The First Civil War: England, Scotland, Ireland Flashcards
Who were the peace party?
- led by denzil holles- in 1642 he was one of the 5 members Charles tried to arrest
-argued for limited war against the king - aiming to win the war as quickly as possible through negotiation (score a view wins against the king then make a settlement with him) - aimed to get parliament and the king working together again - unwilling to inflict a decisive defeat on him
Who were the war party?
- aimed to inflict a decisive defeat on the king and force him to accept their terms
- aimed to capture him and force him to renounce his power
- leaders included - Henry vane, Arthur haselrig and Cromwell
Why did the peace party grow between 1634-44?
- a feeling that established social hierarchy was being threatened - we party wanted to fight the war as effectively and as thoroughly as possible - made many parliamentarians support the peace party
- promotion of commanders based on merit regardless of status - eg governor of strafford replaced by a merchant (did not want to upset social hierarchy)
- prolonging the war established way of time + could be detrimental to the rich - civil war led to breakdown of existing society and gave rise to radicalism
- fear of losing their property - unwilling to develop and mobilise armies that could travel around the country to decisively defeat the king
How did the war party start to fight back?
- late 1643- an alliance was made between the parliamentarians and the Scot’s Covenanters- Scot’s join the war on the side of parliament
- the immediate consequence of this was the battle of marston moor - attempt to take York, the king’s capital in the north
- this was the largest battle of the first civil war
- Cromwell was central to this victory - turning point, Cromwell could now exert increasing influence in both the HOC and the parliamentarian armies in the field
What was the 1643 solemn league and covenant?
- military alliance between English parliament and Scottish Covenanters - alienated many Scottish nobles and led them into the arms of Charles - eg earl of Montrose, who led royalist forces north of the bother against the Covenaters(his army won multiple victories between 1644 and 1645)
-his army was crushed by 6000 Covenanter troops in September 1645 - ended Charles’ military hopes in Scotland
How did Irish forces help the royalist party in 1643?
- approximately 22,000 Irish troops, both Catholic and Protestant were transported to England between October 1643 and June 1644 to aid Charles’ royalist forces
- Irish troops had little impact - and roved counterproductive in seeming to reinforce parliamentary propaganda of his desire to impose Catholicism - pushed parliament to form an alliance with Scots (solemn league and covenant sep 1643)
What were the advantages of parliament in the outbreak of the first civil war?
- support of London was crucial
- Scottish Presbyterians willing to aid Parliament
- financial superiority - being able to acquire large tax revenues
What are some statistics from the first civil war?
-85,000 estimated number of people killed in combat
-150 estimated number of towns that suffered serve damage due to the conflicts
What were the oxford treaty negotiations feb-april 1643?
-lords proposed negotiations with the king - commons eventually agreed
- this was a result of parliaments ill performance at the battle of edge hill
What was the April; 1645 self denying ordinance?
- elected commanders based on merit rather than class
- creation of NMA
How did the civil wars bring social chaos?
-existing social and political hierarchy broke down
- many were left homeless
-local royalist landlords were defeated and had their land taken away
- in London + smaller provincial areas- power began to be passed to lower gentry
Why were premodern armies proven to be ineffective?
-aristocracy military power came not expertise - but their place in society
- resulted in poor, inexperienced leadership
Were they battles between 1642–44 decisive ?
No
What was the social significance of the creation of the NMA?
- disrupted traditional social hierarchy
- promotion based on skills and godliness
What was the result of the NMA’s creation?
- within months of its creation - the NMA beat royalist forces at the battle of Naseby in June 1645
- Charles’ personal baggage was captured from this battle - revealing his intention to seek support from the Irish athplic confederation through the cessation treaty, as well as seeking the support of other catholic nations
What were some strengths of the royalist party?
- led by the recognised lawful leader
- more support from aristocracy and higher gentry- more of whom had financial reserves and military experience
-focused strategic objective ; taking of London - military aid from abroad - notably from Charles’ nephews prince rupert and Maurice
What were some weaknesses of the royalist party?
-areas under royalist control were generally poorer
-commissions of array of dubious legality ; some felt royalists lacked legal weight to make others join their forces
How did the lack of administration prove to be a weakness of the royalist party?
- royalist council of oxford suffered from limited authority - with the royalist commanders in the north and west basically being independent
How was indecisiveness an issue for the royalist party?
- Charles and the royalists proved indecisive in following through on their initial promising start to the war - not only strategically but also in taking advantage of the greater experience of Charles’ generals and the greater support from the aristocracy
How was division an issue for the royalist party?
- differing views eg such as those of Henrietta Maria and Charles’ adviser Edward Hyde - led to incoherent policy because of the lack of leadership from Charles - as well as his failure to recognise or select the best advice
- Henrietta Maria counselled a continued war until total victory was achieved - even in exile, held most sway with Charles
-prince rupert also opposed a negotiated settlement until defeat was confirmed at naseby
Was Charles a good military leader?
- no- he made himself commander in chief - meant he was more responsible for the defeat + did not listen or act on advice
Why was Charles’ agreement with catholics in September 1643 problematic?
- he signed a cessation with Catholic Irish rebels
- troops were to be brought over to England from Ireland - but this was ineffective
- he worsened this by attempting to negotiate a second peace treaty with the catholics (which was discovered after the NMA’s defeat of royalists at naseby)
Why was Charles’ reliance on foreign aid problematic?
- his use of Rupert and Maurice left hum open to attack - his captured correspondence which showed that he was negotiating with the French and the pope was great propaganda for parliament when they published some of the letters in The King’s Cabinet Open
How did finance strengthen the reason for parliamentary victory in England?
-the assessment in November 1642- a tax issued by Parliament that raised substantial amounts of money
-control of London gave Parliament access to resources - especially city loans
- use of compulsory loans
- use of sequestrations (confiscation of royalist land)
