The Royalists and the Civil War

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Introduction

Even though Civil War seemed inevitable given Charles 1 abrupt departure in 1642 neither side wanted to be seen to land the first blow. After Charles had unsuccessfully tried to arrest the ring leaders fermenting dissent in the Commons, the House awarded itself command of the armed forces in February 1642. Since the king, not surprisingly refused to sign it was called an ordinance and not an act. With the king out of the way, parliamentarians such as John Pym felt increasingly emboldened and the current unity in the Commons started to be strained after the summer of 1641. The Grand Remonstrance written by Pym was a laundry list of faults embodied by the King since the beginning of his reign. The first nine-nine clauses cataloged examples of his mis-governance. Then next thirty six clauses were self-congratulatory, detailing how parliament was safeguarding English liberties. The final clauses warned against threats to liberties if Parliament did not defend them. Clauses attacking the Common Prayer Book and describing all bishops as idolaters were removed. For some, who wished only to bring the King to his common sense, it went too far and the document only passed in the Commons by eleven votes. Nonetheless, even though the Remonstrance was too much to stomach for the gentrified Commons, Pym correctly judged that it would be meat and drink to the populace at large.

Many in Parliament worried that the opposition to the monarchy could get out of hand and the populace would be uncontrollable much as had happened during the Irish Rebellion. Fear of widespread public disorder pushed many back into the King;s camp. Among the recruits was Edward Hyde whose narrative of eh time called the History of the Great Rebellion shaped Tory tradition for many years ahead. He was someone who was dismayed by Charles' Personal Rule of the 1630's but equally dismayed with the turn of events in the 1640's. Moderates tried to re-frame the constitution much like a modern day three estates - King, Lords and Commons - Monarchy, Aristocracy and Democracy.

While many MP's attacked Charles tactics personally they were careful not to attack the monarchy or the constitution. During the second month of the Long Parliament a petition was raise to end episcopacy root and branch. This split parliament between the abolitionists and those who merely wanted to see their powers curtailed. Others noted they violent tendencies of the seemingly sober and lawful puritans. The smashing f Stained glass windows alter rails by soldiers and mobs cast puritans in a new light. Lay preachers used their oratory powers to push the boundaries of accepted orthodoxy.

The king's advisers suggested to make concessions and pursue a middle way between Laudian and Puritan excesses and restore a religion that was closer to the one that stood in Elizabeth 1's reign, shorn of any connivance of popery.

In 1642 Charles built a party albeit one more against Puritan excesses than enthusiastically loyal to him. More than a third of the commons rallied to his cause and even more in the Lords.

How the unity of the Parliament and the start of the Long Parliament ebbed away

The Grand Remonstrance had been a provocative document that appealed over the heads of the MP's to the people. Such was the emotion it stirred withinn Parliament swords were brandished I thought we had sat in the valley of death wrote one MP. The unity and consensus seeking that had prevailed until them was shattered overnight. However it would be wrong to say that complete polarization set in at that moment. There was still unease of Charles' policies of the 1630's especially as it related to the Scots and the Scottish church as well as taxation measures like Ship Money. Nonetheless there were fears about the populist tome of the debates and the attacks on the Monarchy and Ecclesiastical authority rather than just Charles and Laud.

Those hounded out by the old regime were rehabilitated like Prynne. The Star Chamber was abolished and there was the execution of Strafford. That Strafford's pernicious influence over the King should be destroyed was agreed by common consent but not his execution. At first it was believed that the threatened execution of Strafford was a way of getting the king to negotiate but it soon took on a sinister turn.

At his trial a list of minor charges were l;aid against him and Strafford was compelled to observe that he did not think that two hundred black rabbits would make a black horse as he appealed to the Lords for support. The trial dragged on for three weeks until the prosecution's patience wore thin and they settled on a bill of Attainder where the accused was condemned and executed without further judicial process. This bill proved divisive and although it passed easily many did not vote. Although Charles was mortified to have to sign the bill it may have been of some comfort that the House was divided.

Pym went on to steer the Triennial Act, which obliged the monarch to call a parliament every three years. Pym followed this up in June 1641 with the Ten Propositions, that put prohibition on the access of papist to the court and queen. It also instructed the king to appoint Councillors that the parliament would find agreeable. Although Pym was succeeding in Parliament and in the country it was terrifying the Irish Catholics who thought that these policies would eventually be extended to their lands. Ireland went up in flames. Money and armies needed to be raised to quell the unrest but Pym saw it as another opportunity to force the king to accepts the Propositions. This was blackmail and angered many in Parliament but Pym prevailed in a vote. Pym further consolidated Parliaments power by insisting in 1642 that they be allowed to choose the members of the Privy Council.

Edward Hyde and others thought the balance had now been achieved and that the king should be allowed to rule in accordance with the constitution. Pym however believed that the king could not be trusted and his suspicions were well founded. Charles went to Scotland to settle the treaty with Scotland but he stayed three months, secretly negotiating, hoping to get a guarantee from Scotland to stay neutral in future battles with parliament. When negotiations failed he plotted to assassinate two of the nobles he had been negotiating with. On January 3rd the king entered Parliament to arrest five members of Parliament for treason. He failed and the new won allies began to doubt their change off allegiance.

Nonetheless the occupation of the Scots in northern England stuck in the throat for many and was seen an insult. The Scots demanded reparation payments that were agreed by the English but soon fell into arrears. The Scots wanted more. They suggested a greater union of the Kingdoms, which the English interpreted as greater meddling in their affairs. The Scots also wanted to see the abolition of the episcopacy so that they would never have to suffer the ignominy of the Prayer Book again. Many anti-Scots voices were riased but Pym could not expel them. However, reform of the church was high on the agenda and some like sir Simmonds D'ewes wanted to reform the brazen, leaden - yea and blockish - persons. On the 11 December a petition from London called for the clergy to brought o account. They saw the church embodying a multitude of sins from monopolies to the decline of the cloth industry and whoredoms and adulteries. This Root and Branch petition was discussed a number of time and went to a vote that passed and went to committee for discussion. Many agreed that the performance of the bishops had been poor and even agreed with the abolition of the episcopacy but not what it would be replace with. The Scots believed that their own reformed church was the perfect model. But he episcopacy was so entrenched in the social order of the country that destroying it could unleash forces that could not be easily restrained. Edward Dering for instance had a change of heart having head incidents of radical zeal fomenting popular spirits against laws. However, the changes were already being taken up. Alter rails and Stained glass windows were destroyed and the communion table put back in the middle of the church.

Pym's junto increasingly too little note of commons criticism and enthusiastically embraces political engagement with extra-parliamentary bodies and religious pressure groups and welcomed grass root actions. From the perspective of Hyde and Dering they were embracing anarchy.


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