Interregnum Flashcards
When did the Rump Parliament abolish the monarchy and the Lords? What was the reception?
On 6th and 7th February 1649, but was later transformed into acts on the 17th and 19th of March. Later, 22/41 men on the Council of State refused to swear an oath approving this and the regicide.
When was Eikon Basilike published? What was it
9th February 1649 - supposed autobiography by Charles portraying himself as a ‘royal martyr’. Became an underground bestseller.
When was the English Council of State first appointed by the Rump? How was its composition decided to specifically appease large sections of society?
14th February 1649 - 8/15 were civilians and there were only three soldiers: Lambert, Fleetwood and Desborough
What happened to leading Levellers in March 1649?
They were arrested
When and where was Leveller response quickly crushed by Cromwell and Fairfax?
Burford in May 1649
In which Leveller propaganda was Cromwell attacked as a hypocrite?
‘The Hunting of the Foxes’
Why was the Leveller threat only limited?
Rump was determined and able to pay the army, thus preventing troop unrest.
When was Lilburne acquitted?
September 1649
What did Lilburne discuss in ‘England’s New Chains Discovered’ (26th February 1649)?
Attacked army leaders for betraying what the people had fought for.
“What now is become of that liberty that no mans person shall be attached or imprisoned, or otherwise dis-eased of his freehold, or free customs but by lawful judgement of his equals?”
What did Mark Kishlansky say of the Digger movement?
“Digger movement appeared more ominous than it actually was”
What did Winstanley, leading Digger, write in 1649?
“Freedom is the man that will turn the world upside down”
What was Winstanley’s first Digger pamphlet entitled? And why?
‘The True Levellers’ Standard Advanced’ - Diggers believed in total social and political equality and referred to themselves as the ‘True Levellers’.
What did Winstanley argue in the 1652 pamphlet ‘The Law of Freedom in a Platform’?
“Every freeman shall have a freedom in the earth to plant or build or fetch from the storehouses any thing he wants, and shall enjoy the fruits of his labours without restraint from any: he shall not pay rent to any landlord.”
Why did the Diggers have less immediate influence than the Levellers?
Relatively small number of followers; commune only lasted a year before being destroyed by troops led by Fairfax reacting to the demands of the local elite; and dominated by the personality of Winstanley.
How did the Diggers lay the path for future radicals?
Use of direct action politics; example of Communism within their communes; liberation theology aiming to eliminate poverty and injustice; forerunners of the environmental movement.
What was the Digger community, led by William Everard and including Winstanley, intentions for their occupation at a waste ground at St. George’s Hill?
Equality, especially economic and social, through common ownership of all land, an idea confirmed by a ‘vision from God’.
Why did the Digger commune at St George’s Hill fail?
The landowners were hostile for a year before the community collapsed
Where else were short-lived Digger communities established?
Northamptonshire, Kent, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Leicestershire, Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire
How did Fifth Monarchists come about in 1650?
Welsh and London millenarians linked together to campaign for religious, political, economic and social reform.
Where does the term ‘Fifth Monarchy’ derive from?
The Book of Daniel in the Bible: Daniel had a vision of a kingdom that would last forever and follow what he considered the four great earthly monarchies.
Who’s the key millenarian in the army who became the leading figuring in the developing Fifth Monarchists movement?
Colonel Thomas Harrison
How did Colonel Thomas Harrison assume this central role in the Fifth Monarchists?
Had a prominent position in the army leadership and links to millenarian preachers of South Wales and London.
How did historian Bernard Capp define the Fifth Monarchists?
“a political and religious sect expecting the imminent Kingdom of Christ on earth, a theocratic regime in which the saints would establish a godly discipline over the unregenerate masses and prepare for the Second Coming.”
Why did the Fifth Monarchists come closest to political power in 1653?
Influence of Thomas Harrison.
Establishment of the Nominated Assembly.
Their radical millenarianism actually derived from the millenarianism within Puritanism, as believed by men like Cromwell.
When did the Rump severely limit freedom of press to clamp down on Leveller criticism, and other attacks?
20th September 1649 in ‘An Act against Unlicensed and Scandalous Books and Pamphlets, and for better regulating of printing’
What was the 2nd January 1650 Oath of Engagement?
Compelled all 18+ males to “promise obedience to the Commonwealth, as it is now established”.
When was the 2nd January 1650 Oath of Engagement repealed?
January 1654 in the Protectorate’s earliest act
How many people died as a result of the May 1650 Commonwealth Adultery Act, which imposed the death penalty for incest and adultery?
Four people - all women
Why did Cromwell invade Scotland on the 22nd July 1650 and capture much of the south by the end of the year?
Charles II had landed at Garmouth, in Moray, Scotland, on the 23rd June 1650, signing the Covenant as he came ashore.
When did the Parliament of Scotland proclaim Charles II the King of Scotland?
5th February 1649
When and where did Cromwell crush the Scots?
3rd September 1650 at Dunbar
What was the September 1650 Toleration Act?
Repealed the statute requiring compulsory attendance at the National Church
When did Parliament appeal the 17th January 1648 Vote of No Addresses, after the end of the Second Civil War?
September 1648
When and where did the NMA declare Charles “that man of blood”?
Windsor Prayer Meeting in April 1648
