The trial and execution of Charles Flashcards
What was the result of the Windsor Prayer Meeting?
• ‘Man of Blood’
Ireton and other officers from the Army Council decided that Charles was a ‘man of blood’ and should be held to account for the ‘blood he had shed, and mischief he had done’
When was the Windsor Prayer meeting?
April 1648
Ireton petitioned for trial
Ireton petitioned parliament in the hope of organising a trial, with the support of many ranks and file
Treaty of Newport
Parliament attempted one more round of negotiations with Charles and in August discussions began at Newport
Ireton’s Remonstrance November
Ireton introduced the army Remonstrance on 10 November calling for Royalist sympathisers and Presbyterians to be expelled from parliament and a trial of the King to be held
When was Pride’s purge
December 1648
What did Colonel Pride do in Pride’s purge?
Colonel Pride surrounded the House of Commons and excluded 186 MPs who supported continued negotiations and arrested another 45.
When was the trial against Charles
The House of Commons issued an ordinance creating a special court to hold the trial on 1 January 1649
What happened when the Lords rejected a trial against Charles
The Commons declared that it had sole authourity to pass laws without King or Lords
What was in the Act that set up the trial against Charles?
The Commons passed an Act to set up a High Court of Justice. 135 commissions were appointed and 68 heard the case, including Cromwell and Ireton
What was Charles’s attitude towards the trial?
Throughout the trial Charles refused to recognise the authority of the court and he was found guilty of treason
Why was Charles executed?
• Starting Second Civil War
By starting the Second Civil War, his accusers were able to blame him for using a foreign army to attack his own people, thus finding him guilty of treason
Why was Charles executed?
• The army’s effort
The execution was not the result of a popular revolution. Only a tiny minority took part in the events that resulted in the trial, all of whom had close links with the army
Why was Charles executed?
• Pressure from Levellers
The Levellers and other radicals in London succeeded in placing pressure on the army and parliament in 1648
Why was Charles executed?
• The role of Cromwell and Ireton
The personal role of Cromwell and Ireton provided the impetus for the trial itself. After the Windsor Prayer Meeting Ireton showed a determination to carry out what he believed where God’s wishes
