Rump; political divisions and religious radicalism (1649-1653)

Question 1

Between years is the Rump Parliament active?

Answer 1

1649-1653

Question 2

Why was Charles executed, in terms of his own behaviour?

Answer 2

• Charles refused to acknowledge the authority of the show court.​
• Charles’ refusal to plea meant the Rump had no choice other than to execute the ‘tyrant’.​
• Charles had proven himself to be untrustworthy and duplicitous, and it was his character traits which ultimately led to his demise. ​
• He had rejected at least 7 different offers of settlement (including during his trial) but had never seriously negotiated in good faith.​

Question 3

Why was Charles executed, in terms of Parliament’s and the NMA’s perception towards him?

Answer 3

• The NMA felt a parliamentary majority may restore an untrustworthy and vengeful king, and any settlement would betray the cause they had fought for. ​
• He had not accepted God’s judgement, that he was ‘Charles Stuart, that man of blood’. The King had started the Second Civil War (with the Scots).​
• The NMA had grown in religious radicalism, and it was the militancy of this minority which initiated the ‘purge’ in late 1648.

Question 4

Why did the Rump face immediate and serious challenges from 1649?

Answer 4

Monarchy was still popular throughout the Three Kingdoms (both the Scottish and Irish announced Charles was still their King in spirit, proclaiming support for the Stuarts, offering the crown to Charles II)

Question 5

What bases of support were the interregnum regimes built on?

Answer 5

The interregnum regimes were built of narrow bases of support
- Lacked popular support (only really won grudging cooperation)
- Lack of legitimacy meant they always relied on the army for support
> The martyrdom of Charles posed substantial difficulties for the legitimacy of the government in the Interregnum.

Question 6

Why was the Rump viewed as illegitimate?

Answer 6

The Rump was viewed as illegitimate by many as it was not truly representative, and only existed because of a military coup.
- Upsurge of royalist support in Scotland and Ireland

Question 7

Why did the trial and execution of Charles marked a significant turning point, in terms of perception of the monarchy?

Answer 7

Led to the de-sacralisation of the monarchy (divorced the monarchy from religion, with the public regicide destroying the notion of the DRoK)

Question 8

What is Cromwell’s political profile?

Answer 8

Lord Protector of England from 1654-1658
> Offered, and refused, the Crown itself
Took command of the New Model Army from 1650 (from Fairfax), which was full of religious radicals.

Question 9

What did historian Morrill state about Cromwell, and what does this imply?

Answer 9

“Cromwell was a unique blend of religious radical and social conservative” - Morrill
> Morill implies that there’s a contradiction; you can’t be a social conservative and religious radical simultaneously

Question 10

What two things are Cromwell was motivated by?

Answer 10

• a desire to ‘heal and settle’
• the pursuit of a ‘godly reformation’

Question 11

What were Cromwell’s religious sympathies in the 1630s and 1640s?

Answer 11

Cromwell was a Puritan in the 1630s, and a part of the Independents, a more radical Puritan group, in the 1640s.
- He had suffered under Laud, was committed to a Calvinist CofE, but was willing to tolerate the other religious non-conformity of other Protestants
- He was considered a radical because he supported religious toleration for all Protestants (i.e. Baptists, Quakers, Seekers, Ranters, Millenerians)

Question 12

What two things did Cromwell want socially?

Answer 12

• Wanted power in society to remain intact
• Wanted his regime to secure the support and allegiance of the traditional ruling elites (i.e. landlords, MPs)

Question 13

What was the problem with Cromwell also being a republican and a regicide?

Answer 13

• This became a huge problem because there was a popular belief in monarchy, and Cromwell had no links to it.
• The NMA were a ‘meritocratic’ army, challenging the traditional hierarchy
  > The NMA were also full of religious radicals, people promoted on ‘godliness’ (not necessarily meritocratic)

Question 14

What immediate problems did Cromwell face in terms of religion (independent sects, independency and Anglicanism)

Answer 14

• Cromwell’s toleration of Independent sects seemed to threaten social order (a world ‘turned upside down’)
• Radical Independency was associated with the NMA and its ‘meritocracy’, which upset social hierarchy
• Most of the larger landlords were Anglican, not radical at all; even most Puritan landlords felt Cromwell’s religious stance/Independency was too radical.

Question 15

What percentage of the population belonged to Independent sects?

Answer 15

2-4%

Question 16

What did the vast majority of religion still attend, in terms of the Church?

Answer 16

The vast majority still attended regular Anglican Church services, used the Book of Common Prayer, etc

Question 17

Why was Cromwell’s independency not popular?

Answer 17

It was associated with the chaos of the civil wars, and people wanted a return to normalcy.

Question 18

What does the Rump Parliament refer to?

Answer 18

Rump Parliament refers to those MPs remaining post-Pride’s Purge

Question 19

Why was the Rump viewed as illegitimate?

Answer 19

Viewed as illegitimate as it was unrepresentative and existed as a result of a military coup.

Question 20

What happens in January 1649 for the Rump?

Answer 20

70 or so remaining MPs declared the Rump ‘the supreme power in this nation’ with the authority to pass Acts of Parliament without the consent of the King or the Lords

Question 21

What happened in February 1649?

Answer 21

a 41-strong Council of State was established to take executive decisions; in practice, the number attending meetings was always far smaller than 41, although 9 was the minimum.
- The position of President was rotated monthly.​

Question 22

What was the Council of State?

Answer 22

The Council of State was essentially the executive body of the English Commonwealth, formed after the abolition of the monarchy in 1649.
- It acted as the replacement for the King’s Privy Council, directing foreign and domestic policy during the republic.

Question 23

What did the Rump Parliament do in March 1649?

Answer 23

March 1649; it abolished the monarchy, the Privy Council and the House of Lords.
- The Rump Parliament (with only about 50 active members) declared monarchy “unnecessary, burdensome and dangerous”
- The House of Lords was dismissed as “useless” and “dangerous”

Question 24

What did the Rump Parliament in May 1649?

Answer 24

It declared the people of England to be a ‘Commonwealth and Free State’, governed by a single chamber Parliament, without a monarch.

Question 25

What was the Rump largely made up of?

Answer 25

- Independents, republicans, and those who sympathised with the Levellers - A number of Presbyterians who were willing to countenance the trial and execution of the King - Formerly-excluded MPs who had been prepared to denounce the Newport Treaty - Most were from the gentry; only a quarter of them were regicides.

Question 26

What did the Rump's membership effectively leave it as?

Answer 26

An essentially conservative body, whose vested interests in existing land ownership and legal system made it unlikely for a want to reform. > Religious radicalism seemed to threaten the established social order as the natural hierarchy was fragile following the execution of the King.

Question 27

What were the regime's two bases of power, and why did Cromwell therefore assume power?

Answer 27

- the Rump Parliament (and the Council of State) - the New Model Army. (40,000-strong) > Cromwell therefore assumed power because he was both an MP in Parliament, and commander of the army.​

Question 28

What was the contradiction that Cromwell had to reconcile?

Answer 28

- The Rump Parliament was more conservative. Many Rump MPs were anxious to ensure stability and to calm conservative fears. ​ - The Army was more radical. The army and its radical sympathisers, by contrast, visualised a much greater social transformation to accompany the political changes.

Question 29

What were the Commonwealth's top priorities, and what could it not afford to do?

Answer 29

- Surviving - Restoring a sense of stability and normality > It could not afford to engage in radical experiments or policies which could and would alienate people.

Question 30

What could the new regime not survive without of, and what paradox did this create?

Answer 30

The new regime could not survive without military support, yet this made it harder for the government to gain the confidence and support of the traditional ruling class (a paradox)

Question 31

Why was the army's expenses a problem?

Answer 31

The army was also expensive to maintain and radical in its politics, a toxic combination when it came to winning popular support.

Question 32

How did the Rump attempt to broaden appeal?

Answer 32

- Reaching out to former purged MPs (MPs went from 70 -> 150 by March) - Covering up the regime’s revolutionary origins - Being slow to innovate and being relatively conservative - Keeping the Army out of politics

Question 33

Why did the regime compromise Parliament and the Army?

Answer 33

- The Rump was conservative, and the Army was radical. > This basic contradiction meant it would be hard for the regime to succeed, and even survive.

Question 34

How was revenue raised by the Rump?

Answer 34

- Revenue was raised through unpopular property and excise taxes - "Compounding" allowed Royalists to buy back confiscated estates > Church and Crown lands were sold to raise funds > Taxation reached record levels, diverting resources from social reforms

Question 35

What was the influence of the Levellers in 1649, and what did their failure guarentee?

Answer 35

- Lacked a clear strategy, reluctant to use force, and alienated many MPs by their petitions as they contained democratic ideas (i.e. male suffrage) which threatened their own interests. > Levellers' failure guaranteed the political revolution would not develop into a social revolution.

Question 36

Who were the Ranters?

Answer 36

Popular, but unorganised and lacked leadership; seen as a threat to social order (rejected the concept of obedience, as well as conventional morality - ‘sin only existed in the mind’)

Question 37

Who were the Fifth Monarchists?

Answer 37

- Millenarianism; the belief that the second coming of Christ was imminent > No time for Leveller democracy

Question 38

Who were the Quakers?

Answer 38

- Believed people could have a direct relationship with God; emphasised the need to read, study the Bible > Belivered a liturgy and sacraments of baptism/communion were unnecessary

Question 39

What were the three Acts signed by the Rump in relations to religion in 1650?

Answer 39

May 1650 - Adultery Act Aug 1650 - Blasphemy Act Sept 1650 -Toleration Act

Question 40

What was September 1650, Toleration Act?

Answer 40

Repealed mandatory church attendance.

Question 41

What were the Adultery/Blashpemy Act (1650) designed to do?

Answer 41

Directly aimed at curbing the excesses of Ranters and followers > Most notorious Ranters were arrested and brought to trial

Question 42

After 1649, what was the influence of the Levellers like?

Answer 42

After 1649, political radicalism as represented by the Levellers was largely extinguished > Lilburne and other Leveller leaders had been arrested and put on trial

Question 43

Who were the Diggers?

Answer 43

- Began their experiment on St George's Hill in April 1649, establishing a communal farming community - Advocated common ownership of land ("to make the earth a common treasury for all"); rejected private property > Expanded to several other sites but faced violent opposition from local landowners

Question 44

What ended up happening to the Diggers by 1650?

Answer 44

All Digger communities were destroyed by 1650

Question 45

Who were the Ranters?

Answer 45

- Most radical of the revolutionary sects > Preached extreme religious and social views, including abolition of sin and moral constraints; "sin had its conception only in imagination" > Declared God to be the "mighty Leveller" who would punish the rich - Parliament passed the Adultery Act and Blasphemy Act (1650) to counter their influence

Question 46

What ended up happening to the Ranters by 1650?

Answer 46

Movement peaked in 1650 before quickly declining

Question 47

What were the similarities between the Levellers, Diggers and Ranters?

Answer 47

- All three groups emerged from the revolutionary environment of the English Civil War - Each represented different approaches to creating a more equal society - All were ultimately suppressed by Cromwell and more conservative Parliamentary forces

Question 48

What did Cromwell think of the Levellers, Diggers and Ranters?

Answer 48

Cromwell saw them as dangerous radicals who threatened the social order: "You must cut these people in pieces or they will cut you in pieces"

Question 49

What were the achievements of the Rump, in terms of foreign policy victories?

Answer 49

Enforced unification with England on Scotland.​ - Victories in Ireland and Scotland, (but the Army took credit for this).​ - Act of Settlement, 1652, in Ireland.

Question 50

What were the achievements of the Rump, in terms of religious reforms?

Answer 50

Religious reforms​ - The Adultery Act of May 1650 - The Blasphemy Act of August 1650 was aimed at curbing extreme religious ‘enthusiasm’.​ - The Toleration Act, September 1650, ended compulsory attendance at Church. ​ - An Oath of Engagement, 1650

Question 51

What were the achievements of the Rump, in terms of trade and its consequences?

Answer 51

The Navigation Act, 1651, established that trade should only be conducted using English vessels and led to the expansion of the navy (this led to the First Anglo-Dutch War, 1652-54). ​

Question 52

Why did Cromwell, in simple terms, want to dissolve the Rump?

Answer 52

The Rump was reluctant to pursue ‘godly reform’.

Question 53

What did the Council of Officers (radical leaders of the Army) argue about the Rump?

Answer 53

the Rump was not attending to ‘godly reformation’

Question 54

What did the Rump agree to publish, which Cromwell found unsatisfactory?

Answer 54

The Rump agreed to publish a bill declaring an election, but Cromwell did not find it satisfactory; he destroyed it, believing it did not define the qualifications for future MPs strictly enough.

Question 55

What were there rumours of, in terms of Rump actions agsinst Cromwell and the Army?

Answer 55

There were also rumours that the Rump intended to remove Cromwell and remodel the whole command of the Army.

Question 56

Why was Cromwell convinced that the Rump would not dissolve itself?

Answer 56

They had a poor record since 1649 – i.e. little constructive reform and from Cromwell’s perspective little godly reform. ​ The Rump was genuinely unpopular – not least because of high taxes.​ The Army was evidently disillusioned with the Rump – the Council of Officers was pressing Cromwell to take action to hold elections in August 1652. ​

Question 57

When did Cromwell enter the Commons in 1653, and what did he do?

Answer 57

Cromwell entered the Commons on the 20th of April, 1653