Third Civil War - Ireland + Scotland

Question 1

Why was it called a commonwealth and not a republic

Answer 1

Too radical

Vague enough to cover lots of bases and didn’t promise anything specific, whereas ‘republic’ does

Question 2

What happens in march 1649

Answer 2

Act abolishing the monarchy and the House of Lords passes through the commons

Transition from. bicameral to a unicameral political system

Question 3

In what year does the RUmp declare England a commonwealth

Answer 3

May 1649

Question 4

What was the council of state

Answer 4

Sat above the rump parliament

41 members - including 31 MP’s

Responsible for major executive decisions which the king had previously been responsible for

Appointed for one year by rump in 1649 to be reappointed annually

Question 5

Give a weakness of the council of state

Answer 5

Attendance rarely exceeded 15 and sometimes didn’t even reach the required 9

• Not a system embodied by the majority of people

Question 6

Describe the structure fo the RUmp 1649

Answer 6

Around 300 MP’s - but only 50-100 regular attenders

Cromwell encouraged some MP’s who’d abstained after Pride’s Purge to rejoin - making the rump more conservative

Question 7

Give 6 challenges the new government faced in 1649

Answer 7

Royalism

Ireland

Scotland

Leveller demands

Religious radicals

Unpopularity of the regime

Question 8

Why did the expectation that royalist would be excluded from the political nation damage the rump’s authority

Answer 8

They could not maintain their authority with such a narrow franchise

Historian Worden - “when the army or the Levellers or the Rump spoke of ‘the people’, they meant the people who agreed with them, and whose judgments had not been perverted by enemy persuasion”

Question 9

Give 4 why royalism wasn’t damaged by Charles’ execution

Answer 9

The king’s execution didn’t kill royalism or convince people that republicanism was the way forward - just drive Royalist sympathisers underground

Increase of pamphlets, ballads and drawings which created powerful evocations of Charles’ dignity. Eikon Baslike ran 46 editions in one year - portrayed Charles as a martyr

General feeling of unease that things had gone too far

Even if some of the general public cou;d admit to not liking Charles - there were only a handful of people who really wanted a republic

Question 10

Did the majority of the people want a republic

Answer 10

NO!

Attached t the idea of monarchial government. The charge against the king had been carefully limited to target the conduct of one specific king, not the office of king

Little desire to create a republic apart from army and rump.

Small subset of population wanting to actively promote the cause of Prince Charles - formed the RUmp of the Royalist party

Question 11

Give a counterpoint to the likelihood of a militaristic royalist revival that could challenge the dominance of the Rump, being dealt a catastrophic blow when five royalist leaders were executed March 1649

Answer 11

Perhaps the idea of a royalist militaristic revival to reinstate Charles II as monarch was reduced

But - limited number of royalists killed (5) and doesn’t deal with the hearts and minds of the English people with regards to kingship

Question 12

Although the army was supportive of………………, the navy was largely……………

Answer 12

Republicanism

Royalist

Question 13

How did the Rump effectively deal with prince’s Rupert’s royalist navy

Answer 13

Rupert’s fleet pursued from Ireland to Caribbean, before limping back to France in 1653

Rump appointed new officers, introduced new disciplinary codes and doubled its size 1649-52

Navy successfully dealt with offshore Royalist resistance - Jersey, Scilly Isles, Isle of Man

Question 14

Give 3 successes of the Rump in dealing with royalism

Answer 14

Successfully overcame the royalist stronghold in the navy

Executed 5 key royalist veterans

Potentially suppressed the idea of a royalist military revival

Question 15

Give 3 failures of the Rump in dealing with royalism

Answer 15

Fails to deal with the hearts and minds of the English people

Commonwealth instead of being called a republic

Charge if Kings executed limited to specific king - majority of political nation remained attached to idea of a monarchical government

Question 16

What was the 2nd Ormond Agreement Jan 1649

Answer 16

• Brought Catholics and Protestants together (freedom of worship, lifting of Catholic restrictions)
• This strengthened the royalist Irish cause, with new army created with Ormond at its head.
• Charles II proclaimed king
• Forced the English parliament to take action (Ireland great footing for any continental invasion)

Question 17

What happened in Cromwell’s Irish campaign

Answer 17

Cromwell controlled a well equipped and paid 12,000 strong army.

Had completely destroyed Ormond’s army within 9 months (swift and merciless)

1/5 Irish population killed

Started in August 1649

Question 18

What is significant about Drogheda and Wexford

Answer 18

No greater example of Cromwell’s willingness to act with upmost brutality for a cause that he felt was justifiable before God than his command of the sieges of Drogheda and Wexford

Controversy has since raged about the extent to which he broke the conventions of 17th-century warfare by slaughtering two entire towns

Defended his actions as a “righteous judgment”

However - precedent in this strategy. Similar massacre of protestants in Germany by Catholic army in 1631. Memories of Irish rebellion in 1641

Question 19

What was the effect of the Irish campaign

Answer 19

Cromwell had neutralised the threat fo continental invasion and broke the back of Irish resistance to the parliamentarian cause.

Ormond became the focal point of Irish discontent - because of his failure to protect him against Cromwell

When Charles made an agreement with Scotland to reject the Ormond agreement in 1650 Ormon resigned

Question 20

Give some reasons why Cromwell’s efficacy was not the only reason for Irish defeat

Answer 20

Ormond’s forces - food and equipment running low

Rise in desertions and reputation of NMA grew

Many Irish chose survival rather than being royalist

Question 21

Give 3 successes of the Rump in dealing with Irish royalism

Answer 21

The campaign only took 9 months - reducing the size of Ormond’s army to 3000 and neutralising threat of continental invasion

Ormond became focal point of Irish anger - resigned

Although there was widespread controversy as to Cromwell’s slaughter. It is clear that Cromwell’s aim was to brutally suppress Ireland, and that was successfully achieved

Question 22

After Charles was proclaimed king in Feb 1649 in the Scottish parliament, an act was passed that defined his constitutional position (Treaty of Breda) what were the terms

Answer 22

King and family to become presbyterian

No catholic toleration in an of the kingdoms

REspect the presbyterian system in Scotland and enforce it elsewhere

Question 23

What pushed Charles into signing Scottish treaty of Breda

Answer 23

Failure of Montrose’s army to raise support from Scottish highland clans for a royalist revival

Defeated and executed - forced Charles to distance himself from him

Question 24

Why did Cromwell go to war with Scotland

Answer 24

Charles II warmly greeted din Scotland - prospect of a serious royalist revival

Question 25

What happened at the Battle of Dunbar (Scotland) September 1650

Answer 25

Leslie commanded 22,000 royalist men and intially gained the upper hand

However, in the face of defeat, Cromwell planned a tactical masterstroke, outflanking Leslie’s troops and achieving victory

Saw this as divine providence

Cromwell quickly occupied Edenbrugh but instead of seeking eh remainder of Leslies’ army, decided not to and returned to England

Increased both royalist revival in England and Scotland

Question 26

What happened post-Dunbar that was a success for Cromwell

Answer 26

Between 1651-2 Cromwell was seriously ill. Rather than act, the Scottish parliament failed to take the advantage due to political divisions

Question 27

What was the Battle of Worcester

Answer 27

1 year after Dunbar - another victory for Cromwell

Most royalist soldiers dead or captured

Charles forced to flee to France

Losses in NMA were 200 compared to 3,000 Scottish men