(17) Political and Religious Radicalism - political Flashcards
What was becoming a political concern?
The soldiers in the NMA and Northern association (comprising of 30,000)
What were the soldier’s grievances about?
Predominantly, pay!
What was Parliament’s solution to the army?
Redeploying some troops in Ireland
What did the political Presbyterians want?
To neutralise the radical nature of the armies
When did Parliament order a purge of the officer ranks to exclude MPs and non-Presbyterians?
March 1647
How did the NMA react to Parliament’s attempts at disbanding it?
The Humble Petition of the Officers and Soldiers of the Army
When was Fairfax given the Humble Petition of the Officers and Soldiers of the Army?
20 March 1647
What did the Humble Petition of the Officers and Soldiers of the Army request?
- soldiers’ pay brought up to date before disbandment
- provisions for widows and orphans
- Indemnity granted for acts committed in wartime
- volunteer troops refuse deployment outside England
Who responded to the Humble Petition of the Officers and Soldiers of the Army with the ‘Declaration of Dislike’?
Denzil Holles
What did the Declaration of Dislike reveal?
It opened a fault line between the political Presbyterian majority in Parliament and the New Model Army
What occurred in April 1647?
8 cavalry regiments elected representatives - Agitators
What was the role of Agitators?
They would liaise with officers and make sure the voices of the rank and file were heard
By which month did the army officers support the Agitators?
End of April
How was the officer’s support shown?
Vindication of the Officers of the army
What was Parliament’s response to the Vindication?
They diffused its impact by arguing it was a series of different demands - that could not be dealt with by a whole
