5. English Civil War Flashcards
Why was religion a cause of the English civil war?
Charles appointed William Laud as the Archbishop of Canterbury.
He was one of Charles’ advisers and was very powerful.
By this point, there was very strong anti-catholic feelings and many criticised Laud saying he was trying to make the country catholic again.
Charles himself was married to a French Catholic who had a lot of influence over him
How did politics cause the English civil war?
Charles believed in the Divine Right of Kings (that he was appointed by God and was accountable to God alone, and it was a sin to believe differently)
Charles wasn’t a strong king as he hadn’t called parliament and brought in some bad ways to get money e.g. used parliament to get taxes to fight the Scots
The gentry were powerful in society and well represented in the House of Commons where many ridiculed Charles
‘No taxation without representation’
Who criticised Charles?
Sir John Hampton (imprisoned for not paying ship money) Nd Sir John puma were fierce critics of Charles and very popular
What was Parliament like when Charles became King?
He became King in 1625 and inherited a parliament that had been in dispute with his Father James 1 and he inherited advisers (inc. Duke of Buckingham) who had antagonised the House of Commons
The Stuart kings thought they should rule by the Divine Right Of King’s.
But the views of parliamentarians believed that a kings role was to approve all taxation and influence government
What happened with Parliament in the first few years of his rule?
Charles bypassed Parliament by collecting money from custom duties and a forced loan
He used martial law to impose his will which led to Parliament forcing Charles to agree to a Petition of Right in 1628 - it insisted that Charles address their concerns.
They also wanted to get rid of the Duke of Buckingham
Charles stopped this by dissolving Parliament and now ruling with it for the next 11 years (1629 - 1640)
How did ruling without parliament cause tensions?
It caused tensions between Charles and his subjects
Charles used many ways to raise money - in times of war the King was allowed to levy ship money on coastal countries to help protect them and pay for the navy
But Charles asked for it repeatedly from all countries and many refused to pay and were sent to prison without trial
Sir John Hampden was put on trial in 1637 for refusing to pay and he became a hero to those opposing Charles
What happened when Charles recalled Parliament in 1640?
They refused to grant him the money to raise an army to fight the Scots, until their own grievances were addressed. These were concerning money, religion and the role of the parliament.
He became aggressive and dissolved the ‘small’ parliament after only 3 weeks of arguing.
When he was forced to recall parliament again in November 1640, parliament was even more rebellious and John Hampden and John Pym led the opposition to the king
What was Charles given in 1641 addressing their grievances?
Grand Remonstrance
What clauses were there?
Abolishing ship money and custom duties unless approved by Parliament
Transferring control of army from king to parliament
Forcing monarchs to call a parliament at least every 3 years
Preventing the monarch from being able to dissolve Parliament
What did Charles do in response to this?
Charles blamed what he considered to be a minority of troublemakers
In January 1642, he used an army to march into the House of Commons and try to arrest the 5 leading opponents(inc. pym and hampden)
But they had been tipped off and escaped
This humiliated Charles and many thought he’d gone too far using an army
When did the English civil war start?
1942
Both sides claimed they had god on their side
1645 Charles was captured and imprisoned
What was the New model army?
It was set up in February 1645 and was the first-fully professional force
Officers apart from Oliver Cromwell were forbidden from being MPs.
Many soldiers had strong religious views with each regiment having a minister
Officers were promoted on merit, not class and soldiers were paid 8d per day and cavalrymen 2 shillings
What did Parliament what to do?
They wanted to dissolve the New Model army once the war was over. But some people in the army had other ideas
Many soldiers were radicals and had strong views on how the country should be run.
A split developed between parliament and the army radicals, although many senior officers (inc. Cromwell) were quite conservative and ready to deal with the King
What were the disputes between parliaments and the army?
They argued over unpaid wages, indemnity for crimes committed during the war, religion, who should have the vote and what to do with the King
What were the Putney Debates?
Two representatives from each regiment were elected and met at Newmarket to discuss these issues.
Some wanted ever man to be able to vote e.t.c
Further talks were held at Putney in October and November 1647.
Many soldiers were influenced by Leveller ideas.
What were some Leveller ideas?
Abolition of church tithes
The ending of monopolies and excise duties
Free speech
The right of women to take part in politics
Annual parliaments
Every man having the vote
Who expressed these ideas?
John Lilburne, although he was in prison at the time of the debates for having attacked Cromwell
What did many conservative parliamentarians and army leaders think about these soldiers?
Thought things were getting out of hand
They were worried that many of the soldiers wanted far more radical religious and political change than they did
Eventually the soldiers were sent back to their regiments and Cromwell imposed a rule that only property owners could vote
Who were the Diggers?
Gerrard Winstanley and others set up a radical group known as the Diggers
They believe that property was theft, and that equality could be achieved by communities digging and planting crops together
In spring 1649, they began planting vegetables near Weybridge in Surrey.
They believe that people’s birthright had been stolen by the ‘Norman Yoke’ and all were equal who wanted the abolition of private property and all to live by their own work on the land
What were radical groups seen as?
A great threat to the natural order of things.
People talked of ‘the world turned upside down’
What did people want to do with Charles?
Throughout 1648, there was no-clear cut answer to the question of what to do with King Charles
Eventually, after many MPs had been kept our of Parliament by the New Model Army, Parliament passed a bill setting up a court to pit Charles on trial for high treason
He was accused of acting in his own personal interests, not those of the country of people, and waging war against parliament
Charles refused to plead guilty or innocent saying he didn’t recognise the power of court to try the King
What happened on 30th January 1649?
Charles was found guilty and executed
Parliament went on to abolish the monarchy and the House of Lords.
In May 1649, England was declared a commonwealth
What happened with the rebellion in Ireland?
In 1649, Cromwell’s army put down the rebellion in Ireland
John Lilburne and other levellers were imprisoned in the Tower of London and several army mutinies were put down
All this time, there was no single, clear leader of the country
By 1650, who was firmly in control?
Cromwell and more conservative army leaders emerged firmly in control
A royalist uprising led by Charles 1 son, Charles 11) was defeated in 1651
The country was then at peace for the first time since 1642
Cromwell then began to focus on restoring a stable government and establishing a religious settlement
What did the Rump Parliament do?
They were given the task of devising a new constitution
It failed to do so and frustrated Cromwell.
Due to his anger, Cromwell marched into Parliament in April 1653, seized the mace and expelled the members
What happened in December 1653?
Oliver Cromwell became Lord protector
How did he rule/how did people react to him being Lord Protector?
He was not a radical so Levellers, Diggers and non-conformists were all disappointed to be under his rule
He was offered the crown in 1657 but rejected the offer (he was king in all but name)
He tried hard to establish a stable rule and create a religious settlement that would appeal to all
How did his Puritan views make him unpopular?
He closed theatres, banned minced pies and decorations at Christmas, stopped women wearing make up and used the army to enforce these laws
Some saw him as a hero of political liberty, others as a military dictator
What happened after Oliver Cromwell’s death in 1658?
His son Richard Cromwell ruled briefly as Lord protector
However, deep divisions between army and civilians led to Charles 11 (who was now King Charles 11 of Scotland) being invited to return from Holland and become King
The monarchy was restored and those who had signed Charles 1 death warrant were put in trial for treason
Cromwell was dug up, beheaded and head displayed
What was the Glorious Revolution in 1688?
In 1688, the Protestants William of Orange and wife Mary (daughter of James 11) were invited by parliament to be monarchs of England instead of James.
They arrived with an army but James left without a fight
The reign of William and Mary was conditional. They had to accept the Bill of Rights.
It’s terms included parliament having joint control of the army and making the laws
It also established that no monarchs could ever be Catholic
What was the overall effect of the English Civil War?
In short term, monarchy was abolished as Charles 1 was executed
New ideas emerged(inc, levellers who wanted votes for all men)
When Charles 2 became king, Parliament had much more power than before the civil war
The 1689 Bill of Rights gave more power than the monarch
