ROYALIST RESISTANCE 1652-9:
Cromwell worried that the unsettled religious situation might encourage a royalist uprising in England. The
royalists represented only a minor threat to the Protectorate. It was only when other conservative forces in
England allied w/them (only happened after Cromwell’s death), that the restoration of the Stuart monarchy
could actually be a possibility.
After C2’s defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, he fled and remained out of sight for 9 years. His enforced
absence left the royalists leaderless and made it v difficult for them to organise themselves into an effective
opposition to the republican regimes of the Interregnum.
Decimation tax: a 10% levy
Until 1658, army’s strength/reputation made a royalist uprising impossible. There was little imposed on known royalists
backing in the localities for the royalist cause; while few enthusiastically supported the w/annual incomes of more
Protectorate, none were willing to risk openly challenging those in power. Most royalists had than £100. It paid for the
heavy fines imposed on them and in some cases had to give up their estates. The army.
introduction by the Major-Generals of a further ‘decimation tax’ on royalists was v successful
Sealed Knot: royalist
in its aim of convincing them that support for the Stuarts carried too high a price. The Sealed
organisation supposedly
Knot spent most of its time discouraging uprisings because it feared that their almost
concerned w/planning a
inevitable failure would discredit the royalist cause.
Stuart restoration
Penruddock’s rising March 1655: (overthrowing the Republic).
Only exception to royalist uprising attempts. Led by John Penruddock (former colonel in C1 army) in Wiltshire.
It started as an attempt by the Sealed Knot to prove that their cause was still alive. Believing that there were
potential centres of resistance throughout England waiting to be given a lead, they encouraged Penruddock to
seize Salisbury (important administrative centre). He led between 200-400 royalist troops. The information on
which they’d based their plans upon was v inaccurate and after 2 days, his force was scattered and defeated.
Reasons for the rising’s failure:
The speed at which Cromwell’s gov moved to put it down.
The readiness/ability of the authorities in the localities to raise 4000 local troops to suppress the
rising.
The rising had no support (locally/nationally).
The quality of the intelligence service on which gov relied on. This contrasted sharply w/inadequate
royalist network of communication. John Thurloe (Cromwell’s secretary of state who created an
espionage system against Protectorate enemies which ensured that they were always ahead).
Between 1652-9, there were 7 OTHER attempted royalist risings but they were minor. To successfully
challenge the Protectorate, there had to be an organised coalition of all the forces opposed to it, and w/army’s
strength, this was impossibly until Cromwell’s death.
Loyalty of the army was the key to the survival of the Commonwealth and Protectorate. Despite groups within
the army occasionally being hostile towards P’s, Cromwell never lost the loyalty of his troops.
Cromwell worried that the unsettled religious situation might encourage a royalist uprising in England. The
royalists represented only a minor threat to the Protectorate. It was only when other conservative forces in
England allied w/them (only happened after Cromwell’s death), that the restoration of the Stuart monarchy
could actually be a possibility.
After C2’s defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, he fled and remained out of sight for 9 years. His enforced
absence left the royalists leaderless and made it v difficult for them to organise themselves into an effective
opposition to the republican regimes of the Interregnum.
Decimation tax: a 10% levy
Until 1658, army’s strength/reputation made a royalist uprising impossible. There was little imposed on known royalists
backing in the localities for the royalist cause; while few enthusiastically supported the w/annual incomes of more
Protectorate, none were willing to risk openly challenging those in power. Most royalists had than £100. It paid for the
heavy fines imposed on them and in some cases had to give up their estates. The army.
introduction by the Major-Generals of a further ‘decimation tax’ on royalists was v successful
Sealed Knot: royalist
in its aim of convincing them that support for the Stuarts carried too high a price. The Sealed
organisation supposedly
Knot spent most of its time discouraging uprisings because it feared that their almost
concerned w/planning a
inevitable failure would discredit the royalist cause.
Stuart restoration
Penruddock’s rising March 1655: (overthrowing the Republic).
Only exception to royalist uprising attempts. Led by John Penruddock (former colonel in C1 army) in Wiltshire.
It started as an attempt by the Sealed Knot to prove that their cause was still alive. Believing that there were
potential centres of resistance throughout England waiting to be given a lead, they encouraged Penruddock to
seize Salisbury (important administrative centre). He led between 200-400 royalist troops. The information on
which they’d based their plans upon was v inaccurate and after 2 days, his force was scattered and defeated.
Reasons for the rising’s failure:
The speed at which Cromwell’s gov moved to put it down.
The readiness/ability of the authorities in the localities to raise 4000 local troops to suppress the
rising.
The rising had no support (locally/nationally).
The quality of the intelligence service on which gov relied on. This contrasted sharply w/inadequate
royalist network of communication. John Thurloe (Cromwell’s secretary of state who created an
espionage system against Protectorate enemies which ensured that they were always ahead).
Between 1652-9, there were 7 OTHER attempted royalist risings but they were minor. To successfully
challenge the Protectorate, there had to be an organised coalition of all the forces opposed to it, and w/army’s
strength, this was impossibly until Cromwell’s death.
Loyalty of the army was the key to the survival of the Commonwealth and Protectorate. Despite groups within
the army occasionally being hostile towards P’s, Cromwell never lost the loyalty of his troops.
