1649: English Revolution

• REASONS FOR EXCUTION

  1. Charles: failure to accept any settlements
  2. Parliament: role of parliament in governing and divisions between Presbyterians and independents.
  3. NMA: army’s relationship with levellers and parliament, army’s attempts of settles with Charles, roles of key army figures.

  Radicalism: nature and development of religious and political radicalism, particularly in NMA.
• THE TRIAL AND EXECUTION

  20-27 JAN 1649
• Charles resolved himself to martyrdom
• He refused to acknowledge the court and was condemned to death

  27 JAN 1649
• Members of court signed his death warrant

  29 JAN 1649
• Charles was executed

  30 JAN 1649
• Charles refused to acknowledge the authority of the court
• Charles had proven himself to be untrustworthy
• Charles rejected at least 7 settlements and refused to negotiate
• Out of 135 commissioners, 59 became regicides
• Cromwell: '"A cruel necessity"'
• Cromwell was the third signature of the death warrant
• Cromwell claimed god had told him executing Charles was the right thing to do
• After Charles' death


  Scotland and Ireland declared that Charles was still their king, and they offered the crown to Charles II
• The Rump Parliament faced immediate challenges in 1649
• RUMP PARLIAMENT 1649-53


  1. 14 FEB: Council of State was made to take decisions. The position of President was rotated monthly

  2. 17 MARCH: Abolished monarchy, the Privy Council and house of Lords

  3. 19 MAY: Parliament declared England was a commonwealth
• The nature of the Interregnum

  • Interregnum regimes were built on narrow bases of support
  • Lacked popular support from Three Kingdoms and only had grudging cooperation
  • Lack of legitimacy meant that they relied on army was support
• Charles was executed

  Because he left parliament no choice. He refused to compromise and could not be trusted
• There was an increase of royalist support in Scotland and Ireland
• Cromwell

  • Rose to become the most successful military and political leader from a poor background
  • Commanded New Model Army from 1650
  • Lord Protector of England from 1654-8 (he refused to take the crown)
• Cromwell's religion


  • He was a puritan in the 1630s and part of a radical group in 1640s
  • Committed to a Calvinist Church and was willing to tolerate other religious non-conformity of other protestants
  • Convinced the hour of Christ's second was coming and sought reformation that could aid Jesus in his regeneration of the world
• Cromwell's aims

  • Wanted power in society to remain intact and have his regime secure the support of traditional ruling elites, landlords and MPs
  • He was also a republican and a regicide
• Army leaders of the regicides Ireton, Harrison and Cromwell only enacted in the regicide when they saw it as needed
• Ireton and Harrison were convinced the regicide was justified; it only became needed when Charles would not compromise