Search For A Settlement 1646 Flashcards
(5 cards)
Public mood in 1646
By the end of the war nearly everyone in England wanted peace due to the chaos and misery the war brought.
Charles’s armies were defeated and people hoped he would discuss a settlement with parliament as multiple issues still stood including:
The future of the church
Wether the Church would have catholic features and bishops or wether it would be puritan.
Parliament’s powers
They gained lots of the kings powers following the war including control of the army and advisers.
Punishment of the royalists:
Would Charles supporters be seen as traitors.
There was little desire ti remove the king and the monarchy. Charles was under house arrest but he felt confident a settlement could be made which preserved his royal power, most accepted and were happy for him to return without any real restrictions.
Impact of the civil war
As the war was fought entirely on home soil the destruction was huge causing many people to want a settlement to end the war and taxes and many who questioned Charles’s rule believed Parliaments would be worse.
Rise of the new model army:
During the war Parliament organised its army into the disciplined new model army. Under the self denying ordinance MPs had to choose to be an MP or serve in the army. It won them the war but most people were unsure of it due to the high cost to maintain it, meaning more taxes and English people never liked standing armies as they could be used against them with army commanders gaining to much power. Which was exactly what was happening as commander Cromwell was highly influential. The troops also started to design their own religious and political ideas of turning England into a republic.
Religious turmoil:
With puritans in Parliament the army they had grown more powerful they were still an unpopular minority. They had destroyed many of Lauds churches and they also wanted to get rid of the the national Church of England and maintain control through parish elders and gentry.
Local social order
The civil wires tore people apart and both royalists and parliamentarians sent their own county committees to collect taxes. Bypassing the gentry.
The levellers
They were a radical group who challenged for a more equal society were all men should have the right to vote, most of the new model army were levellers.
This frightening new society made people miss Charles personal rule
Why was it so hard to reach a settlement 1646-48
Charles thought he could do no wrong as he had been appointed by god. This meant making promises he had no plan to keep.
The main factions were the:
Presbyterian MPs led by Holles were the largest group in Scotland and were closely allied with the Scot’s, they wanted to make settlement as soon as possible if that made no restriction on his power. They were also worried about the growing power of the puritans. And we’re unwilling to deal with the new model army’s concerns of pay and freedom.
And didn’t want to restore the pre war church.
Independent MPs:
These included Cromwell and his son in law Ireton. They were
Sympathetic to the new model army concerns
Not prepared to accept the pre war church
Opposed to Scottish Presbyterianism rather a puritan society
Willing to use force to get their views
The Scot’s:
The covenant meant Scots fought alongside parliament and in return parliament promised to introduce Presbyterianism into the CofE but parliament didn’t seem to be 100% doing their side of the deal.
New model army
The leaders believed god had granted them victory and that they were hugely close to him. Following the war MPs attempted to disband the army to avoid paying the soldiers what they were owed. They refused to go and elected agitators to represent their views, mostly levellers.
Charles negotiate and tensions rise
Charles new his opponents were divided and he believed the longer he left them the further they would self destruct and believe the only way to stabilise England was to restore him as king with full power, he listened to views and proposals of each factions but refused to make a deal with any of them. He made many hints to his Scottish captors that he would introduce the Presbyterian church but no formal agreement was made. Parliament drew up the Newcastle propositions but Charles refused them as it gave Parliament more power and punished the royalists
In 1647 the Scot’s agreed to hand him over to Holler and the Presbyterians moving to Northampton, this increase their power. This scared the army who seized the king and took him ti their HQ in Cambridge to negotiate.
They presented hkm with their heads of proposals, which was more generous to Charles and the royalists but he still wouldn’t sign an agreement. As he negotiated with Cromwell and ireton the army became restless and in October the troops met with the army commanders and parliament for a series of discussions called the Putney debates which showed how divided they were as Cromwell was fiercely against the levellers views.
The second civil war
By November 1647 Charles’s opponents were divided among themselves and Charles escaped from captivity. He was quickly recaptured and held in the Isle of Wight by parliamentary troops. This gave him a chance to secretly negotiate with the Scotland in December he signed the engagement which meant they would help the king if he brought in the Presbyterian church in England.
His opponents were shocked and Parliament passed the vote of no address in January and all sides agreed to stop negotiations with the king there were many royalist uprising and in July the Scottish army invaded by august it was over as the Scottish and royalist army was crushed by Cromwell and the new model army. Charles was imprisoned throughout the war but many still saw him as the rightful leader. But times had changed
