Ch 11 The Second Civil War Flashcards
What was Charles position at end of First English Civil War 1646?
- defeated militarily; but strong position to negotiate for settlement due to being King
- Charles refused to consider Parliament’s settlements seriously; political move to play upon the divisions between English Parliament, Scots & NMA
What did Charles’ stubbornness for post-war settlement encourage within Parliament?
- encouraged divisions between moderates & radicals that had emerged within Parliament over how to fight the Civil War
- by 1646, the 2 parliamentary factions labelled the Political Presbyterians & Political Independents
- indicate a religious division & a political one
Key Info on Political Presbyterians?
- key figures= Holles & Stapleton
- more moderate in nature, called ‘Peace Party’
- generally conservative in social/political matters
- opposed to religious toleration (wanted Presbyterianism)
- favoured a negotiated peace w/ King & willing to accept settlement on minimal terms (including the disbanding of NMA!)
- increasingly disappointed by NMA
- drew closer to Scots
- supported Presbyterian Church to prevent social revolution
Key Info on Political Independents?
- key figures: Oliver Cromwell & Henry Ireton
- more radical in nature, called ‘War Party’
- disliked the authoritarianism of Scottish Presbyterianism as they wanted religious independence
- wanted a considerable measure of religious toleration
- allied w/ NMA (seen as their security against Charles)
- willing to settle w/ King & disband NMA only IF Charles accepted limitations to his power!
What was the complexity of the Parliamentary factions?
- messy division because some religious Presbyterians supported Political Independents
- therefore, the religious views of the factions cannot be absolutely assumed
- summarised by Robert Ashton
In 1646 which Parliamentary faction was the most influential?
- Political Presbyterians; most of the country would have favoured them due to their peace policy
- the country was weary of war & wanted peace
- in 1646, if Charles had accepted the reasonable terms presented to him by the Political Presbyterians, the Political Independents & the NMA would have gone along w/ the agreement & their would have been no second civil war
What were the Newcastle Propositions (July 1646)?
-Political Presbyterians presented their plan for settlement to Charles July 1646
What were the main features of the Newcastle Propositions (July 1646)?
- religion: Charles was to accept the establishment of Presbyterianism in England for 3 years
- militia: Parliament was to control the militia (armed forces) for 20 years (regarded as the likely remainder of Charles’ life)
- Parliament: the Triennial Act was to remain, guaranteeing regular parliaments as a limit to monarch’s power
- Royalists: only 58 Royalists were not to be pardoned, thus hopefully encouraging others to accept defeat
What was Charles’ response to the Newcastle Propositions (July 1646)?
- response was to stall; he had no intention of agreeing to them, but did not say this directly in order to allow the divisions between his opponents to develop
- settlement was hampered by Parliament’s political divisions, further deepened by religious differences
How was instability created in the winter of 1646/47?
- instability because Political Presbyterians tried to get Charles to agree to a revised, more lenient version of Newcastle Propositions; also seeking to implement what in effect amounted to counter-revolution:
- demobilising the NMA but keeping a smaller force to got to Ireland to crush the Irish Catholics
- creating an alternative ‘safe’ army based on the London Trained Bands
How did Political Presbyterians’ leader abuse the NMA?
- leader Denzil Holles abused them in the Declaration of Dislike=document stating army petitioners were ‘enemies to the state & disturbers of the public peace’
- the Newcastle Propositions & Declaration of Dislike were offensive to NMA; they (as well as their allies the Political Independents) saw the Political Presbyterians as attempting to raise a rival army from forces remaining regionally in the West & North that were led by sympathetic leaders rather than NMA officers
How did the Political Presbyterians inadvertently create a new radical force in the political settlement?
- their strategy was based on fact that Parliament faced huge financial problem: owing army £3 million
- in attempting to implement their strategy they inadvertently brought the NMA as a new radical force into the political settlement
What incensed the NMA?
- thy were owed £3million in wages; they feared being made to disband before this money was paid
- there was possibility of being charged w/ offensives committed during the war, as Parliament had not passed an indemnity act (would provide soldiers w/ insurance against prosecution for actions taken during the civil war)
How was the New Model Army created?
- by Parliament early 1645
- merged three regional armies, w/ aim of making war effort more effective
- first commanded by Thomas Fairfax, w/ Oliver Cromwell as lieutenant general
What impact did the NMA’s entry into politics have on settlement?
-entry into politics (especially due to financial reasons) had significant impact on settlement; once it became a political force, it became central to all that followed until the restoration of monarchy in 1660
Key Info on Thomas Fairfax (1612-71)?
- was general in Parliament’s Northern Association Army
- 1645 appointed as commander-in-chief of NMA
- excellent general but not great w/ politics
- w/ NMA’s politicisation, he found himself sidelined by his subordinates like Cromwell & Ireton
Key Info on Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658)?
- member of minor gentry
- elected as MP in 1640
- during First Civil War served as lieutenant general of the Eastern Association Army
- second in command of NMA
- naturally politically conservative
- came to believe that God had condemned Charles (after his experience of battle within NMA)
- increasingly took lead in settlement politics
What was NMA’s opposition to Parliament based on (1646-49)?
- wanted their material grievances addressed (wages paid!)
- Parliament (dominated by Political Presbyterians) failed to address NMA’s concerns; thus the army’s statements became increasingly more radical
What did the NMA do March 1647?
- NMA first petitioned Parliament to readdress their grievances
- Parliament condemned this petition
What antagonised NMA in May 1647?
- the Commons accepted Charles’ third reply to Newcastle Propositions (he conceded Presbyterianism for 3 years & Parliamentary control of militia for 10 years) but Charles was hoping for further negotiations
- this all antagonised NMA as they felt the terms were too lenient & that Charles could not be trusted to honour them
- 25 May 1647: the Commons voted to disband NMA w/ only 8 weeks worth of pay to them!
What did NMA do @ Newmarket in June 1647?
-in response to Common’s vote to disband army & on orders from Fairfax, NMA holds a general meeting @ Newmarket
=this saw to the organisation of a more formal political structure, the General Council of the Army led by Fairfax but dominated by Ireton & Cromwell (discussed strategy)
=consisted of 2 commissioned officers & 2 adjutators (men/junior officers who took leading role in politicisation & political life of the army) from each regiment
=hoped in this body to lead the army to settlement
What happened to Charles on 2 June 1647?
- Charles seized by NMA
- Cornet (lowest rank army officer) George Joyce forced Charles out of Parliamentary house arrest & took him to army’s headquarters @ Newmarket (status of Cornet is significant as it shows that even the lowest ranked officers no longer respected the King!)
- 2 days later Joyce wrote to Cromwell: ‘we have secured the king… you must let us know what we shall do’
- NMA’s physical control of Charles was what made them a significant force in the politics of settlement
What did NMA do on 4 June 1647?
- produced a Humble Remonstrance, declaring that they would not disband until their grievances were met
- these included indemnity (protection against loss of financial burden) & the removal of Holles’ Political Presbyterian faction
- NMA began slow march to London to put pressure on Parliament (enemy)
What did NMA do on 5 June 1647?
-NMA presented their position to Parliament in the Solemn Engagement (written by Henry Ireton)
What happened between NMA leadership & Charles on 7 June 1647?
- Fairfax, Crowwell & Ireton went to Childerley where Charles was being held; had meeting first of which became formal negotiations between army leadership & Charles
- Ireton = army’s chief spokesperson
- Charles eventually lodged @ Hampton Court
- to reinforce the Solemn Engagement, impeachment charges were drawn up by NMA & presented against 11 MPs including Holles in July 1647 (army saw Holles as leading Parliament against them
-What appeared on 14 June 1647?
- A Representation of the Army, written by Ireton & Lambert & aided by Cromwell appeared
- declared NMA was ‘not a mere mercenary army’ & outlined the fundamentals of the army’s political position
What was outlined as the fundamentals of the NMA’s political position on 14 June 1647, in the Representation of the Army document?
- a purge of Parliament
- future parliaments of fixed duration
- guaranteed right of freedom of the people to petition Parliament
- an extension of religious freedom
- NMA declared itself as defending ‘our own & the people’s just rights & liberties’
- they had made clear that settlement had to take their grievances into account
- the fact that NMA had secured physical control of Charles added weight to their political stance
What happened on 16 July 1647?
- NMA’s General Council met @ Reading
- Ireton presented his Heads of the Proposals to rest of army
- though most people had become impatient w/ slow progress in achieving their demands by following what they thought were too moderate plans outlined by Ireton & Cromwell
- due to the ‘moderate’ terms of the Heads of the Proposal having been directly negotiated w/ Charles, it opened Ireton & Cromwell up to charges of hypocrisy
Key Chronology? July 1646= June 1647= July 1647= Dec 1647= Apr 1648= Aug 1648=
July 1646=Newcastle Propositions
June 1647=Humble Remonstrance; Solemn Engagement; Representation of the Army
July 1647=The Heads of the Proposal
Dec 1647=Engagement between Charles I & Scots
Apr 1648=Windsor Prayer Meeting
Aug 1648=Battle of Preston
Heads of the Proposal Key Info & Points?
-was NMA’s own settlement plan; written by Ireton & Lambert w/ Cromwell’s aid
-published 2 Aug 1647
=regular biennial parliaments
=reform of parliamentary representation
=parliamentary control of army/navy
=parliamentary appointment of great offices of state for 10 years
=religious settlement that maintained the national Church w/ bishops but no coercive power
=Act of Oblivion (pardon) that exempted only a few Royalists from punishment
- limits placed on Parliament through biennial elections, redistribution of seats & issue of indemnity was clear reflection of NMA’s experience over last 2 years
- other key feature that while King was limited by Parliament & a selected council, there was no check on his negative voice; episcopacy (bishops governing Church) without disciplinary powers was to be allowed & there was an assurance of Charles ‘personal rights’
What did NMA’s control of Charles allow them?
- allowed them to negotiate directly w/ him their own settlement plan
- (it is possible that the concessions to Charles in the Heads of the Proposal came about as result of Ireton’s direct negotiations w/ him)
What had Ireton & Cromwell shown in their desire to ensure settlement?
-showed their desire for an essentially MODERATE settlement; their willingness to compromise w/ Charles brought division in the army to a critical point
By the time of the Putney debates, what did army officers realise about Charles?
- army officers negotiating w/ Charles over the Heads of the Proposals realised that he was not negotiating candidly
- Charles had audacity to remark to Ireton “without me, you will fail”
- Charles’ failure to take NMA’s settlement plans seriously further radicalised the army & made some contemplate removing the king
What happened on 26 July 1647?
- (the Political Presbyterians organised demonstrations in favour of peace)
- w/ help from Denzil Holles, a mob invaded the Commons & forcefully passed a resolution to invite the king to London
What was happening on 3 Aug 1647?
-NMA was just outside London, where the Political Independents joined them after walking out of Parliament
What finally happened on 6 Aug 1647?
-NMA marched into Westminister
How was Charles deceitfulness confirmed? What was the response to this?
- confirmed by his escape from Hampton Court in Nov 1647
- in response to the new military threat posed by Charles’ escape & his subsequent negotiations w/ the Scots; the NMA officers & lower ranks reunited
- an attempted Leveller-inspired mutiny in the army was crushed
What was the situation like 1647?
-people were weary of the taxes to fund NMA, inflation, the county committees & the harshness of being at war
What was sent to Charles while he was imprisoned?
- the Four Bills; an amalgamation of Parliament’s Newcastle Propositions & the NMA’s Heads of the Proposal
- Charles formally rejected the Four Bills at the end of Dec 1647
What happened on 11 Nov 1647?
-Charles escaped from Hampton Court & began to negotiate w/ the Scots to help him campaign against Parliament
What was The Engagement of Dec 1647?
- Charles arranged a secret meeting w/ Engagers (a faction of Scottish Covenanters who were disappointed w/ their alliance w/ English Parliament)
- Charles agreed that England would have a 3 year period of Presbyterianism in return for the Scots’ help in invading England against Parliament & restoring him to power
- the Scots saw the agreement as securing their position in Scotland, w/ 3 years adequate time for Presbyterian to establish itself
- this engagement meant that at some point, the Covenanters would invade England against their previous allies & trigger a second civil war
- threat of Scottish invasion & another civil war hardened the parliamentarians & the army
What did Parliament pass in January 1648, as a result of The Engagement (Dec 1647)?
-passed the Vote of No Addresses stating that there would be no further negotiations w/ Charles
What was the significance of the Windsor Prayer Meeting (April 1648)?
- during Second Civil War, the NMA gathered @ Windsor to pray before facing their enemies
- reflected on Bible passages & preachers declared Charles I was the ‘man of blood’
- SIGNIFICANT: as it was @ Windsor that the NMA debated regicide for the first time
Why was religion a significant element of the NMA’s success 1645-53?
- godly officers=core of officers, particularly in cavalry, were v devout; gave army its religious drive
- chaplains=appointed for each regiment & were closely connected to the colonel of the regiment; provided religious leadership through sermons, Bible studies & accompanied NMA on marches, campaigns & into battle
- visual iconography=each regiment had its own banner & religious mottos
- fasting/self-reflection=used to prepare for tests that the army was to face
- lay preaching=soldiers themselves preaching
- minority=alienation from rest of society reinforced their own self image of godliness, which led to high morale
- equality=creation of General Council of the Army in 1647 as well as the Reading & Putney Debates, all partly stemmed from religious belief that all were valued by God
What events led up to Royalist Defeat?
- General Fairfax & Ireton tacked risings in Kent; Cromwell sent to South Wales & Lambert held the northern front to slow down any Scottish invasion until southern reinforcements could arrive
- July 1648 a large troop of Scottish forces entered England to join 4,000 northern Royalists :(
- Aug 1648, having crushed the rebels in South Wales, Cromwell went North & joined w/ Lambert to face the Scottish Royalists @ Preston; despite being heavily outnumbered their disciplined army won victory against the Scots’ Royalist force
- Oct 1648 Cromwell & Lambert went to Edinburgh to ensure that the anti-Engagers in Scotland led by Argyll were securely in power
What threatened to divide the NMA across England & Wales?
- series of Royalist & anti-Parliament/Presbyterian risings in South Wales, Kent, East Anglia, & Yorkshire throughout 1648 threatened to divide NMA across England & Wales
- yet the ‘revolt in the provinces’ was uncoordinated & thus the NMA was able to split its forces efficiently to deal w/ the threats
- at same time, NMA faced imminent invasion from the Scots
Second English Civil War Key Chronology: 1648
- March-July
- April-Aug
- May-June
- June-Dec
- July
- 17/19 Aug
- 4/7 Oct
- March-July: Rising in South Wales
- April-Aug: Rising in East Anglia, centred in Colchester
- May-June: Rising in Kent
- June-Dec: Rising in Yorkshire, centred @ Pontefract
- July: Scots invade England in support of Charles
- 17/19 Aug: Cromwell & Lambert defeat Scots @ Preston
- 4/7 Oct: Cromwell & Lambert secure anti-Engager power while in Edinburgh
What was the Second English Civil War like in comparison w/ the First?
- Second more brutal than First
- in securing victory, NMA leaders (particularly millenarians like Cromwell, Ireton & Harrison) were even more convinced that God was directing the NMA & that God condemned Charles
Why was the Second English Civil War a turning point?
- many, especially those in army, now regarded settlement w/ Charles & Royalists as impossible
- thus Royalist leaders were tried & executed by NMA
- in contrast, many in Parliament wanted to reopen negotiations w/ King; as increasingly worried about NMA’s radicalism, they felt that only a settlement w/ King could prevent any further breakdown of order
- it was to be the division between NMA & Parliament after Second Civil War that became crucial in leading to the execution of Charles I
