Stuarts

• Most of the country would have favoured the Political Presbyterians because of their peace policy
• In 1646 the Political Presbyterians were the most influential group
• Charles had accepted reasonable terms presented to him by the Political Presbyterians
• The country was weary of war and wanted peace
• If the Political Presbyterians had succeeded, then the country would have gone along with the agreement
• Newcastle Propositions


  The Political Presbyterians' plan for settlement presented to Charles in July 1646
• Main features of the Newcastle Propositions


  • Charles to accept the establishment of Presbyterianism in England for three years
  • Parliament to control the militia (the armed forces) for 20 years
  • The Triennial Act to remain, guaranteeing regular parliaments
  • Only 58 Royalists not to be pardoned
• Charles' response to the Newcastle Propositions was to stall
• Settlement was hampered by Parliament's political divisions, which were deepened by religious differences
• In the winter of 1646-47, the Political Presbyterians tried to get the king to agree to a revised, more lenient version of the Newcastle Propositions
• The Political Presbyterians' strategy

  • Demobilising the New Model Army but keeping a smaller force to go to Ireland to crush the Irish Catholics
  • Creating an alternative 'safe' army based on the London Trained Bands
• The Political Presbyterians' leader, Denzil Holles, further abused the New Model Army in a document subsequently referred to as the Declaration of Dislike
• The Political Presbyterians' strategy was based on the fact that Parliament faced a huge financial problem: they owed the army £3 million, when royal revenues before the war had never amounted to as much as £1 million
• The Political Presbyterians' strategy inadvertently brought a new radical force into the politics of settlement: the New Model Army