Failure to compromise, 1640-49 Flashcards
What happened when the Long Parliament was called?
November 1640 - Pym and allies ready to seize opportunity
- Laud and Strafford impeached - to forbid financial strategies used by Charles to raise money outside parliament
- Passed 2 acts to secure parliament
‘Pym’s Junto’
Led the opposition to king - in the build-up to political crisis
What did opposition begin by doing when parliament returned?
Began by removing king’s ‘evil counsellors’ - blamed for policies enacted during personal rule
Triennial Act (first one)
Feb 1641 - parliament at least once every 3 yrs
Strafford trial
April 1641 - Lords required for guilty verdict
Act of Attainder against Strafford - 1641, May - beheaded
Charles - who promised to protect Strafford - signed his death warrant
Act of Attainder
Passed - due to Pym revealing Catholic plot to release Strafford and dissolve parliament by force (FIRST ARMY PLOT)
Angry mob surrounded parliament after act passed
Charles I - gave assent to the bill, in fear of his own security, which led to Strafford’s execution in May 1641
Other than pursuing Strafford what other actions did Pym take in parliament?
He secured another act against dissolution of parliament without its Own Consent.
Bill - to exclude bishops from Lords + establish new Church - along Presbyterian lines - created divisions among MPs
June 1641 - pushed to more change: prerogative court abolition, ship money abolition
Edward Hyde - ‘middle group’ of moderates
Favoured settlement w/ king and parliament - Constitutional Royalists
10 Propositions
1641 - drawn up by opposition, to be considered by king - included significant extensions of parliamentary power:
- Right to approve king’s advisers
- Measures to protect from royal vengeance
What was happening in Oct 1641, when MPs returned to Westminster?
- Growing rumours of rising among Irish Catholics + attacks on Protestant settlers in Ireland
- Rumours developed - into massacre stories - 200,000 deaths, landing of Irish army in NW England
Induced pain among English population
What was the reality of the rumours of the Catholic rising in Ireland in 1641?
- Less dramatic - few thousand died - but conjunction of Irish influence, catholicism and king who was mistrusted - had done the damage
What did fears of some MPs, in Nov 1641, of an army against parliament result in?
Pym - devised plan to unite Commons - behind demand that parliament should be allowed to approve king’s choice of commander for the army to tackle the Irish rebellion
- As some feared Charles would use an army against parliament
‘Grand Remonstrance’
Nov 1641 - passed in parliament - asserted 10 propositions again - passed by 11 (divided parliament)
Militia Bill - what was it? Consequences?
1641 - presented by Arthur Haselrig to provide army under control of parliament - which would tackle Irish Rebellion
Outraged moderates - flocked to Charles’ side
What happened in early Jan 1642?
Rumours to king - that Pym was planning to impeach the Queen
- Charles ordered Lords to impeach opposition leaders
- Next day - arrived at Commons w/ warrant for arrest of 5 leading members (including Pym and Hampden) - Charles had army escort of 300 soldiers
Members had already taken refuge in City
Jan 10 - King abandoned London - retired to Hampton court
- Moved the court to his northern capital of York
19 Propositions
June 1642 - basis for negotiated settlement (one demand: parliament should oversee king’s children’s education)
- Primary purpose - to state case for parliament + rally support - king’s reply stated case for monarch and rallied support
Both sides raised forces - king raised standard in Nottingham - declared war
When did Charles declare war on parliament?
August 1642
First phase of civil war
1642-43 - advantage to king - controlled much of country - support of gentry and nobility - controlled existing office corps
- Assisted by Nephews: Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Maurice of Nassu (had experience from 30 Years’ War)
Oct 1642 - Battle of Edgehill - marginal royalist advantage
Second phase of civil war
1643 - Pym - excise tax - in parliamentary areas - to maintain forces
Pym maintained parliamentary unity in face of military defeats - strong desire for peace among MPs
Pym - agreed to peace negotiations at Oxford - prevented the ‘peace party’ (wanted settlement w/ Charles) from making concessions that Charles would have required
Late 1643 - Pym seriously ill - before death: persuaded Commons to sign Solemn League and Covenant w/ Scots - effect aid - in North
July 1644 - Marston Moor - Scottish army instrumental
Third phase of civil war
Earl of Essex - parliamentary leader - poor performances
- Uxbridge - early 1645 - failed peace talks
Self-Denying Ordinance - parliamentary motion - all military leaders would resign commands + facilitate creation of single NMA - 22,000, led by Thomas Fairfax
- And Cromwell as Cavalry Commander
NMA secured parliamentary victory - Battle of Naseby - June 1645
- Fairfax moved south - mopped up resistance in SW England
How was the NMA so successful?
Cromwell would have claimed it was the ‘army of the godly’
In reality - owed it to training, discipline and leadership
What happened in April 1646?
Charles surrendered to Scots - parliament’s supporters relieved - wanted speedy settlement - held by Scots at Newcastle
- No thought of removing Charles - even less about a republic
What was the initial source of discontent in parliament, rather than Charles himself?
His advisers - who were removed when Laud was executed in 1645
What did Charles receive after he surrendered?
- Separate proposals for settlement from Scottish and English parliaments
- Both would restore him - w/ restrictions
Scots - originally more generous - entered war to secure future of Presbyterian Church - therefore, were dissatisfied by Westminster authorities
- Didn’t get desired reformation - so turned to Charles
