“They are such as I cannot grant without losing my conscience, crown and honour”.

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14
Q

Who came up with the HofP

A

Put forward by the army - supported by leading Independents (Cromwell and Ireton)

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15
Q

What was outlined in the Treaty of Newport

A

King agreed to a 3-year presbyterian settlement

Parliament to control army and navy for 20 years

Parliament to appoint state officials for 10 years

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16
Q

Give the 4 reasons on why Charles was executed in January 1649

A

Religious radicalism of the NMA

The politicisation of the NMA

Divisions within Parliament

Charles’ actions

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17
Q

Give a deciding factor as to why there was no peaceful settlement reached

A

Ultimately = divisions in parliament - caused the politicisation of the NMA, and were exploited by Charles

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18
Q

What was the effect of parliament sending the army to Ireland

A

Most leavers were presbyterian - their departure meant that the army no longer exhibited the broad political spectrum, leaving a virtually unified army to confront parliament

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19
Q

Describe the events of the rebellion in Kent and Essex

A

Kent and Essex had been securely under Parliament control since early 1642, suffered most from heavy taxation

20,000 signed the ‘Humble Petition of Gentry, Clergy and Commonalty’ within days

Kentish army of 10,00- was defeated and retreated to Essex (siege of Colchester)

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20
Q

What was the Cantubery rising

A

Christmas - 1647

Annoyed by high taxes they rioted for ‘Good king Charles and Kent’ - expelling the parliamentary garrison

3,000 soldiers were sent to besiege the tow but surrendered without a fight

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21
Q

When was the rebellion in South Wales and how did it start

A

March - 1648

Colonel Poyer declared his loyalty to the king (previously a parliamentarian)

Angry due to a lack of pay and was besieged in Pembroke castle for 12 weeks before surrendering to Cromwell

Didn’t like parliament but not overly supportive of Charles

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22
Q

Who were the Levellers

A

Led by figures such as John Lilburne

One of the radical groups active in London during the 1640s

Because they believed in religious toleration and a fair deal for the common soldier, their ideas could not be dismissed easily by the officers

Main aim = to replace the monarchy and the HofL with a single representative chamber

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23
Q

Give 3 political Presbyterians

A

Denzil Holles
Earl of Manchester
Earl of Essex

24
Q

Why was a presbyterian church structure wanted by many in 1646

A

Many believed that social order was breaking down and the presbyterian church offered structure, hierarchy and discipline at a time when the country seemed to be descending into religious anarchy

25
Q

Give 3 religious groups that had infiltrated the NMA

A

Levellers
Quakers
Anabaptists

26
Q

What was the Declaration of Dislike

A

Labelled petitioners as “enemies of the state” - created an open fault line between the Preystbeterian MP’s and the NMA

27
Q

When was the Humble Petition of the Officers and the Soldiers of the army and what did it propose

A

Soldiers pay to be bought up to date before disbandment

Provisions to be made for widowed, orphans and injured

Indemnity to be granted for acts committed in wartime

28
Q

What was the impact of parliament voting to disband the NMA on only 8 weeks arrears of pay in May

A

General Fairfax called a rendevous of the NMA at Newmarket where he spoke to representatives of all regiments - united in their aims to not obey parliament

Agitator Edward Sexby had been spreading rumours that the king as on the verge of making a deal with the political Presbyterians - spurred Joyce actions

From the 4 June onwards, mobs of soldiers in London virtually besieged Westminster, demanding pay and redress of grievances

29
Q

Charles saw Parliamentary divides as…

A

“chinks in the enemies armour that he would not be slow to probe”

30
Q

How did Charle play upon divisions in parliament with Newcastle

A

To keep parliament interested in peace negotiations and to play upon divisions in parliament, Charles put forward counter-proposals

However, how seriously Charles was taking these counterproposals is questionable as he was simultaneously appealing to his wife and to his daughter Mary (William of Orange’s Wife) to provide means for escape

31
Q

Why were many prepared to rise for Charles

A

Motivated by a desire to return to the old traditional ways

The peace following by the Civil war had brought no relief from crippling taxation, tyranny of county committees, and plunder by ill-paid and mutinous soldiers

32
Q

What was the October vote of 1646

A

Parliament decided to disband Massey’s forces (a self-sufficient force canoeable of counter-acting the NMA)

showed that in a crucial vote, the Independents could still command a majority – due to commons elections

33
Q

How many new members were elected in the Commons elections

A

270 - mainly to support the Independent and radical wing

34
Q

What did Thomas Edwards (presbyterian preacher) admit about the NMA

A

Though a harsh critic of the NMA and its religious radicalism - admitted to finding little anti-monarchal feelings within it (1646)

35
Q

What was the Vindication of the Officers

A

Confirmed that the officers stood fully with their men in relation to the demands they were making

36
Q

If parliament had paid……………….to the honour of the army they had won the war for it, if it had postponed……………..until more of the soldiers material grievances had been met and promised them much more overdue pay, + agreed to reconsider the force for Ireland, the situation could have almost certainly been………

A

Public tribute
Disbandment
Saved

37
Q

Why could it be argued that the seizure of the king was not pre-meditated

A

A pre-planned abduction would have meant they knew where they were going, not listen to the king’s suggestions about heading to Newmarket because the air agreed with him

38
Q

Parliament differed not on as to whether the king should be…………..to his role as king, but over the………………….terms upon which he should resume it

A

Restored

Constitutional

39
Q

Whilst the Newcastle Prop was much more concerned about the………..of………….., HofP was more concerned with…………………and healing the old bitterness between sides

A

Disposal of power

General reform

40
Q

What was the impact of the HofP in parliament

A

For some (Presbyterians) fear of surrender to the terms offered by the army caused a violent reaction

21st June - Mob invaded the HofL and bullied them into voting to restore the City’s Presbyterian Militia Committee

Then forced its way into HofC + insulted and bullied members until they confirmed the Lords votes and passed a resolution, inviting the king to London

28th June – Fairfax vowed that he would march into London to restore Parliament and MP’s to their freedom

41
Q

What was Charles reaction to the HofP

A

Formally bound himself from no peace terms at all

Based n bad advice from Lauderdale who grossly overestimated the potential royalist fighting potential

Cromwell and Ireton lost credit with the more radical spirits in the army from persistently seeking an agreement with him

42
Q

What were the Putney Debates

A

November 1647, when Cromwell invited those to speak of any divine guidance, they had received in answers to their prayers

Served as an open invitation too many to feel that God had withdrawn their support for them because they had continued to negotiate with the king about a peace settlement

First reference of Charles as a ‘man of blood’ by Goffe, which was even more credible when the 2nd civil war broke out

43
Q

What was the ‘Agreement of the People’

A

Revolutionary - Claimed that people’s representatives in parliament had full power

Specific rights reserved to the people which even Parliament couldn’t infringe upon – freedom of religion, immunity from conscription, total equality before the law

Leveller inspired

44
Q

What was the Winsdor Prayer Meeting

A

Cromwell pressed officers to search if there was any act by the army that might cause God to remove his presence/support for it

News came that Fleming, a much-liked officer, had been killed in Wales

Seemed that God was angry with them for trying to reach peace terms with the king

Charles decision to opt for war again had made Goffe’s description as a ‘man of blood’ ever more potent

45
Q

Give a counter-argument (quote) for Charles trying to pursue peace at Newport

A

“To deal freely with you, the great concessions I made this day – the church, militia and Ireland – was made merely in order to my escape” - Charles

46
Q

What was the Remonstrance of the Army

A

Ireton became fully convinced that the army needed to terminate Newport negotiations and bring the king to trial

Parliament rejected the remonstrance by 125 votes to 58 and ordered Fairfax not to bring his army any nearer London

47
Q

When and what was Pride’s Purge

A

6th Dec - 1648, Colonel pride barred any MP’s who had just voted in favour of continuing negotiations with the king

48
Q

The pre-purged parliament numbered…The number of MP’s who attended at any time over the next couple of months including signing the king’s death penalty totalled just over…

A

471

70

49
Q

Charles appeared before the court all dressed in black and kept his…on throughout the trial to show that he did not accept the……..of the court

A

Hat

Authority

50
Q

The trial mainly stated that Charles used unlimited…………….power to “……………….and……………” levy war against his people

A

Tyrannical
Traitorously
Maliciously

51
Q

The………and dignity to which Charles bore his last hours probably did more to the…….of the monarchy than all his acts of war

A

Courage

Future

52
Q

What did Charles claim to be at his trial

A

The “Martyr of the people”

53
Q

Give evidence of deep unpopularity woth the rump after his trial

A

Huge success of ‘Eikon Basilisk’

Attempted to record the late king’s thoughts during his final captivity

  • Published 10 days after his execution
  • Reprinted 30 times within a year and translated into several European languages

Highlighted a clear weakness of the young Commonwealth

54
Q

Give evidence to show that the trial of Charles was a show trial

A

Lady Fairfax calls out once on the first day and once on the last day.

First time, the troops level their muskets at her + commanding officer threatens to fire at her.

If you imagine a courtroom in which troops are firing on the spectators, you get a sense of the nature of the military presence – very intimidating presence, and very clear that the troops are there to quell the spectators.

55
Q

Why did the trial not feel right

A

What a trial does is enforce the king’s justice, and it enforces the king’s justice in front of a jury (there’s no jury here),
it enforces the king’s justice on the basis of the known laws of the land (there’s no law here which defines what this treason is that Charles is accused of)
and so in that sense, what’s happening is a trial in which the law and procedures being made up as they go along

56
Q

If you put someone on trial for treason (and that’s one of the charges) there is only….. know outcome to a treason trial. Anybody who goes in front of a court, charged with treason ends up…..

A

One

Dead

57
Q

What the court had succeeded in proving was that Charles had been……….on the battlefield and had commanded his troops. What they did not succeed in proving was that he was………….for any……….

A

Present
Responsible
Atrocities