SECTION D: Settlements and Execution Flashcards

Question

Divisions in the victorious: Scots and the NMA

Answer 1

- Many soldiers believed they were fighting for liberty of religious conscience, whilst the national church the Scots proposed would result in religious uniformity - Cromwell alleged to have said he would have drawn sword against the Scots as readily as against any other army

Answer 2

- Growing reaction against the Covenanters - Defeat of Covenanters in Ireland in June 1646 - Some Royalist Scots were still present - In 1648, these divisions would impact England

Answer 3

- Growing rift between Independents and Presbyterians - Presbyterians, the dominant group in Parliament when Charles was defeated, wanted to settle with the King as soon as possible - -> The more the King prevaricated = the weaker the Presbyterian position - -----> Recruiter (now called by-elections) elections saw independents voted in in 1646-7 - Position strengthened again when Scots agree to leave England for £400 000. Departure of unsettling element - --> Charles handed over to Parliament - Presbyterians now felt strong enough to try and dismantle the army

Answer 4

Provocation - Parliament planned to send 12 400 to Ireland, keep 6400 in England and dismiss the rest - At first, no mention of arrears of pay (18 weeks for infantry, 43 for cavalry) and none of immunity for actions undertaken in military service - --> Complaints - ------> Parliament offers 8 weeks of pay

Answer 5

- Consequence - Army refuses to disband on 29th May - 500 lead by Cornet Joyce kidnap Charles I from Holdenby House and take him to Newmarket - Army establish General Council of Offices - Army marches towards London - 14th June, General Council of Army issues Declaration of the Army: says not merely a mercenary army and demands Parliament be purged of 11 leading Presbyterians - 11 Members (inc Denzil Holles) flee - 26th July, pro-Presbyterians invade Parliament - --> 11 members return - -----> Tension = 60 Independent MPs take refuge with army - 5th August, Army occupies London and reinstates MPs ^

Answer 6

- Internal division between rank and file and grandees (scornful term for generals and senior officers, coined by Levellers and Agitators) - Soldiers feared officers would soften the army's position in order to reach a settlement with Charles - Agitators (not in the modern sense) were elected representatives of each regiment in order to present demands, through officers, to Parliament

Answer 7

Background: 23rd July 1647 -Presented to Charles I by the Grandees (see army revolt 1647) Terms: - Triennial Act repealed in favour of Biennial (every two years) Parliaments - Parliament to nominate ministers, thus controlling appointments to offices of state, for a decade - Parliament to control militia for a decade - Bishops to remain but with limited power. Greater religious tolerance - Seven royalists excluded from general pardon

Answer 8

- Conflict of opinion between victorious parties and internal divisions - Army revolt - Different peace terms being offered by different parties, Charles now had flexibility to confer with who he pleased

Answer 9

Background: - 28th October 1647 - More radical than the previous two (Newcastle Propositions, Heads of Proposals) - Drawn up by the Levellers Proposals: - Parliament is sovereign in all but five areas - In these five areas, such as exempting people from the law of the land and religious matters, the people were to be sovereign - Effectively arguing for a democratic republic

Answer 10

- Agreement of the People was discussed at length by the General Council of Officers at Putney - Debates took place between 28th October and 5th November 1647 - Heated debate between Leveller advocation of universal male suffrage (all men might vote) and the Grandees, Henry Ireton saying instead that the vote should only be given to men with property - -->Mutinous behaviour at Corkbush field

Answer 11

15th November 1647 - Army rendezvous - Some soldiers wore the Agreement of the People in their hats - Additional slogan: "England's Freedom, Soldiers' Rights" - Two regiments should not have been there - -> Cromwell swiftly arrests ringleaders and shoots one of them

Answer 12

11th November 1647 - Charles escapes from Hampton Court and reaches the Isle of White - Now staying at Carisbrooke Castle - Now approached by envoys from Parliament and the Scots

Answer 13

Background: - 24th December 1647 - Drawn up by Parliament - Presented to the King on the Isle of Wight - Similar to Newcastle Propositions Terms: - Parliament controls militia for 20 years - All King's proclamations against Parliament to be annulled - cancellation of peerages (English system of hereditary titles) conferred since start of the Civil War - Parliament could adjourn (go to) to whichever place it wished - 58 exempt from general pardon, 48 dismissed for life - Presbyterian church for three years ---> Rejected by Charles I

Answer 14

Background: - 26th December 1647 - Presented to Charles by Scots whilst he was on the Isle of Wight - Parliament had just proposed The Four Bills on the 24th - Threat to Scottish church came from Independents, making Charles a more natural ally than Parliament had been in 1643 Terms: - Presbyterianism introduced to England for three years - Military support granted by the anti-Covenanting Scottish faction - -> Charles accepts terms - ----> Parliament passes the Vote of No Addresses on 3rd January 1648 - Inadvertently extinguishes opposition, driving independents and Royalists back together to defeat the revived Royalist threat

Answer 15

- 3rd January 1648 - Parliamentary bill forbidding any further negotiations with Charles - Later repealed on 24th August 1648

Answer 16

- King's conscience would not allow him to yield to terms that challenged his prerogative - Letters from time suggest he was already resolved on martyrdom - Continued levy of excise and assessment, heavy handedness of county committees (set up on both sides to deal with local military forces, taxes, sequestration) - Very little agreement in victors over peace terms. I.e Presbyterian church would please Scots and Presbyterians, but alienate independents - Division in and between victorious elements encouraged Charles to continue to attempt his 'divide and rule' strategy - Charles believed "you cannot be without me"

Answer 17

- Scots were preparing to invade England again - Kent, Essex, south-west England and south wales saw frequent uprisings - Economic grievances: Bad harvests at high prices, high wartime taxation continued, interference of central gvt. - County revolts were uncoordinated so failed

Answer 18

- Scottish Army are defeated at Battle of Preston 17-19th August. (i) Due to NMA but also weakness of Royalist cause- suggests ideology had a part to play? (ii) Engagement highly controversial in Scotland (iii) Ineptitude of James Hamilton

Answer 19

- Hard-line Covenanters could not support an engagement that instituted a Presbyterian Church in England for only three years

Answer 20

- People believed that God had provided a verdict with Charles' defeat in the first Civil War - People saw Charles' renewed efforts through the Scots in 1648 as an attempt to overturn that verdict, and thus going against the word of God - April 1648, prayer meeting at Windsor, army resolves "to call Charles Stuart, that man of blood, to an account for the blood he has shed, and the mischief he has done"

Answer 21

- Army resolves "to call Charles Stuart, that man of blood, to an account for the blood he has shed, and the mischief he has done"

Answer 22

- Parliament reopens negotiations with Charles at Newport (Treaty of Newport): Terms: -Charles agrees to surrender militia for 20 years - Religion was the 'stumbling block' (Gentles) as Charles could not accept the Presbyterian Church that had already been established in August --> Charles wanted to wait for Ormond to conclude his alliance with Confederate Catholics in Ireland ------> Prolonged negotiations by refusing to swear Solemn League and Covenant, restitution of his revenues and an Act of Oblivion for both sides - --------------> 27th Oct - Charles, as usual, prevaricates - --> Charles' stalling gives the army grandees a chance to forumlate their position and present a Remonstrance

Answer 23

- 28th November 1648 - Describes Charles as "capital and grand author of all our troubles" who had neglected his coronation oath to defend the people's rights and liberties - Rejects prospect of any continued talks - Aligned with Leveller ideas, and asks for a draft of a new constitution based on the Agreement of the People - -> The army again marches towards London

Answer 24

- After presenting the Remonstrance on the 28th November 1648, the army marches towards London - 5th: The Commons vote by 129 to 83 to continue to negotiate with Charles, ignoring the Remonstrance - --> Prides Purge on the 6th December

Answer 25

-6th December 1648 - Colonel Pride leads purge of the Commons - of 507 MPs, 47 are arrested, 186 secluded (removed or seperated), 86 withdrew in protest, 80 withdraw but return in February - What was left became the RUMP PARLIAMENT ---> Remaining 70 MPs establish a High Court of Justice on 6th January 1649 to try Charles ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ - Debate as to whether this made the execution of Charles a matter of time, or not. David Underdown compellingly argues that the army Grandees wanted to call elections - "asserted the superior power of the army" - Seel

Answer 26

- Established 6th January 1649 - Commons claimed authority to speak for the English people, Lords do not support the move - 135 commissioners, including 29 army officers, among them Cromwell

Answer 27

Independents - Agressive approach to winning the war - Outspoken criticism of Scots were popular and widespread, especially in the North

Answer 28

- Presbyterians offered best chances of returning to peacetime normality - - Independents were too closely associated with the NMA - Independents had deprived city of London of control of the trained bands, which was unpopular - Presbyterian opposition to gathered churches was widespread - Presbyterians seemed most likely to negotiate with King, and in sending the Scots home they removed another threat to that possibility - --> Presbyterain success is county council elections

Answer 29

- "expensive, idle military machine" (Gentles) - --> Harder to collect the assessment to pay them - -----> Army became more dependent on free quarter (taking from civilians) - More aggressive behaviour included sexual predation and theft of horses and livestock

Answer 30

- Indemnity against prosecution (immunity) - Right to Petition (Declaration of Dislike prevented this) - Reform (Royalist purge) - Religious toleration - Army pensions for war widows and disabled soldiers - Quartering (soldiers staying in civilian houses) curbed

Answer 31

- March 1647, condemns soldier's petitions to Parliament as treasonous

Answer 32

- "The most important radical group to appear during the English revolution" - Coward Key figures: - John Lilburne - John Wildman - William Walwyn - Richard Overton Key MP sympathisers: Thomas Rainsborowe and Henry Marten What did they do? - Published pamphlets such as "Regal Tyranny Discovered" - Summer and Autumn of 1647, collaborated with army agitators - Central to drawing up the Agreement of the Peopl - Newspaper called 'The Moderate' - Gathered signatures for petitions, organised mass demonstrations in support of their causes* *See separate card for political ideas*

Answer 33

- Constitutional Reform (laid out in The Agreement of the People) - All men equal, constitution be founded on the consent of the people - House of Commons to be supreme legislature - Biennial elections and redistribution of seats - Parliament's power limited in two ways: (i) Religious toleration (ii) All equal before the law (iii) local officials (magistrates and JPs) to be elected (iv) Extended localism: local law courts/militias to replace central courts and army respectively - Abolition of monopolies - Fundamental judicial reform

Answer 34

School one(Contemporary, 80s): Only significant at time due to ideologically driven concerns of left wing historians School two (revisionist): Well connected radicals at the centre of the English revolution. Consider genuine thought given to Leveller's radical solutions (Agreement of the People)

Answer 35

- April/May, 57 officers left NMA - -> New officers had humbler origins. Changing social perception of the NMA - By June, 57% of original officers had left NMA

Answer 36

- Day one, Agreement of the People produced by Levellers - -> At Cromwell's suggestion, a committee was appointed to consider if the Agreement was compatible with the army's engagements (declaration of 14th June and the Heads of the Proposals) - -> Omitted idea of written constitution, but retained idea of unalterable fundamentals - Henry Ireton concerned that people to be represented in constituencies by population, not tax, so those without land could vote - --> Rainsborough advocated for universal male suffrage

Answer 37

- London radicals attacked the army - rank and file not happy with Grandees - -> Never overt challenge to Grandees, but did cause unease

Answer 38

- Previously to the debates, already some such as civillian Leveller John Wildman who wished to see Charles, "that man of blood", tried and executed - Heated debate on November 1st about how much voice the King should have - Committee examining the Agreement did not include cross comparison with clauses in the Heads of Proposals that said the King would be stripped of administrative control for only 10 years; this was a very contentious issue

Answer 39

- Decided that no further concessions should be made to King - No resolution on terms to be put to the King are apparent - Army leaders convinced that open opposition to the King needs to finish - Fairfax ordered three seperate rendezvous rather than have them all in one place - -> Levellers and Royalists tried to stir up the soldiers - ----> 400 soldiers attempted to return King to Whitehall - ----> Mutinous regiments at Ware - -----------> Fairfax proposes army Remonstrance to redress grievances and create unity. One mutineer shot by other two - Levellers had failed to take over army to implement their reforms, owing to Grandees resolution and army's solidarity - Grandees tighten control, paying off 20 000 provided opportunity to weed out dissenting elements in army (Royalists, Levellers, Presbyterians)

Answer 40

- Inspected men at Ware, removing copies of the Agreement from men's hats - Rounded up mutineers and organised execution of one at random by his fellows

Answer 41

- Cautioned against universal male suffrage, saying only those with land should vote - Ireton did not wish to see the Lords and the King entirely diminished

Answer 42

- Condemned Cromwell and the army Generals for dispersing the army to different parts of the country, not purging parliament, not aiding the people and 'sucking up' (Gentles) to the King - Created Agreement of the People - Condemned negotiation with the King - Won over General Council, telling them to cut all future negotiations with King

Answer 43

- Cromwell appointed committee to oversee the Agreement's examinitation - Cromwell agreed with the agitators that political sovereignty should be with the people - Pacified Ireton and Rainborowe's debates on suffrage - Recognised risk when Levellers had control of the General Council and sent Generals/Agitators home - Creates army Remonstrance to encourage army unity

Answer 44

Origins - Scots had not been consulted about The Four Bills proposed to the King on December 24th 1647 - Scots enter Engagement with the 26th, allying the anti-Covenanters with the King in the hope that Charles can defend the Scottish church Developments - 28/04/1648, Scottish Royalists seize Burwick Castle. Taken by 29th - 8th July, Hamilton leads 9000 men over border, 18 000 by 14th End Culminated in Preston, 17-20th July, Scottish surrender

Answer 45

Origins: - Abolition of Christmas - Issue of Directory Worship - Widespread discontent with regime Developments: - Norwich ignored 2nd petition to uphold abolition of Xmas - -> Mayor summoned to Parliament to explain inaction - ----> Town bars gates on April 23rd 1648 to prevent him leaving - Rumours that troopers were coming - --> Raid town arsenal and garrison - Further risings in Colchester, Chelmsford - Rebel leaders pursued by Fairfax + NMA to Colchester - --> Siege - Preston defeat - --> Rebels surrender on August 29th 1648

Answer 46

Origins: - Abolition of Christmas Developments: - Pro-Christmas rioting - Parliament receives petition of 30 000 for NMA to disband on 24th May 1648 from Essex. Kent and Surrey follow suit 11th May, NMA reach Chepstow in time for Xmas rioters to be freed by Jury -29th May 1648 , 10 000 riot on Burnham Heath End - Fairfax takes sizeable force to crush revolt - Hear of revolt crushed by June 1st

Answer 47

Rebellion in Kent 1648 - -> Officers in some ports allowed rebels to commandeer their ships - Dock officials in Chatham revelled, ships there joined the rebellion - Mutineers control all the ships in the Downs, professing not to be Royalists but that they endorsed a deal with the King - Earl of Warwick, first Civil War admiral, set out to talk to rebels, slowing progress of rebellion - Did not attract loyalty of all the fleet - Sailed to Holland, took command under Charles Prince of Wales - Batten joined Charles, who was disliked by Royalist leaders as he was Presbyterian - Royalists despised turncoats (people who switch allegiance) and sailors despising Royalist commanders - --> Effectiveness of fleet was drastically diminished

Answer 48

- §648 - Cnl. John Poyer investigated for refusing to surrender Pembrookshire castle until arrears were paid - Capitalised on by Royalist propaganda - -> Many soldiers joined, united by their grievances. They drove Flemming (NMA) out of Pembrookshire - 8000 men Gathered with Poyer - Flemming killed - Horton's troops more successful, 8th May near St Fagans - Parliament won due to troops inferior skills in battle

Answer 49

- Tried those who had taken part by court martial - Those who had surrendered and been given quarter in the first Civil War were seen as especially guilty - Some sent to the West Indies - Not happy about war being fought against Charles in its name - Repealed the Vote of No Address on 28th April - Proceedings against the 11 members dropped - 21st July, refuses to call Scotland an enemy - Hoped King would accept concessions with Presbyterian church, as no army could now contend with NMA - If Charles agreed, and returned to London, then the NMAs bloodlust might not withstand popular opinion in the King's favour

Answer 50

- Resolved to bring Charles Stuart, '"that man of blood" to justice for the blood he had shed - Blood guilt, according to the Old Testament, could only be resolved with Blood punishment

Answer 51

- Seriously considered prospect of King being tried and executed - Saw his involvement as overturning God's verdict in the Civil War - Wished Parliament to do the work of God 'and not hate His people, who are the apple of His eye, and for whom even Kings shall be repealed'.

Answer 52

-Attacked renewal of negotiations with the King - Argued that Commons should proclaim its supremacy over the King and the House of Lords - Commons should proclaim supremacy over Lords and Key - Wanted more regular army pay but lower tax? Fantasy? - Accountability via annual elections ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ - Levellers returning to centre of political stage - Counterweight to London Presbyterians who supported negotiations - Ireton, most outspoken critic at Putney, now supported them! Significant influence

Answer 53

-Petition ignored, so they proceed to negotiate with King at Newport, Isle of Wight, a week later

Answer 54

18th September, at Newport, Isle of Wight - Second War showed Parliament how unpopular it was, so sense of urgency to appeal to King again Terms: - Charles agrees to surrender militia for 20 years - Religion was the 'stumbling block' (Gentles) as Charles could not accept the Presbyterian Church that had already been established in August - -> Charles wanted to wait for Ormond to conclude his alliance with Confederate Catholics in Ireland - -----> Prolonged negotiations by refusing to swear Solemn League and Covenant, restitution of his revenues and an Act of Oblivion for both sides ---------------> 27th Oct

Answer 55

- Was not simply a ploy to distract the radicals whilst the Grandees conspired for regicide - Ireton made himself disliked when he invested himself so entirely in the document - Got his way on religious toleration (with exception of Papists and Anglicans)

Answer 56

- Second Civil War showed unpopularity of Parliament's gvt > Vote of No Address Repealed > Newport Treaty discussed > Remonstrance given to Parliament > Parliament reject remonstrance to continue negotiations > Pride's purge

Answer 57

- "It is inconceivable that this trial and the subsequent execution of Charles I would have occurred if the army had refrained from purging Parliament..."

Answer 58

- 40 000 signatures on Leveller's petition 11th Septemver - Brailsford argues it "cut a channel for the main current of revolutionary opinion in the country and swept the army into action" - Caused army leaders to repopen negotiations with the Levellers, who then created committee for Agreement of the People as basis of new constitution

Answer 59

- Preserved coalition with London radicals - Wrote Remonstrance in 1648 - In place of absent Cromwell and ill, diffident Fairfax (modest or shy, lacking self confidence) - Shows flexibility in aligning with the Levellers, despite the fact he previously opposed and antagonised them - Chose MPs to be arrested at Pride's Purge

Answer 60

- Absent, but Gentles recognises that that does not mean he was not consulted - Sensitive nature of letters between Cromwell and Ireton mean that it is unsuprising none survived - Remonstrance reflects Cromwell's thinking that Charles should be held to account for his sins against God

Answer 61

- 11th Sep Petition opened revolutionary current - Prompted others to deliver petitions to army and Parliament - Put them back at centre of political stage, encouraging army alliance with them - Wrote the Agreement of the People, the foundations of the Army Remonstrance

Answer 62

23rd December: Charles brought back to Windsor 1 Jan: Commons ordinance to create a High Court of Jusice --> Lords refuse to recognise -----> 4th: Commons declare itself supreme power, no longer reliant on the King, let alone the Lords 6th High Court of Justice established, overseen by John Bradshaw - Rump/Army already determined to execute "man of blood"

Answer 63

Accused of: - Trying to overthrow rights and liberties of the people - War against Parliament (therefore people) and renewing it - Held to account for blood and disruption of conflict - "A tyrant, traitor, murderer, and a public enemy to the Commonwealth of England

Answer 64

- Charles refused to plead guilty or innocent, saying the court had no right to try him and asking "by what authority" they tried to - Happened on 22nd and 23rd January ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ - Charles said the assembly had no lawful right to try him - Charles said the kingdom was hereditary, not elected, and they had no right to amend or contest that - Charles said if laws can be made purely on the basis of physical power, then English liberties are in danger - "I am no ordinary criminal" - Charles

Answer 65

- 20th, Accusations heard - 22-3rd, Attempts to extract a plea from Charles - 24-7th, Witnesses were heard, Charles not present - Sat 27th, Outcome and sentencing

Answer 66

- Having been promised the chance to make a speech before the verdict, Bradshaw refused him - Bradshaw tells Charles he assumes that Charles knows "what God Himself hath said concerning the shedding of man's blood" - Sentenced. Accusations upheld, and he was to be put to death by the severing of the head from the body

Answer 67

- Made speech at 2pm on Scaffold - Claimed: (i) Never started war (ii) Wished for his people to have freedom, but under a monarchy (iii) Country now governed "by the power of the sword" (iv) He died a Christian, according to the profession of the CoE (v) Forgave those who killed him, he died a martyr - Crowd made "such a groan as I never heard before, and I desire I may never hear again" - Philip Henry

Answer 68

- Cromwell remaining North was not an indication that he was unsure of how to deal with the King - Evidence i) April prayer meeting, determined that Charles was "man of blood" ii) Engagement with Bulstrode Whitelocke and others on settlement was facade whilst army got on with real agenda iii) Assisted in Remonstrance's composition iv) Tried to implicate Charles in Hamilton's invasion of England by interrogating him v) Combatted Presbyterian demonstrations in favour of King vi) "We shall behead the King with his Crown still on his head"

Answer 69

- Pressure from army - Charles' refusal to abandon Scottish interest after defeat in first war overturned God's judgement - Danger from Marquess of Ormond and his Irish popish army/Charles' refusal to command Ormond to desist from military preparations

Answer 70

- Charles would not accept abdication or exile | - If Charles was imprisoned, he would be the target of Royalist revolts

Answer 71

- Uncompromising (i) Had rejected all terms offered (ii) Could not accept abolition of episcopacy (iii) As late as September 1648 with Newport negotiations, Charles refused to accept Presbyterian church even when it had been established that April - Duplicity: "Chronic duplicity" (Durston) (i) Engaged with Scots after first engagement (ii) Conspiring with Scots (Hamilton) and Irish (Ormond) (iii) Multiple escape attempts to Isle of Wight and other places - Going against God (i) Old testament: Numbers 35, 33 says 'for blood defieth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it" (ii) Defied God's verdict by fighting the Second Civil War - Trial: (i) Refused to enter plea, made guilt/execution inevitable

Answer 72

- Charles' Engagement with Scots showed him to be untrustworthy - Seen as an attempt to overturn God's judgement from the first Civil War

Answer 73

- Army had been resolute from as early as April 1648 to try Charles - Army remonstrance - Pride's Purge made High Court of Justice Possible

Answer 74

- Engagement with Scotland implicated Charles in crimes against the State - Renewed attempts to engage with Irish popish army under Ormond. Refused to tell Ormond to desist from making military preparations

Answer 75

- (i) Old testament: Numbers 35, 33 says 'for blood defieth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it"

Answer 76

- Removed from Parliament June 14th - Rank+File irritated at their obstinance, demand settling of arrears - Grandees (and independents) irritated at their approach of Charles/discussion of presbyterian religious settlement - Readmitted by Mob 26th July - Impeachment attempts dropped after second civil war (April)

Answer 77

Differences in the 19 Propositions and Heads of Proposals? -Episcopacy abolished, Presbyterian church to be established for three years VS - Bishops to remain with limited powers - greater religious toleration War Vs Peace parties? - Holles was leader of the peace party and saw the King as indespensible. He was willing to negotiate a presbyterian settlement with him to keep the King - Cromwell led the war party and opposed presbyterianism - Ireton opposed Scottish interference