1649-58

• Short term results of regicide

  • Surge of pamphlets in support of king e.g. Eikon Bailike -46 editions
  • Government vacuum
  • Very small Royalist group who were willing to support Prince Charles
  • 5 key Royalist leaders e.g. Henry Rich and Earl of Argyll executed
  • 7th February Cromwell proposed abolition of role of the King- passed by Rump 17th March
  • House of Lords abolished 19th March
• Weaknesses of Prince Charles 1649

  • Exiled in Dutch Republic- difficult to coordinate military action in England
  • Little financial support
  • No permanent base
  • Reduced authority
  • Tarnished by association with politics of his father and religion of his mother
  • Irish and Scottish saw this as opportunity to renegotiate constitutional position in their favour
• Royalism in Ireland

  • Second Ormond Agreement 17th January 1649
  • Terms transferred to Prince Charles who was proclaimed King of Ireland
  • Alliance between Confederates and Protestant Royalists led to Ormond moving against remaining Parliamentary areas in Ireland
  • This raised fears in English Parliament- would Ireland be used as a launch pad for invasion by Charles?
  • Led to MPs deciding that Ireland needed to be solved
  • Cromwell given command
• Second Ormond Agreement

  • 17th January 1649
  • Monarch assured Catholics would have equality with Protestants
  • King would meet with Catholics to discuss and agree freedom of worship for Catholics as well as Protestants and lift ban on Catholics holding office
  • Dissolution of Confederate government and government by 12 Commissioners under Ormond governing Confederates, Old English and Scottish
  • Restructure of Irish army under Ormond
• Cromwell's Irish campaign

  • Parliamentary Army of 12,000 paid and equipped
  • Landed August 1649
  • Within a year Irish defeated
  • Drogheda -September 1649
  • Wexford -October 1649
  • Brutal massacres- debate if Cromwell broke war conventions
• Ormond's defeat

  • Success of Cromwell led to desertions
  • Food and equipment ran out
  • Fragile coalition fractured
  • Charles never arrived
  • Ormond became unpopular
  • Charles' agreement with Scottish led to his rejection of Ormond Agreement
  • Ormond resigned
• Royalism in Scotland

  • Scottish rejected Rump's aim of breaking union
  • Maintained Covenant
  • 5th February 1649- Parliament proclaimed Charles as Charles II
  • 7th February- Passed terms Charles had to accept to be allowed to enter Scotland- Maintain National and Solemn League and Covenants, maintain Scottish Presbyterianism, and establish Presbyterianism in England and Ireland (This would end the Ormond Agreement)
  • Charles initially prevaricated but failure in Ireland and failure of Montrose Uprising led to increased chance Charles would accept- Treaty of Breda
• Montrose Uprising

  • March 1650
  • Charles hoped military success would increase his negotiating position with Scottish
  • Montrose hoped to ignite Royalist Uprising by leading small mercenary army to raise highland clans
  • Little support
  • Defeated at Battle of Carbisdale
  • Montrose executed May 1650
• Treaty of Breda

  • Charles no choice but to negotiate though unwilling
  • Main Scottish terms- covenant upheld, King and family to become Presbyterian, no toleration of Catholics in kingdoms, recognition of Scottish Parliament and its acts since 1641 and recent treaties (Ormond) annulled
  • Other terms of difficulties- condemn mother's Catholicism and lose control of political appointments
  • But no other option- Charles signed 1st May
• Battle of Dunbar

  • Charles arrived in Scotland June 1650
  • English Parliament decide on pre-emptive invasion of Scotland
  • Fairfax retired- Cromwell Lord General of NMA
  • 11,000 NMA faced 22,000 Scottish under Leslie
  • Scottish used scorched earth policy to stop NMA provisions and forced them to Dunbar and cut off route to England
  • Cromwell used tactical brilliance and defeated Scottish on 3rd September
  • Evidence for Cromwell of God's providence
  • Cromwell occupied Edinburgh
  • Result- increased support in Scotland for Royalism
• Battle of Worcester

  • Scottish Parliament allowed Royalists to fight with Covenanters
  • Scottish wanted to avenge Dunbar
  • Charles led invading army into England hoping to spark Royalist uprising
  • Two armies met in Worcester 3rd September 1651
  • Cromwell's brilliant strategy led to an overwhelming defeat for Charles who fled England
  • Evidence for Cromwell of God's providence
  • End of Third Civil War
• Godly Society during the Rump

  • Many religious groups had idea of Godly Society
  • Believed individuals had direct relationship with God- didn't need a priest to do this, sin was a public responsibility so the godly should bring about a 'Godly Society'
  • Many followed these ideas e.g. Cromwellian Puritans, Levellers, Quakers
• The Levellers 1649 P1

  • Growing disunity between Levellers and Rump 1649
  • Levellers argued Rump was not addressing the issue of Parliamentary representation and therefore was as tyrannical as the King
  • 26th February- Lilburne published England's New Chains Discovered
  • He attacked Grandees for betraying the people and called on army and Londoners to reject rule of Rump
• The Levellers 1649 P2

  • Cromwell and Ireton influential in Parliament- Parliament ordered arrest of leading Levellers- charged with treason
  • Army angry with Rump over arrears of pay and being sent to Ireland were incited by a new Leveller pamphlet- The Third Agreement of the People staged two mutinies
  • Following mutinies Rump paid arrears to army which stopped discontent in army
  • Lilburne acquitted September 1649
  • Leveller movement over
• Leveller mutinies in army 1649

  • 1st mutiny April in Colonel Whalley's regiment
  • Soldiers refused to leave their quarters
  • Cromwell and Fairfax persuaded mutineers to disperse and leaders were executed
  • 2nd mutiny May more dangerous and involved 5 regiments and the militia of Banbury
  • Ended by Fairfax and Cromwell- night time assault by Cromwell
  • 3 leaders executed
• The Diggers

  • True Levellers
  • Emerged 1648
  • Led by William Everard and Gerrard Winstanley
  • Believed in common ownership of land- God had created land for all
  • April 1649 Set up Digger community on St George's Hill and began to dig vegetable plots
  • Communities set up in 9 other counties but not long lasting
  • Local landowners including church frightened by their attitude to property- communities easily dispersed
  • Gained high profile but not a wide spread movement
• Quakers

  • Set up by George Fox in 1647
  • Society of Friends but derogatively named Quakers as they shook in meetings when experiencing God's spirit
  • Believed God spoke to believers through an inner light, no need for ministers, no deference to higher class, services should allow for religious contemplation, no oaths, against war- only God had right to end life, no differentiation between spiritual roles of men and women
  • Fox tried under Blasphemy Act October 1650 and imprisoned for 6 months
  • Grew rapidly due to evangelical and missionary organisation
  • 20,000 in England 1660
• Baptists

  • General Baptist organisation- churches grouped into Regional Assemblies, sending representatives to a General Assembly
  • First general Assembly 1653
  • Role of Regional Assemblies- accountability of ministers, quality of religious instruction, communication of orthodox theology, monitoring and maintenance of Baptist doctrine and practice and creation of Statement of Faith
  • By 1650 a clear movement
• Fifth Monarchists

  • Millenary beliefs
  • Developed plans for government and society whilst awaiting return of Christ
  • 1651 met weekly at church of All Hallows the Great London
  • Other congregations in London and East Anglia, Devon and Cornwall
  • Many tradesmen and some Parliamentarian e.g. Harrison and Rich
• Muggletonians

  • 1651 Ludowicke Muggletonian and John Reeve claimed revelations from God
  • Mixed beliefs e.g. denial of Trinity, devil was man's sinful thoughts, pacifism, God was between 5 and 6 feet tall
  • Not widespread- not evangelical
  • Muggleton convicted of blasphemy 1653
• Constitution of the Commonwealth

  • 7th February Cromwell proposed abolition of role of King- passed by Rump 17th March
  • House of Lords abolished 19th March
  • Council of state gained executive powers of king. Included 41 councillors elected annually by Rump. Members included peers. MPs and magistrates
  • John Bradshaw became President of Council
  • Membership at Council poor
  • Term Commonwealth adopted (term previously used interchangeably with realm or kingdom)
• Rump Parliament 1649-1653

  • Conservative body e.g. reliance on precedent and rejection of levellers
  • Few radical members e.g. Henry Marten one of the few committed republicans
• Rump 1649-53: Strengths

  • Navigation Act 1651- boosted national morale and saw the opening stages of the Anglo Dutch war which eventually went in England's favour
  • Serious Royalist opposition prevented e.g. Royalists treated gently with minimal removal from local offices
  • Stability and order maintained despite issues with radicalism, Scotland and Ireland
  • Some legislation- legal language changed from Latin to English
  • Money raised to maintain army
• Rump 1649-53: Weakness

  • Taxed high
  • Attendance low- membership was 210, average attendance was 50-69
  • Number of new laws passed declined during Parliament
• Dissolution of the Rump

  • New elections needed e.g. to replace purged and absent members
  • Issue central in 1653
  • Evidence sketchy and Historians divided about attitudes of Cromwell to new elections- did he fear more conservative members would be elected preventing Godly reformation or did he fear the Rump would perpetuate itself
  • By 1653 NMA in very strong position- defeated Irish and Scottish. NMA and Cromwell exasperated by slow reform from Rump, Army also had grievances e.g. war widows pensions
  • Cromwell led soldiers into commons 20th April 1653, They forcibly dissolved the Rump
• The Nominated Assembly

  (Barebones Parliament, Parliament of Saints)

  • Plan of Cromwell and Thomas Harrison
  • Army Council selected 140 men from England, Scotland and Ireland
  • Met 4th July 1653
  • Most from normal MP background
  • Met for 5 months
  • Legislation included reforms of marriage law, abolition of tithes, more human treatment of insane, tougher measures against highwaymen and abolition of Court of Chancery
  • Real dispute occurred over proposed purge of JPs
• End of Nominated Assembly

  • Measures passed to purge JPs who had been conservative members of Rump
  • Localities feared impact of e.g. religious radicalism
  • Moderates in Nominated Assembly met early 12th December, before radicals had arrived
  • Major General John Lambert, Cromwell's second in command, introduces a vote to disperse the Nominated Assembly. With the radicals not there, the vote was passed
  • Power was handed to Cromwell
• Cromwell

  • Social conservative
  • Wanted 'healing and settling' of divided people
  • Parliamentarian who believed representation of the people was fundamental to liberty (but not a democrat in modern sense)
  • Religious zealot
  • Believer in God's providence
  • Believer in liberty for tender conscience
• Instrument of Government

  • Drawn up by Lambert- conservative
  • Lord Protector to hold executive power
  • Cromwell to be Protector for life, then position elected
  • Single Chamber Parliament to sit for at least 5 months and face re-election every 5 years
  • 400 English and Welsh MPs, 30 Scottish and 30 Irish MPs
  • Liberty to all except Catholics and extreme sectaries
  • Electoral reform- still property qualification but more middle class could vote
  • Funding set for army and navy
  • Budget of £ 200,000 to Protector to administer justice
• First Protectorate Parliament

  • September 1654- January 1655
• Dissolution of First Protectorate Parliament

  • Dissolved by Cromwell (earliest opportunity) 22nd January 1655 because:

  -Repeated attempts by Parliament to return executive power to Parliament

  -Commonwealthmen led by Haselrig opposed Cromwell's dissolution of the Rump and following actions

  -Godly reformation did not happen and Parliament wanted to reduce toleration e.g. case of John Biddle

  -County MPs difficult to manage

  -No legislation carried out
• Four Fundamentals

  • September 1654
  • Issued by Cromwell to make healing and settling possible
  • Government by single person and Parliament, non-perpetuation of Parliament, liberty of conscience, control of militia by Protector, council and Parliament
  • All MPs were required to sign an oath of recognition of first fundamental- about 100 commonwealthmen resigned
• Reasons for Rule of Major Generals

  • New attempt at government following failure at first Protectorate Parliament
  • Military government under the instruments of Government
  • Reasons- Penruddock's Uprising and failure of Western Design were seen by Cromwell as a sign of God's displeasure
  • Plan also influenced by Lambert
• Penruddock's Uprising

  • March 1655
  • Wiltshire
  • Easily suppressed but caused alarm
  • It was part of a planned general uprising but other attempts e.g. in York failed to materialise
  • Penruddock executed May 1655
• Western Design

  • Cromwell's foreign policy- allied with France against Spain as Spain was a greater commercial rival
  • December 1654 planned seizure of Hispaniola failed
• Rule of the Major Generals

  • August - December 1655
  • Ireland governed by Henry Cromwell and Scotland by Monck
  • England divided into 11 districts under a Major General and 500 soldiers
  • Responsible for ensuring magistrates crushed Royalism and pursued Godly reform
• Failure of Rule of Major Generals

  • Social disruption- major generals lower social order than JPs
  • Dubious legality of martial law
  • Huge financial burden
  • This led to Decimation tax- removed 10% income from some Royalists
  • Unpopularity of vigorous Godly reform e.g. MG Worsley closed 200 alehouses in one small area around Blackburn
• Second Protectorate Parliament

  • September 1656
  • Called by Cromwell to pay for war with Spain
  • Cromwell and Council tried to control Parliament by excluding 100+ MPs
  • Initially compliant e.g. supported war and passed some Godly reform
  • Problems occurred over religion e.g. James Naylor
  • By early 1647 clear Healing and Settling was not taking place
• Attitudes to Religious toleration

  • Third Fundamental- liberty of conscience
  • Anti-tolerationists wanted an established church e.g. William Prynne. Royalists and some Presbyterians
  • Conservative tolerationists wanted an established church with toleration for 'the gathered churches' e.g. Cromwell, Baptists and some Presbyterians
  • Radical tolerationists wanted religion to be free from secular powers e.g. George Fox, Quakers and radical independents
• Catholicism during Protectorate

  • Cromwell anti Catholic but evidence that his ideas on religion made him look at relationship of Catholics and state
  • Protested at treatment of Jesuit John Southworth
  • Allowed Catholics to celebrate mass at Venetian Embassy
  • 1655 Thomas White in Grounds of Obedience and Government suggested a way for Catholicism to exist in England