F Flashcards
(38 cards)
When and what was the Rump parliament?
1649-53
It was the parliament formed after Pride’s Purge with the remaining members - those who supported the trial and execution of the King. Conservative emphasis. 300 members but only 50 to 100 regular attenders.
What were some weaknesses of the Commonwealth?
- Scotland declared Charles II King of Scotland
- universal condemnation of regicide
- Levellers demanded further constitutional change
- Royalist uprising fuelled by resentment over the King’s death
- unpopularity due to taxation and centralisation of Gov (alienated public)
What are some statistics about the Rump?
211 members yet 50-60 active attendees
152 committees passed in 1649, compared to 12 in 1653. Same with number of acts passed - becomes inactive as time passes
51% of legislations was to do with security and finance, ad 30% with local government and the army
Reasons for Cromwell’s actions in Ireland
- religious reasons: providence, end of the world, Catholics as the anti-christ
- fear of the 1641 Irish Rebellion to take revenge for this (propaganda)
- strategic: due to the Catholicism of Ireland
- Garrisons contained English royalists as well as Irish so seen as the part of the alliance that Charles I created
What were the events at Dragheda?
- raised the controversial question as to denial of the ‘quarter’ - to show mercy or sparing lives of garrison within the town, thus allowing surrender
- Cromwell refused: “I forbade them to spare any that were arms in the town”
- Even those who surrendered were taken to a nearby windmill and were killed
Why else were the events at Dragheda controversial?
ignorance of the ‘law of warfare; which allowed people to surrender, had the idea hat more violence in the beginning means rebellion and backlash after
What was the Barebone’s parliament? (Nominated assembly, Little parliament)
- non elected parliament to follow the army’s will
- divided between radicals and conservatives, members became disillusioned
- army council nominated people they saw as “godly”
- had some religious radicals -> moderates combined to dissolve it
How successful was the Nominated Assembly?
- passed more than 30 laws and was preparing even more bills including: establishment of civil marriages, compulsory registration of births, preparation to get rid of tithes
- however, people didn’t take it seriously: seen as idealistic and radical and as composed of uneducated people
Evidence that the Nominated Assembly was radical
“Assembly of the Godly”, focus of radical hopes which the Rump never fulfilled, colourful characters like Barebone, moderates lost out to the radical minority which attended more regularly and who were more organised
What were some radical groups that were a threat?
Quakers, Seekers and Rangers, Congregationalists, Baptists, Muggletonians, Fifth Monarchists
What was Millenarism?
return of Jesus Christ - belief of a revolutionary change -> end of the world
What was Providence?
the concept that events are never random and isolated but are part of a larger divine plan => God’s will
Why did people object to the Nominated Assembly?
lack of social status and experience: artisans, preachers and low ranking tradesmen instead of educated nobles - no aristocracy = fallen social order
religious radicalism: fear of religious reform
distrust of Cromwell’s rule
What was the reality of the Nominated Assembly (against objection)?
the members were gentlemen who had been well educated and had political experience
What was Cromwell’s aim of healing and settling?
reconciling former enemies and reconstructing the pre-war institutions of everyday life (eg conflict between royalists and parliamentarians)
social and moral disorder needed to be solved and a religious settlement was needed
What was Cromwell’s aim of political stability?
essentially what the army offered to Charles in Heads of Proposals - power divided between a single person acting as executive, and a parliament with regular elections
gave Cromwell the power to set ordinances and executive orders, but these had to be approved by the parliament
WHat was Cromwell’s aim of Godly reformation?
to redeem the ‘blood and treasure’ lost in th Civil wars
godly reformation required a national church settlement that would lead by examples with liberty of conscience for Protestant sects
What were some of Cromwell’s ordinances he passed?
godly reformation - ordinances banned cock-fighting, horse racing, swearing and drunkenness
ending the anglo-dutch war
high court of justice created to try treason cases - to distinguish between former and currently active royalists
What was the instrument of government?
England’s first constitution, written by the army (General Lambert)
lots of money to the NMA, but Cromwell couldn’t dissolve parliament within 5 months and had to get the majority consent of the Council of the State when no parliament
parliament had more power for day to day law making
increased efficiency from the rump
WHat was the first issue of the Early Protectorate?
- parliament couldn’t change the instrument and 80 MPs refused to take the Oath of Recogniton & were excluded
- so the parliament introduced the ‘Government Bill’ and began writing the instrument line by line
- legitimacy according to Cromwell from the army, city of london and the sheriffs
- but in reality he lacked legitimacy which initiated the first 80 MPs refused
What was the Sealed Knot as a royalist threat?
a conspiracy commissioned by King Charles II, although had little support from ordinary men (most neutral), Treaty of Brussels signed with Spain against the Protectorate
authority was compromised when the ‘Ship Tavern conspiracy’ was discovered -> Sir Richard Willys became a double agent
What was the Penruddock uprising as a royalist threat?
a former colonel in Charles I’s army + exiles - gathered 200/400 royalist troops to attack Salisbury. but the support they expected didn’t;t occur and the force scattered and was defeated
How effective was Cromwell’s government in response to the Royalist threat?
swift reaction: raised some 4000 local militia troops, spy network was effective
but made Cromwell very paranoid
What were the Major Generals?
as a result of Cromwell;s paranoia, England and Wales to be split into 11 military districts, each governed by a Major General
paid for by a new ‘Decimation tax’ on Royalist estates
also they weren’t popular (widespread resentment), and failed to curb the cost of government, being more expensive
