Charles I: The Second Civil War, 1648-49 Flashcards
How did Charles’ personality lead to the Second Civil War?
The Second Civil War broke out because of Charles’ duplicitous behaviour which led Parliament to withdraw all further offers of negotiation (Vote of No Addresses)
- Charles had the power to determine the trajectory of all negotiations
How did Charles’ staunch belief in the DRoK lead to the Second Civil War?
Charles’ relentless belief in the Divine Right of Kings meant that he would never accept a compromise, negating a peaceful settlement being able to be reached
What legislation by Parliament was the point of no return for negotiations with the King?
Parliament’s decision to pass the Vote of No Addresses (January 1648) was the point at which all negotiation with the King broke down, setting the stage for further military conflict
What allowed the conflict in 1648 to emerge?
The Scottish Engagement which had reignited the fears of Parliament from 1641 that Charles could not be trusted
Why was Charles responsible for no peaceful settlement being reached?
He did not wish to accept the outcomes of the war, refusing to settle peacefully and playing for time whilst he secretly plotted
Why was Parliament responsible for no peaceful settlement being reached?
Parliament failed to address some of their problems after the First Civil War e.g. they were divided into two hostile camps, the Presbyterians and the Independents
Why did people begin to support the ‘Scottish’ solution?
- There had been no effective religious settlement
- They were war-weary and wanted a return to peace and normality
- this antagonised those radicals who wanted toleration for Protestant nonconformists
Who had been radicalised by the First Civil War?
The rank and file of the NMA radicalised by experience of war and the influence of the Levellers
- split with the Grandees
Where did Charles escape from and when?
Charles escaped from Hampton Court in November 1647
Where did Charles flee to?
The Isle of Wight, mistakenly thinking he had supporters there, but ended up in the custody of supporters of Parliament
What plots did Charles engage in to re-start the Civil War?
From Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, Charles continued to bargain with parties and began to negotiate with the Scots to help him campaign against Parliament
Why did Charles believe he could defeat the NMA?
They were only 15,000 men strong
- needed a military force so turned to the Scots
How many troops did the Scots command in comparison?
While the army of Cromwell’s had roughly 9,000 troops, the Scots commanded 24,000
What was the agreement with the Scots called?
The Engagement
When was the Engagement signed?
26 December 1647
What did Charles agree to in his secret treaty with the Scots?
The Scots would invade England on Charles’ behalf if he agreed to a three-year period of Presbyterianism
- He would not be obliged to have any other restrictions to his prerogative powers unlike the terms of the deals proposed by Parliament and the army
What did Charles confidence in the Engagement being able to restore his power signify?
Since the end of the First Civil War, Charles had not been taking the negotiations with Parliament and the Army seriously, given that his ultimate aim was to fully restore his power, and given that he was willing to use military force to do so
Why did the Scots agree to the Engagement?
- They feared the anti-Presbyterian religious policies of the independents in the New Model Army and Parliament
- They saw a chance to advance the power of the Presbyterian Peace Party in Parliament, and so defeat the Independents once and for all
- Chance to: 1)Finally disband the NMA and 2) suppress Independency
Who was the main threat to the Scottish Kirk by 1647?
The English Independents
What did the Scots believe was the best way to defend Scottish Presbyterianism from the Independent NMA?
To make an alliance with the King, persuaded by the Duke of Hamilton, Charles’ main ally in Scotland
What divisions were there between the Presbyterian MPs in Parliament and the Independents in the NMA?
Many Presbyterians were horrified at the radical Independents religious sects and the prospect of religious toleration
How did the Charles use the Engagement to his advantage?
Hoped the invasion of the Presbyterian Scots would encourage the English Presbyterians in Parliament to join him to defeat the NMA and suppress Independency
Who did Charles also try to bring into his anti-Parliamentary alliance?
The Catholics of the Irish Confederation
What did the threat of a Scottish invasion and another civil war encourage Parliament to pass?
It hardened the parliamentarians and the army and in January 1648, as a result of the Engagement, Parliament passed the Vote of No Addresses
What was the effect of the Vote of No Addresses?
There would be no further negotiation with Charles
When did the Second Civil War last?
April-August 1648
When did the Royalists rise?
In May 1648, igniting the Second Civil War and as agreed with Charles, the Scots invaded England
Where did Royalist uprisings occur?
In Kent, Essex and Cumberland and a rebellion led by soldiers in South Wales
- parts of the Royal Navy’s fleet mutinied and a squadron of warships defected to the King
Why were rebellions in Kent and Essex particularly significant?
They were both counties that had been firmly under Parliamentarian control since 1642
What did these Royalist uprisings threaten to do in 1648?
Threatened to divide the New Model Army across England and Wales, while at the same time it faced imminent invasion from the Scots
What was a limitation of the rebellious uprising?
The ‘revolt of the provinces’ was uncoordinated, and the united New Model Army was able to split its forces efficiently to deal with each threat
What was Charles’ two-pronged strategy for the Second Civil War?
- The Scots would invade from Northern England
- Charles would encourage Royalist uprisings in different parts of England and Wales
-> these needed to happen at the same time to work
What enabled the NMA to win?
The Engager invasion of Northern England was badly coordinated with the uprisings in England and Wales
What was the NMA allowed to do to win?
They were able to mobilise to suppress the insurrections before dealing with the Engagers
Why did it seem like the NMA could not be defeated in battle?
As well as its fierce cavalry and effective meritocratic command structure, it was imbued with religious passion and enthusiasm
- they believed God was guiding them, and their enemies rejecting His will (providence)
What did Cromwell believe about providence?
The Army, called by God to fight and clearly infused with God’s support and God’s word, had a right to use its power to bring about God’s will
What did Cromwell and Fairfax do to defeat the Engagers?
Cromwell marched against the Welsh insurgents while Fairfax secured London and advanced into Kent
What did the Prince of Wales do?
He took command of the ships that had defected to the Royalists, but he was forced to withdraw to the Netherlands by a Parliamentarian fleet
What halted the Scottish advance into England?
The New Model Army; and with the defeat of the Scots at the Battle of Preston in August 1648, the Royalists lost any chance of winning the war
What did Charles’ obstinacy show?
That he wasn’t willing to make a settlement through peaceful negotiation
What did Charles’ double-dealing show?
His word could not be trusted
What did Charles’ willingness to re-ignite armed conflict show?
That he was unconcerned about the loss of life that would arise from his actions and a danger to peace - perhaps too dangerous to be allowed to live
What was the significance of Charles’ decison to start the Second Civil War?
Seen by some as a rejection of God’s judgement - after all, had not God favoured Parliament with victory in the First Civil War
What happened to the influence of the Independents following the Second Civil War?
It put the Independents back in the ascendancy
What was the state of the NMA by this point?
The most important political player by 6th December 1648
- radicalised by the SCW (turning point)
- Called Charles a ‘Man of Blood’ as he was solely responsible for deaths by opening up a second conflict
How did the Second Civil War change perceptions of the King?
Until 1647, many justified Charles’ stance and blamed his ‘malignant councillors’
- concept of providence - that God has predetermined everything made his case invalid as success was determined by God, convincing NMA to put him on trial
Why was Charles’ alliance with the Scots a mistake?
It served to drive the Presbyterian party together with the Independents and the New Model Army
- They combined to defeat the Royalist threat
- Vote of No Addresses (Jan 1648)
Why was Charles’ instigation of riots a mistake?
The rebellions that broke out in the spring of 1648 were not widespread as the King had hoped, showing that he had over-estimated the extent of his support in the country
- By September 1648, the Royalists were decisively defeat in the military sense
What was the overall impact of the Second Civil War?
It had effectively murdered the chance for a peaceful settlement
