Interregnum, 1649-60
So, why was Charles I executed?
- Charles refused to acknowledge the authority of the show court.
- Charles’ refusal to plea meant the Rump had no choice other than to
execute the ‘tyrant’.
- Charles had proven himself to be untrustworthy and duplicitous, and it
was his character traits which ultimate led to his demise.
- The NMA felt a parliamentary majority may restore an untrustworthy and
vengeful king, and any settlement would betray the cause they had
fought for.
- He had rejected at least 7 different offers of settlement (including during
his trial) but had never seriously negotiated in good faith.
- The King had started the Second Civil War (with the Scots).
- The NMA had grown in religious radicalism, and it was the militancy of this
minority which initiated the ‘purge’ in late 1648.
‘A cruel necessity’
Was Cromwell a ‘reluctant regicide’?
- He had arrived in London on the evening of 6th Dec 1648, after Pride’s
Purge.
- He was the third signature on the death warrant (after John Bradshaw and
Lord Grey of Groby).
Was 1649 the beginning or the end?
Pride’s Purge, the trial and execution were all carried out by a small,
determined minority.
Monarchy was still popular throughout the Three Kingdoms.
- The Scots immediately announced that Charles is still their king in spirit,
proclaimed their support for the Stuarts and offered the crown to Charles
II. So did the Irish.
The Rump Parliament therefore faced immediate, and serious challenges
in 1649.
For some the execution of the King was the end of the process. They had
been fighting to ensure a vengeful king could not destroy what the NMA
had been fighting for.
The Interregnum 1649-60
- The quest for ‘healing and settling’ following the English Revolution.
The nature of Interregnum
- The interregnum regimes were built on narrow bases of support.
- They lacked popular support from the Three Kingdoms and succeeded in
winning only grudging cooperation from people in England, Wales, parts of
Scotland but not Ireland.
- The lack of legitimacy meant that they always relied on the army for
support.
- The Rump was viewed as illegitimate by many as it was not truly
representative, and only existed because of a military coup.
- There was an upsurge of royalist support in Scotland and in Ireland.
, A revolutionary act
The trial and execution of the King marked a significant turning point.
It led to the ‘de-sacralisation’ of the monarchy. i.e. it divorced the
monarchy from religion.
- The public regicide destroyed the notion of the divine right and that the
King was God’s anointed chosen one.
Oliver Cromwell: 1599-1658
- Rose from obscurity – from nothing - to become the most successful
military and political leader of the Civil Wars.
- Took command of the NMA from 1650 (from Fairfax), which was full of
religious radicals.
- Lord Protector of England from 1654-8, he was offered - and refused - the
Crown itself.
The key concept to fully grasp the nature of Cromwell’s regime, 1649-
1660, is outlined by this quote by historian John Morrill: ‘Cromwell was a
unique blend of…religious radical and social conservative.’ Morrill implies
that there’s a contradiction: that you can’t be both a social conservative
and religious radical simultaneously.
‘An ideological schizophrenic’ (Blair Worden)
A religious radical
- Cromwell was a Puritan in the 1630s, and in the 1640s became part of the
more radical Puritan group (the Independents).
- He had suffered under Laud, and whilst committed to a Calvinist Church of
England, was willing to tolerate the other religious non-conformity of other
Protestants.
- He was considered a radical because he supported religious toleration for
all Protestants, which included the new, strange Independent sects. These
included Baptists, Quakers, Seekers, Ranters, existing millenarian groups
etc.
A social conservative, with contradictions
Socially, Cromwell wanted two things:
- Cromwell wanted power in society to remain intact. He wanted landlords
to remain in charge of peasants, the poor to have no say in politics, etc.
- Cromwell wanted his regime to secure the support and allegiance of the
traditional ruling elites. The landlords. The MPs.
But Cromwell was also a republican, and a regicide.
Context of, and problems, for the 1650s
- There was a popular belief in monarchy – which was problematic for
Cromwell as he had no links at all to the monarchy.
- The NMA were a ‘meritocratic’ army – this challenged the hierarchy of
large landlords being automatically in charge of armies. The NMA had
placed commoners in high-ranking positions in the army’s command
structure.
, - The NMA were full of religious radicals – people were promoted on the
basis that they were ‘godly.’
How significant were the religious radicals?
- Between 2-4% of the population belonged to Independent Sects.
- The vast majority still attended regular Anglican Church services, used the
Book of Common Prayer etc.
- Cromwell’s Independency was not popular.
- Plus, Independency and religious radicalism were associated with the
chaos of the civil wars.
- After the chaos, people wanted a return to normalcy.
What was Cromwell’s greatest problem?
- Religion and politics were inextricably linked in the 17th century.
- Religious independence challenged the existing social hierarchy.
The Rump Parliament, 1649-53: Creation of the Commonwealth
- The Rump Parliament refers to those MPs who remained after Pride’s
Purge on 6th Dec 1648.
- It was viewed as illegitimate by many as it was unrepresentative, as it
only existed as the result of a military coup.
- 4th Jan 1649: the 70 or so remaining MPs of the Rump declared itself ‘the
supreme power in this nation’ with authority to pass Acts of Parliament
without the consent of the King or the HoL.
- 14th Feb a 41-strong Council of State was established to take executive
decisions.
- 17th March it abolished the monarchy, the Privy Council and the House of
Lords.
- 19th May it declared the people of England to be a ‘Commonwealth and
Free State’, governed by a single chamber Parliament without a king.
Who were the Rumpers?
- The Rump was estimated at about 210 members (less than the 470
members of the Commons in the original Long Parliament). They included:
- Some supporters of those religious independents who did not want an
established church.
- A small number of republicans.
- An even smaller number who had sympathised with the Levellers.
- Some Presbyterians who had been willing to countenance the trial and
execution of the King.
- Formerly excluded MPs who had been prepared to denounce the Newport
Treaty negotiations with the King.
- Most Rumpers came from the gentry, although there was a higher
proportion of lesser gentry and lawyers than in previous parliaments.
- Only a quarter of them were regicides.
1649- The World Turned Upside Down
- People feared the future; this was unprecedented.
- The King was dead – there was no natural head of the government.
So, why was Charles I executed?
- Charles refused to acknowledge the authority of the show court.
- Charles’ refusal to plea meant the Rump had no choice other than to
execute the ‘tyrant’.
- Charles had proven himself to be untrustworthy and duplicitous, and it
was his character traits which ultimate led to his demise.
- The NMA felt a parliamentary majority may restore an untrustworthy and
vengeful king, and any settlement would betray the cause they had
fought for.
- He had rejected at least 7 different offers of settlement (including during
his trial) but had never seriously negotiated in good faith.
- The King had started the Second Civil War (with the Scots).
- The NMA had grown in religious radicalism, and it was the militancy of this
minority which initiated the ‘purge’ in late 1648.
‘A cruel necessity’
Was Cromwell a ‘reluctant regicide’?
- He had arrived in London on the evening of 6th Dec 1648, after Pride’s
Purge.
- He was the third signature on the death warrant (after John Bradshaw and
Lord Grey of Groby).
Was 1649 the beginning or the end?
Pride’s Purge, the trial and execution were all carried out by a small,
determined minority.
Monarchy was still popular throughout the Three Kingdoms.
- The Scots immediately announced that Charles is still their king in spirit,
proclaimed their support for the Stuarts and offered the crown to Charles
II. So did the Irish.
The Rump Parliament therefore faced immediate, and serious challenges
in 1649.
For some the execution of the King was the end of the process. They had
been fighting to ensure a vengeful king could not destroy what the NMA
had been fighting for.
The Interregnum 1649-60
- The quest for ‘healing and settling’ following the English Revolution.
The nature of Interregnum
- The interregnum regimes were built on narrow bases of support.
- They lacked popular support from the Three Kingdoms and succeeded in
winning only grudging cooperation from people in England, Wales, parts of
Scotland but not Ireland.
- The lack of legitimacy meant that they always relied on the army for
support.
- The Rump was viewed as illegitimate by many as it was not truly
representative, and only existed because of a military coup.
- There was an upsurge of royalist support in Scotland and in Ireland.
, A revolutionary act
The trial and execution of the King marked a significant turning point.
It led to the ‘de-sacralisation’ of the monarchy. i.e. it divorced the
monarchy from religion.
- The public regicide destroyed the notion of the divine right and that the
King was God’s anointed chosen one.
Oliver Cromwell: 1599-1658
- Rose from obscurity – from nothing - to become the most successful
military and political leader of the Civil Wars.
- Took command of the NMA from 1650 (from Fairfax), which was full of
religious radicals.
- Lord Protector of England from 1654-8, he was offered - and refused - the
Crown itself.
The key concept to fully grasp the nature of Cromwell’s regime, 1649-
1660, is outlined by this quote by historian John Morrill: ‘Cromwell was a
unique blend of…religious radical and social conservative.’ Morrill implies
that there’s a contradiction: that you can’t be both a social conservative
and religious radical simultaneously.
‘An ideological schizophrenic’ (Blair Worden)
A religious radical
- Cromwell was a Puritan in the 1630s, and in the 1640s became part of the
more radical Puritan group (the Independents).
- He had suffered under Laud, and whilst committed to a Calvinist Church of
England, was willing to tolerate the other religious non-conformity of other
Protestants.
- He was considered a radical because he supported religious toleration for
all Protestants, which included the new, strange Independent sects. These
included Baptists, Quakers, Seekers, Ranters, existing millenarian groups
etc.
A social conservative, with contradictions
Socially, Cromwell wanted two things:
- Cromwell wanted power in society to remain intact. He wanted landlords
to remain in charge of peasants, the poor to have no say in politics, etc.
- Cromwell wanted his regime to secure the support and allegiance of the
traditional ruling elites. The landlords. The MPs.
But Cromwell was also a republican, and a regicide.
Context of, and problems, for the 1650s
- There was a popular belief in monarchy – which was problematic for
Cromwell as he had no links at all to the monarchy.
- The NMA were a ‘meritocratic’ army – this challenged the hierarchy of
large landlords being automatically in charge of armies. The NMA had
placed commoners in high-ranking positions in the army’s command
structure.
, - The NMA were full of religious radicals – people were promoted on the
basis that they were ‘godly.’
How significant were the religious radicals?
- Between 2-4% of the population belonged to Independent Sects.
- The vast majority still attended regular Anglican Church services, used the
Book of Common Prayer etc.
- Cromwell’s Independency was not popular.
- Plus, Independency and religious radicalism were associated with the
chaos of the civil wars.
- After the chaos, people wanted a return to normalcy.
What was Cromwell’s greatest problem?
- Religion and politics were inextricably linked in the 17th century.
- Religious independence challenged the existing social hierarchy.
The Rump Parliament, 1649-53: Creation of the Commonwealth
- The Rump Parliament refers to those MPs who remained after Pride’s
Purge on 6th Dec 1648.
- It was viewed as illegitimate by many as it was unrepresentative, as it
only existed as the result of a military coup.
- 4th Jan 1649: the 70 or so remaining MPs of the Rump declared itself ‘the
supreme power in this nation’ with authority to pass Acts of Parliament
without the consent of the King or the HoL.
- 14th Feb a 41-strong Council of State was established to take executive
decisions.
- 17th March it abolished the monarchy, the Privy Council and the House of
Lords.
- 19th May it declared the people of England to be a ‘Commonwealth and
Free State’, governed by a single chamber Parliament without a king.
Who were the Rumpers?
- The Rump was estimated at about 210 members (less than the 470
members of the Commons in the original Long Parliament). They included:
- Some supporters of those religious independents who did not want an
established church.
- A small number of republicans.
- An even smaller number who had sympathised with the Levellers.
- Some Presbyterians who had been willing to countenance the trial and
execution of the King.
- Formerly excluded MPs who had been prepared to denounce the Newport
Treaty negotiations with the King.
- Most Rumpers came from the gentry, although there was a higher
proportion of lesser gentry and lawyers than in previous parliaments.
- Only a quarter of them were regicides.
1649- The World Turned Upside Down
- People feared the future; this was unprecedented.
- The King was dead – there was no natural head of the government.
