Charles - Chapter 6 Flashcards
When did Charles I get executed?
Jan 1649
How many years in total, did the three civil wars, collectively last for?
7
What does commonwealth mean?
An Independent state that is usually a republic. it can be used to describe England between Charles I execution and the restoration.
Why was the Rump weak/ unpopular?
- few actually wanted it
- had internal money shortages
- army and the rump wanted different things
- soldiers, levellers, religious sectaries all wanted different things
- active plots against it- threats on the behalf of Charles II- threats from Scotland- threats from Ireland- threats from the Continent
- growing size of the Army- so tax burden grew making the rump even more unpopular (army was payed through tax)
what did religious sectaries want ?
- a new Jerusalem to be built
- restraints on preaching removed
- all institutions to be brought into the line of God
when did the Rump rule from and till?
1649-1653
when Cromwell dissolved it
why did the Rump grow in size ?
1 feb 1649, any member who registered opposition to the commons vote on the 5 Dec 1648 to continue the negotiations with the former king, were allowed back in.
This let in 80 members by March
How many votes did the bill to abolish the House of Lords get passed by ?
44 to 29
What is a Council of State?
When was it established ?
Under the control of the Rump parliament.
It was in place of the privy council and King - in charge of domestic and foreign policy and to ensure the security of the commonwealth. It was dominated by the army. Appointed by the Rump and then had yearly elections to it.
Mid-Feb
what were the problems with the Council of State ?
- just as conservative as the Privy council was
- under the control of parliament who didn’t want to give the power away and wanted to keep the Army out of Politics
- reluctant to pass more radical reforms-corrupt
when did the levellers issue a new”agreement of the people”
what happened as a result ?
May 1649
Fairfax and Cromwell led loyal troops against them and on may 14,the last of the leveller groups surrendered at Burford in Oxfordshire, showed they didn’t have a good enough strategy or support to provide a strong enough threat.
why couldn’t the army be disbanded
the rump needed a lot of its members to be able to sit
at this point Scotland declared Charles II King,and he could invade along with Ireland.
when did the Rump declare it would disband itself?
March 1969
Why did the Rump not disband itself?
- pressing threat of invasion
* new parliament would produce MPs hostile to the republic
When was Cromwell sent to Ireland ?
How big of an army did he take?
August 1649
30,000 men
What did Cromwell do in Ireland?
Had a short, Brutal, military campaign, with little resistance. Towns such as Drogheda and Wexford who refused to capitulate got massacred. Some letters to parliament suggested that he enjoyed the butchery.
why were the events at Drogheda controversial ?
whether they denied ‘quarter’ or not is up for debate/if surrender was denied then ‘the law of war’ means its defenders could be legally killed. It’s said that even those who surrendered were took to a windmill were killed under Cromwell’s instructions.
What were two motives for Cromwell’s actions in Ireland ?
- Catholics had carried out massacres in 1641 and Cromwell’s army had a God-given duty to avenge the deaths of Protestants
- the army bases that were attacked contained English Royalists as well as Irish. They were seen as a part of the alliance that Charles had created to attack England, they deserved to be punished as they were partly responsible for the Second Civil war.
Was Cromwell successful in Ireland
YES-within 9 months he established English authority even if it wasn’t totally secure.
NO- limited resistance continued until 1652
- Limerick, the provinces of Leinster, Ulster and Munster put up a fight but were in English control by the end of 1650.
What happened when Charles Stuart was crowned Charles II in Scotland?
this posed a threat to the Rump and Cromwell sp he took his forces North and defeated the Scot at Dunbar on 3 September 1650. Charles then returned the next year with 12,000 scots. Cromwell had more force and crushed his troops in Worcester and Charles went into exile.
what were the achievements of the Rump in its early days?
- laws on debaters were eased
- legal proceedings had to be written in normal hand not script that only the trained could read
- the Elizabethan law meaning you had to go to church at least once a week was repealed
- enquiries were started to make better uses of church endowments
- large parishes were to be split and smaller ones united
- acts to improve preaching in the north, west and wales
what was the navigation act
an act to regulate colonial trade and enabled England to collect duties (taxes) in the Colonies.
as the war with the dutch continued there was more focussing on this act in the Rump than the actual things Cromwell wanted to discuss. Also people started to question why exactly we were fighting the only other predominantly protestant country.
when did the Rump promise they would have elections by? why was this unpopular?
3 nov 1654- 3 years after Cromwell had returned from battlefield, so this didn’t please the army as it was a long time away.
The council of officers wrote a letter to the Rump complaining.
When was this and what was it about?
August in 1652
- corrupt revenue officers who they wanted dismissed
- the composition of parliament, of which they wanted it to consist of the devoutly religious and godly.
parliament did then press for new elections but nothing really happened until the army god agitated again.
What were the three major clashes between the Army and the Rump?
- Religion
- Reform of the law
- A new constitution
What was the Blasphemy Act
Limited religious non-conformity
Passed by the rump in 1650
In April 1653 what commissions did the Rump not make over religion?
Legislation about spreading the preaching of the gospel needed updating but they let it lapse. this angered Cromwell and those that had served as commissioners.
what problems did the Rump have over the law?
In Dec 1651,the rump appointed a commission to review the legal system.the MPs who were lawyers blocked them due to vested interests. the proposals were to make the law simpler and get rid of those which were out of date
why was the rump slow to draw up a new constitution
They wanted to preserve its privileges and refused to be dictated to
Why did it seem like the Rump was preparing to transfer power in 1653?
They drew up a constitutional bill to be read in Feb 1653 the bill included things like increasing representation and narrowing the franchise.
How did the Rump get dissolved?
Cromwell called a meeting on the 19th April with 20 MPs and some senior army officers. he wanted the power to be temporarily be transferred to 40 men that the Rump had nominated and then dissolve themselves. when the nation was peaceful enough the nation could then start electing again. The next day the Rump debated their bill again but Cromwell stormed in with musketeers to eject them.
What were three of the motives behind Cromwell’s actions in dissolving the Rump?
- ) Cromwell was under pressure from the soldiers, which he could no longer resist because the Rump was about to vote to perpetuate itself and then adjourn.
- ) The Rump, although it was going to pass power to a new body, had not ensured that the new body would consist of men who supported the revolution and army.
- ) It had failed to pass religious reforms and legal reforms whilst at the same time appearing to be too keen to prosecute war.- Some think that he wanted to pick a body of ‘saints’ who would help bring the kingdom of christ.
How were MPs for ‘Barebone’s’ elected?
Why?
They were actually to be nominated in according to size and wealth of the area they were not elected because:
- ) Cromwell didn’t have the right to summon a new parliament ( the long parliament can’t be dissolved without it’s consent)
- )it would have likely produced a body hostile to the army and its aims.
Why was the ‘barebones parliament’ given it’s name?
named after the radical tradesman ‘praise-God’ Barebone who was a typical example of those elected.( not actually true, they were lower class members of the gentry, merchants, over 100 JPs snd over 40 had been to Uni)
When was the ‘Barebones parliament’ opened by Cromwell?
When would it be dissolved?
4 July 1653
He wanted it to be dissolved after a year and hand over power again by 4 Nov 1654 and then return to an elected parliament by Nov 1655.
What religious matters were discussed in ‘Barebones parliament’
- Tithes- tampering with them was seen as an attack on property and worried moderates that more attacks on property.
- the issue of the right of lay patrons, often members of the gentry, to be able to appoint ministers to some livings-some moderates wanted to end this, some thought it would lead to even more attacks on property.
- some radicals wanted to get rid of a maintained ministry,where ministers were paid with public money- moderates didn’t want this abolished but wanted reforms.
What did moderates want in Barebones about law and order
Remove elements of the common law which weren’t necessary
- centred around property
What did radicals want in Barebones about law and order
Get rid of it all together and replace it with a simple code
-centred around property
Why were there less members in the house during the autumn of 1653
- what did those who did turn up do
They lost hope in its reforming potential
- those who turned up caused difficulties in his attempts to negotiate peace with the Dutch. Radicals wanted war against who they saw was the corrupt merchants in the Netherlands and cumulating in victory against Rome and the papacy.
In the elections for the council of state on the 1 of nov what were the results
31 moderates
And 4 radicals
- moderates still couldn’t decide on a style of government
Who was lambert
A parliamentary general - opposed the rump, wanted a representative government and was consulted about the removal of Cromwell from office .
What did the council summon lambert to discuss
Discuss the possibility of commanding forces in Scotland to crush a developing royalist uprising, lambert declined the job but he arrived in London having drafted a new constitution which he discussed with other army officers and then Cromwell.
How did Cromwell feel about the proposal put to him in the barebones parliament?
He was interested but he wasn’t prepared to support a military coup or to become king as the constitution suggested.
When did barebones get dissolved
11 December when the following day they had discussed church and tithes , and the moderates went to the chamber and resigned their authority and votes to give their powers back to Cromwell .
who was the instrument of government drafted by ?
John Lambert (parliamentarian general)
how did the instrument of government split up the constitution?
it split it into three equal parts: the protector, a council and parliament
What was the protectors powers and responsibility?
Position for a lifetime
Successor chosen by the council
Some power of the monarch- pardons and granting honours and appointing magistrates
Guaranteed sufficient income
Had to accept the advice of the council
Could not choose or get rid of councillors
could annul bills that went against the principles of the instrument
What was the councils powers and responsibility?
consisted of the Protector, 7 army officers and 8 civilians
Position for life
Gave advice to the protector about policy and administration
Could govern with the protector and issue ordinance
parliament chose its chancellor, treasurer and chief justices.
What was parliaments powers and responsibility?
One chamber- draw up bills and present to the protector ( who had 20 days to disagree before they become law)
430 members (400 for England and Wales, 30 for Ireland and Scotland combined)
Catholics could not sit or vote
Royalists could not vote for the first 3 elections
Voters needed £200 annual income
MPs needed to be over 21, “Godly men”
Called every 3 years
Sit for at least 5 months- can’t be dissolved or prorogued without their consent
No control over the army, finances or church
in what ways was the protector in a worse position than the king?
much more limited power
couldn’t choose or dismiss councillors
if the protector annulled a bill it could only be stopped for 21 days and then unless it could be proved to the instrument it shouldn’t be passed, parliament could insist and it would become law.
in what ways was the protector in a better position than the king?
had a fixed income - the instrument was required to provide the protector with £30,000 for an army and a fleet, then £200,000 for civil government per year.
what two ordinances did Cromwell pass and when
the first was in march 1654- which was a ‘commission for approbation of minsters’ more commonly known as ‘Triers’ who would approve candidates for livings- assessed if they had sufficient education and had lived a good life, looked at people from a range of different religious beliefs.
the second was in august 1654- to remove those unsuitable
known as the ‘ejectors’
what did Triers and ejectors result in?
a more broad and religiously tolerant church
when were the elections for the first protectorate parliament
july 1654
what was the results of the elections for the first protectorate parliament
crypto-royalists returned as well as presbyterians and former members of the rump.
what happened in the first protectorate parliament ?
MPs were expected agree to abide by the instrument of government, some challenged it legality and authority
Many MPs were men who had sat in the Rump and resented their dismissal, many were from the gentry who were concerned with upholding property rights
MPs were not biddable, they began to rewrite the constitution, hoped to increase the power of parliament, limit religious liberty, reduce the size of the army
when did Cromwell dissolve the first protectorate parliament ?
Cromwell dissolved it January 22nd 1655
why did Cromwell dissolve the first protectorate parliament ?
they were trying to rewrite the constitution so that there would be less restraints on parliament and chancing the balance between parliament and council. the changes would have limited religious liberty and reduced the size of the army.
The final straw was when they said ‘the militia ought not to be raised but by the common consent of the people assembled in parliament’
what happened once cromwell dissolved the first protectorate parliament?
he ruled by ordinance
parliament hadn’t even discussed taxation or passed a bill yet
what was penruddock’s uprising , when was it and when did it take place?
a royalist uprising, the spring of 1655, Wiltshire but defeated in Devon.
how were the Major-generals distributed
a major general for the 11, then later 12 regions
what were the aims of the major generals
reduce disorder and create a nation loyal to the regime and use the local militia to achieve this
coordinate the militia to check the movement of royalists
encourage JPs to enforce laws against drunkenness,blaspheming, swearing, going to plays, doing things on the lords day etc.
improve the work of the triers and ejectors
positives of the Major-generals
using militia was cheeper than the army and involved local; communities
- the scheme would be financed by taxing royalists 10% of estates regardless if they were plotters or not- this reduced the main direct tax from £120,000 to £60,000
were the Major generals popular or unpopular
popular =Puritans like them- carrying out a godly reformation and improve morality.
unpopular=Gentry resented(socially inferior generals) them but abided by their rules to gain their own power
Seen as killjoys - closed down entertainment establishments as they believed that was where treason was plotted
represented centralised power
Obviously Royalists don’t like being monitored and taxed
when was the second protectorate parliament called
september 1656
why was the second protectorate parliament called
Cromwell was forced to because of limited money to fight a war with Spain because he launched attacks on Spanish colonies
what happened with the elections of the second protectorate parliament ?
the council had to debar over 100 members from taking their seats.
the elections increased numbers of moderates and although they supported Cromwell they wanted a constitutional government and a shift from a military to a civilian style rule and give back power to the gentry.
what was the decimation tax?
a 10% income tax levied on Royalists- funded the major generals
what happened to the decimation tax?
the bill was defeated in jan 1657- when Desborough put i forward to be regularised. Cromwell withdrew his support so they rule of the Major generals ended.
what religion was Cromwell?
an orthodox calvinist
what was the James Nayler case- how did MPs react ?
when he re-enacted Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday by riding into Bristol on a donkey whilst women through palms at his feet.
MPs wanted him punished for blasphemy and anarchy, the final sentence was a flogging, branding and tongue boring. it was more lenient than first wished.
Cromwell wanted to be more tolerant.
Give an example of how Cromwell was religiously tolerant( jews)
he was tolerant towards jews and in the 1650s saw the first serious attempt to readmit jews into England since the Middle ages.
what were some concerns about cromwell during the second protectorate parliament ?
who would be his successor - would another army man be protector ?
his declining health
what did the Humble Petition and Advice set out to do
requested cromwell to be king; this would ensure the succession of his son rather than army and it would give the regime respectability.
it would end arbitrary expulsion, as members would only be able to be banned by the house itself
it would reduce the power of the council
create another chamber ( the Other House)
reduce the size of the army
limit religious toleration
what were the problems with Humble Petition and Advice
Cromwell either had to accept all of it or none of it - he liked the constitution but not the proposal of King
The army was unhappy from the start-Lambert, Fleetwood and Desborough refused to continue any further if he accepted
cromwell thought he would be betraying what he fought for, that he was putting personal gains first and that God had already condemned the Title with the military defeat of Charles.
what was the outcome of the Humble Petition and Advice
Cromwell refused it.
what happened on the 26 June 1657
Parliament allowed cromwell to accept the constitution without changing his title so was reinstalled as Lord Protector
what happened with the election of Jan 1658?
members under the new constitution could not be excluded-lots of republicans returned who attacked the ‘Other House’ but many of cromwell’s supporters sat in the Other house so lots of his opponents could dominate parliament.
what happened with the Parliament of Jan 1658?
it was dissolved within 2 weeks of sitting because of a petition from London which wanted the re-establishment of the Republic.
When did Cromwell die?
Why ?
3 September 1658- from malaria
