Charles I: Political divisions -> Growing divisions in the Long Parliament and the Irish rebellion Flashcards
Whose radicalism led to the formation of the Royalist party?
John Pym
What combined with Pym’s radicalism to make matters worse?
The flouting of religious authority in London and popular rebelliousness across the country
- botched the chances for peaceful settlement with the King and created the basis for a Party of Order gravitating towards the King
Which political faction did Pym lead?
Opposition in the House of Lords
When did Earl of Bedford die?
May 1641
What was Pym known as?
The Pym Junto
Who was Pym supported by?
- John Hampden
- Arthur Haselrig
- Sir Henry Vane
- Oliver St John
What had happened to over half the Privy Council by May 1641?
They had been imprisoned, exiled or disgraced
What were John Pym’s main aims as the chief opponent of Charles I?
- The removal and punishment of Charles I’s ‘evil councillors’
- a political settlement without the threat of being overturned by Charles
- removal of the threat of Catholic popery and the establishment of a strong Protestantism
What was Pym obsessed with?
Having a ‘true religion’
Why was Pym obsessed with this?
In establishing the ‘true religion’ the threat of popery and other threats to Parliament would be removed
What were Charles’ religious policies in the 1630s interpreted as?
A dual policy of establishing Catholicism and absolutism
How was Pym’s agenda not initially radical?
In the 1620s he had sought to achieve from ‘within’ the adequate funding of royal government, and he wanted the Political Nation unified
Why did Pym become more radical during the Long Parliament?
As Charles continued to threaten to use force and as a result of the heightened religious and political tension caused by the Irish rebellion
Why could the division within Parliament be good for Charles?
He might be able to take advantage of a divided Parliament
- if it remained united, he would not have been able to retaliate against it
Why could the division within Parliament be bad for Charles?
It might make the task of achieving a lasting settlement difficult and it helped pave the way for civil war
When could the point of no return be?
By the middle of 1641, after the execution of Strafford as blood had now been spilt
- radicalised the growing conflict and the drift towards war
When did Charles give his assent to the Attainder?
On 10 May, remarking sadly “My Lord Strafford’s condition is happier than mine”
What would the King do if he regained his powers?
Seek revenge on the MPs that had reduced his powers and brought about the death of his friend, Strafford
When did Charles travel to Scotland?
When Parliament went into recess in the summer of 1641
What settlement did Charles agree to in Scotland?
Regarding the Church of Scotland by withdrawing his earlier Laudian reforms in the Treaty of Ripon
How did Charles’ settlement in Scotland help England?
His agreement to the re-establishment of the Presbyterian Church (without bishops) secured the withdrawal of the Scottish army from the north of England
What did Parliament now fear that Charles would do?
- Because of the fear of Catholicism, some Protestant English politicians became radicalised
- determined to avenge the Protestant massacres
- fear was fed by the Army Plot of 1641
- supposed plan by which Wentworth would bring the English army in Ireland for Charles’ use against Parliament
- Parliament now feared that Charles might raise a Scottish army to march South on Parliament
When was the ‘Incident’?
October 1641
What was the ‘incident’?
A Royalist plot led by Charles’ ally, James Graham, 1st marquis of Montrose, to kidnap a group of Scottish nobles who were key Covenanters
Was the ‘incident’ successful?
It was a major blunder and meant they failed to exploit the opportunity for an alliance with the Scots
How was the ‘incident’ a fail?
Instead of reducing the influence of these nobles and disrupting the Covenanters, the plot was discovered
What did the ‘incident’ demonstrate about Charles?
That he could not be trusted and this detrimented relations with the Scottish parliament
What would the English civil war be known as?
the ‘War of the three Kingdoms’
Which dates signify that the civil war was one of the three kingdoms?
- June 1639: The Scottish rebellion
- October 1641: The Irish rebellion
- August 1642: The English rebellion
Which sections of the Irish elite began the rebellion?
The Gaelic ‘Old Irish’ and the ‘Old English’ descendants of Norman invaders who were united by their Catholicism and by the threat that was posed by Protestant settlers of English and Scots stock
What did the rebellion begin as?
An attempted coup d’etat with its aim to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for Catholics
What was London soon filled with at the same time?
Stories of atrocities committed by Irish Catholics on English and Scottish Protestants
What was happening to English protestants according to reports?
Thousands of English protestants were being massacred and castles and strongholds were falling to rebels
How did Puritans react to the Irish rebellion?
This radicalised Puritans as evidence of a “Popish” plot
What did the Irish Catholics claim about the rebellion?
It was sanctioned by the King as part of Charles’ desire to reimpose a religious settlement
Why did parliament’s distrust of Charles create issues during this rebellion?
Perhaps Charles would demand Parliament give him an army to put down the Irish
- could be a repeat of Scotland where he tried to mobilise the Scottish army that might have marched on Westminister
Why was Parliament conflicted and divided about how to respond to the irish rebellion?
As fervent anti-Catholics they wished to see the rising put down but they didn’t know what to do
What was the main dilemma Parliament faced in the irish rebellion?
- issue over allowing Charles an army to put down the rebellion
- could be used to subdue parliament
Why did the Irish rebellion further radicalise the Puritan faction?
To them, it was evidence of a ‘Popish Plot’
Why was the Irish rebellion significant?
- The debate over what to do about Ireland served to further divide within parliament
- contributed directly to converting the constitutional crisis in England into civil war
What was the point at issue in the final break between the King and parliament?
Who should control forces to be raised to subdue the Irish - each side fearing that such forces might be employed in England against the other before proceeding to Ireland
How does Conrad Russell describe the impact of the irish rebellion?
As a ‘billiard-ball effect’ in that the rebellion was prompted by events in Scotland and Ireland but in turn it radicalised the situation in England
