Disingergrstion Of The Political Nation Part 2 Flashcards
Name the 6 religious groups in the 1640s
Anglicans
Quakers
Anabaptists
Antinominans
Seekers
Ranters
Who were anglicans
Regarded as Royalist faith
Parl took steps to destroy it by abolishing bishops and replacing the Elizabethan book of common prayer with a Presbyterian doctrine of worship
But in many parishes the Elizabethan prayer book continued to be used
Who were quakers
1647- George fox began preaching that every man was enlightened by the divine light of Christ
It was the duty of every person to follow their inner light
The quakers rejected formal church services, ministers, creeds and the taking of oaths
They got their name from the ‘trembling’ they experienced during meetings, when moved by the Holy Spirit
Who were anabaptists
Believe in adult baptism - radical
17th century - seen as insult to be called this
People recalled 1530 German - group of anabaptists seized control - terror
1646 Edsworth, a Presbyterian minister, reported an incident as Yately - soldiers went to church - pissed in the font - went to s gentlemen’s stable and got horse - baptised it
Who were antinominans
Offshoot of Calvinism that criticised the constant searching of your life for signs that you were the elect
Played down idea of predestination and w it’s importance of obeying the moral laws of the church, in order to emphasise God’s ability to transform the elect
Never more than a tiny handful of individuals
Believed as you were saved, nothing was a sin
Who were seekers
People who tried various churches and found them all dissapointed
They were widely regarded as sceptics and atheists
Explain breiefly - who were ranters
A small sect that received a huge amount of popularity
They took Calvinist belief of predestination to the extreme: if a person was of the Elect, then they would do no sin. People were therefore free to do whatever they wanted
The renters denied sinfulness of swearing, fornication and adultry
They believed god existed in all things
But that God could be conscious of his Godhead and this gave to all a new and equal dignity
Challenged hierarchy
1 broadsheet described the trial of various ranters at the old Bailey. One care was that of a journeyman shoemaker in St Martins.
Anti-ranter broadsheet
‘Ranters….gathered together near the Soho…they stripped themselves quite naked’
Some historians- was no ranter sect. Some say ranters were just created by religious conservatives projecting fear about further of religion. Some say ranters exist
How did the leveller movement begin
Amongst London apprentices and artisans 1645 but it only became important when leveller ideas spread in new model army
The levellers also attempted to spread their ideas amongst the people at large through a series of pamphlets
What rights did levellers advocate
I signed Parliament was accountable to people as a whole - shown in 1647 pamphlet
Regular parl, stripping king and HOL of veto powers and widening franchise to financially independent adult men
Not servants etc as they would listen to masters as no secret ballot.
No women - legally and financially dependent on husband
Religious freedom
Freedom of arrest without cause
Due process of law
No tax or legislation except by the consent of the governed
Wanted rights framed in written constitution
Want a more representative parliament
What were the army grandees response to levellers
Cromwell and Ireton - after franchise should be more representative
However they thought only men w a permanent stake in country - land or trading capital - could be trusted to vote responsibly
Now did levellers sustain their claims and response to this
Common law and magma carta
‘Freeborn English men’
Overton called magma carts a ‘beggarly thing’ and many levellers complained of a ‘Norman yoke’ imposes on the free English people by the Norman conquorors in 1066
Who did levellers represent
Aspirations of working people who suffered under the persecution of kings, landowners and priestly class, and they spoke for those who experienced the hardships of poverty and deprivation
They developed and campaigned first w Cromwell - then against him for a political and constitutional settlement of the civil war which would embody principles of political freedom
Levellers on freedom of speech
The levellers found spokesmen and campaigners in Lilburne, Overton etc
They were brilliant pamphlateers enjoying a short lived freedom to print, publish and circulate their views at a time when censorship was temporarily in abeyance, and printing presses newly cheap and easy to set up
They developed their own traditions of free discussion and vigorous petitioning and used them to formulate and advance their demands
Levellers
The agreement of the people
1649 May
All men of 21+ (not servants etc) vote
Replace monarchy and HOL with a single representative chamber (house of commons)
Religious toleration
How did the leveller movement end
1650- crushed
Who’s involved in the Putney debates
8
Cromwell
Ireton
Rainsborough
Sexby
Everald
Wildman
Petty
Clarke
How was Cromwell part of the Putney debate
One of the leaders of the parliamentary army
Cromwell chaired the general council for several days of the putney debates
He sided with Ireton during the debates about RIGHt to vote
How was ireton part of Putney debates
A leading figure in NMA and a member of Parliament, ireton was the most defiant speaker in favour of maintaining the existing rules regarding the RIGJT to vote
How was rainsborough part of the Putney debates
Colonel of a NMA foot regiment, Rainsborough was one of the leading speakers proposing an extension of the number of Englishmen who were allowed to vote
How was sexby part of the Putney debates
Leading agitator
Outspoken critic of Cromwell and Ireton during debates
Spoke in defence of common soldier, and when attacking those who wished the voting rights to remain as they were - said - do you not think it is a sad and miserable condition that we have fought all this time for nothing
How was Everard part of the Putney debates
Agitator
Main point of contact between the agitators and member of the general council in the days leading up to the debates
How was wildman part of the Putney debates
One of 2 civilians
Most likely - author - agreement of the people - leveller pamphlet which called for the law to be applied to all men regardless of status and for freedom of religious expression
Immediately following debates, Wildman became v involved in the leveller movement in London
How was petty part of the Putney debates
Another civilian
Recorded as condemning the power of the king to veto bills passed by parliament which would prevent them from becoming law
He later accepted a compromise position on the extension of the right to vote, which allowed all men except apprentices, servants and beggars
How was Clarke part of the Putney debates
Clarke was 24- sat among Putney sciblling speeches down
15 years later - monarchy restored - Clarke wrote up debates from his shorthand notes
Overview -
What were the Putney debates
Series of discussions between factions of the new model army and the levellers concerning a new constitution for England
The debates were held at the church of st Mary the virgin Putney Surrey in October and November 1647
Explain grandees and radicals during the Putney debates
What did the radicals criticise the grandees on
And response
1647 summer
Attempts by grandees - Cromwell and Oregon to negotiate settlement with king after first civil war - lost support of military and civilian radicals
Levellers criticises ireton for (pleasing) in his negotiations with king and parliament - and accused grandees of betraying interests of the common soldiers and people of England
October 1647- 5 of most radical cavalry regiments elected new Agitators - known as the ‘New Agents’ to represent their views
The new agents issued a political manifesto: the case of the armie truly states and endorsed the constitutional proposals drafted by civillian levellers in the agreement of the people
What did radicals want after the first civil war
Constitution based upon manhood suffrage (one man one vote)
Biennial parliaments
Reorganisation of parliamentary constituencies
Authority was to be vested in the HOC rather than the king and lords.
Certain “native rights” were declared too valuable to be interfered with for all English men: freedom on conscience, freedom from impressment into the armed forces and equality before the law
Grandees response to radical demands for Putney debates
Grandees responded by inviting the new agents and their civilian supporters to debate their proposals before the general council of the army
In a sense of Fairfax, the discussions were chaired by Cromwell
A committee was formed to finalise all the constitutional proposals
Cromwell vetoed demands made by radicals who called for overthrow monarchy - and worked with ireton to moderate the extremism of levellers
Ireton insisted that his own head of proposals covered all the issues raised in the case of the army and the levellers’ agreement with far less radical disruption of society
Who was the highest ranking leveller sympathises and who were other leveller spokesmen
Rainsborough highest ranking leveller sympathiser -
calling for parliament to break off negotiations with the king and to force through a new constitution on its own terms
Other leveller spokesmen were Sexby and Allen and civilian Wildman and Petty
From wrote the transcription of the Putney debates
Clarke
Putney debates on vote
Radicals regarded vote as fundamental to all freeborn English men
Cromwell and Ireton saw manhood suffrage like anarchy. They insisted the vote should be restricted to property owners prompting Sexby etc to ask what ordinary soldiers fought for
Several days argument
Compromise
Levellers agreed servants and alms-takers should be excluded from vote and Grandeed said soldiers who fought for parliament should be given vote
Putney debates
What did the army council do about the
Agreement of people
Army council didn’t carry levellers proposal that agreement of people should be adopted into army’s official constitutional programme
BUT
Vote was secured got for a mass meeting at which agreement would be presented to troops
Radicals hoped it would be adopted by popular consent of soldiers, then pressed upon parl and the nation
What did Cromwell and ireton do at Putney debates in fear of levellers
Cromwell and Ireton alarmed at extremism of levellers
Fearing collapse of constitutional authority, Cromwell was determined to maintain discipline in the army at all costs
8 Nov he proposed a motion that meeting of army council should temporarily be suspended
Agitators and representative Officers ordered back to their regiments
New committee consisted only of officers was formed to draw up manifesto in name of Fairfax and the army council to be presented to troops in place of the levellers agreement
Demanded every soldier sign declaration of loyalty, both to Fairfax as commander-in-chief and to army council which signifies that they accepted the head of proposals
The proposed general rendezvous was modified to 3 smaller rendezvous- resulting in near mutiny at corkBush field Nov 1647 and the suppression of army radicals
Charles escape
Meanwhile the escape of King Charles from Hampton on 11 Nov 1647 had dramatically changed the situation
The new model army closed ranks as a 2nd civil war threatened
The representation of rank and file soldiers on the army council was quietly dropped early in 1648 and never tried again
CorkBush field
1647 November
Fairfax arrived, most soldiers in 7 regiments ordered to be there agreed to sign
Radical MP and Leveller agitator Rainsborough fried to present Fairfax w a copy of the agreement of the people but was ignored
Several officers inc major Scott refuses to sign an enc men not to- under arrest
2 regiments turned up w/o orders to do so. They carried copies of the agreement of the people and stuck pieces of paper in their hatbands with the leveller Slogan
Harrison’s regiment of horses arrived first. Fairfax succeeded in talking them around and they signed
Lilburnes regiment of foot arrived later - stoned and wounded one of Fairfax officers when he approached them
With swords drawn/ Cromwell and some officers rode into their ranks and ordered them to take papers from their hats
Cromwell had 8 or 9 of the more truculent of lilburnes troopers arrested. They were tried at an improvised court martial and found guilty of mutiny
3 ringleaders were sentenced to death and Arnald shot on spot as eg
At 2 other rendezvous - heath and Kingston and other regiments ordered to show support for Fairfax which they all agreed to do
