English
Revolution –
YEAR 13
The two sides:
⁃ Cavaliers: supporters of the kind
⁃ Roundheads: supporters of parliament who wore their hair short
Brief overview of the war:
⁃ failure of both sides to reach a settlement that would have averted war
in the summer of 1642
,⁃ The failure of the king to achieve absolute military victory in the
summer of 1643
⁃ The failure of both sides to negotiate a settlement in the winter of 1645
⁃ Parliaments successful achievement of military victory in June 1645
⁃ Parliament’s imposition of settlement in January 1649
Indicators of local allegiances
Religion:
⁃ In Yorkshire, all the parliamentary leaders and half of parliamentarians
were strong puritans
⁃ One third of royalist gentry were catholic
⁃ Mode moderate Protestants were neutral
Regions:
⁃ Parliament was typically stronger in southern and eastern regions in
England, particularly in London but also bigger regional cities such as
Manchester and Bolton
⁃ Lancashire gentry were moderate in religion and royalist in politics
⁃ Efforts to conscript men from Bolton into royalist forces failed as
puritans headed into the city to help their brethren
⁃ The King based his court in work and generally the north and west
favoured royalism
⁃ Due to proximity, some in the northwest were fearful of an invasion
from the Irish army and looked to parliament instead
⁃ Rumours of the behaviour of Irish Catholics during the ongoing rebellion
made this worse
Employment:
⁃ In Gloucester the city corporation agreed to support parliament on
behalf of all its members
⁃ Local gentry insisted their tenant farmers fought in royalist militia or
they would be evicted
Jobs:
⁃ Independent tradesmen, artisans and professional classes had more
freedom to decide who to support
⁃ Those tied to local employment networks had to follow the lead of
others
Local Guidance:
⁃ Sometimes individuals took sides with little reference to what was going
on and instead were guided by what was happening on a local level
⁃ Sir John Hotham was a Yorkshireman who had lost authority in Yorkshire
when Wentworth had gained power, he now chose to support
parliament
⁃ When the parliamentarian Fairfax family became equally powerful he
switched sides and became a royalist
⁃ He and his son were executed for treason in 1645 as a result
Figures:
⁃ Powerful and well-liked figures could attract support for either side
,⁃ In Huntingdon in East Anglia, the royalist gentry struggled to resist the
mobilisation of the ordinary people for parliament by Oliver Cromwell
Neutralism:
⁃ A growing force in 1642 and the majority of Englishmen chose this path
⁃ Reports of social and economic collapse during the 30 years’ war in
Europe was one reason
⁃ Many people were forced to choose a side however when commissions
of array were ordered by the King and the Militia ordinance was enacted
⁃ These orders could place those who wished to remain neutral under
severe pressure
Bills:
⁃ In Cheshire and Yorkshire, the Commissioners of Array and
Commissioners for the Militia agreed to move on elsewhere
⁃ Sometimes the local gentry worked together to stop either side
⁃ The men of South Malton in Devon attacked royalist commissioners with
muskets, spears, axes and clubs
⁃ The women filled the market square with huge stones and threatened to
Braine the men if they came near
Military preparations for war:
⁃ January 1642: Arrest of the 5 members fails, and Charles flees to
Hampton Court
⁃ February 1642: Queen Henrietta Maria arrives in the Hague in the Dutch
Republic, she tried to secure foreign support, pawn the crown jewels
and enlist help from allied such as Prince of Orange and King Christian
IV of Denmark. (Potential buyers refused to purchase the jewels, fearing
parliament would reclaim them if victorious)
⁃ 5th February: Exclusion Bill - remove bishops from the house of lords
⁃ 15th February: Militia Ordinance
⁃ April 1642: Charles travelled to Hull to requisition weapons stored there
since the bishops Wars. He was denied entry by Sir John Hotham, the
parliamentary appointed governor, who insisted on a warrant from
parliament. Led to a propaganda battle, with both sides using the event
to portray themselves as the lawful authority. In Manchester, Lord
Strange attempted to seize arms from a local arsenal, but was driven
off, indicating that skirmishes were beginning to break out.
⁃ May 1642: Both parliament and the king issues instructions to local
gentry to raise militias.
⁃ June 1642: Formal order to mobilise the militia were passed. Charles
responded with the Commissions of Array, an ancient and rarely used
royal method of raising troops, which further alarmed parliamentarians
due to its outdated and absolutists connotations
⁃ June 1642: 19 propositions were issued as a final attempt to prevent
war.
⁃ July 1642: Parliament voted to raise an official army under the
command of Robert Deverex, the earl of Essex (a trusted ally of Pym
and a veteran soldier)
⁃ 22nd August 1642: Charles raised his royal standard at Nottingham.
, Individuals:
⁃ Pym: Leads the Junto and led the attack on Charles (was behind the
writing
⁃ Henrietta Maria: she was targeted by Pym, and the Puritans attacks due
to her faith which she was very devoted to. They separated her from the
King and accused her of starting the Irish rebellion, as well as dismissing
the catholic household clergy that she was attended by
⁃ George Digby: A close advisor of Charles who was considered one of the
most charming and intelligent of his generation. He failed to denounce
Pym - meaning that they could not be arrested. Additionally, he advises
Charles to arrest the 5 MP’s, what goes on to be a very bad decision.
⁃ Lucy Hay: lady in waiting of Henrietta Maria, they were very close
friends, but she was a Protestant. She became an insider for Pym,
passing important information to him - such as warning him that Charles
was coming to arrest him.
⁃ Henry Jermyn: Father of London’s west end and one of Henrietta Maria’s
favourites. It was rumoured by Lucy Hay and Pym that him and
Henrietta Maria were engaging in an affair - a way of attacking both
Henrietta and Charles.
How strong was the royalist cause in 1642?
A victory for each side would constitute…
⁃ The king; expand his royal prerogative
⁃ Parliament: expand their parliamentary rights
⁃ Have a constitutional balance of power between the two
Strengths of Royalist cause Weaknesses of Royalist cause
Loyalty and Tradition:
⁃ natural allegiance fell towards the
king in Stuart England
⁃ As the political nation polarises in 1642,
support for the royalist cause began to
rise
⁃ His rallying call to Nottingham in august
1642 was done to reach out to his natural
supporters
Men and Money: ⁃ Key nobles such as the earl of Essex
⁃ Royalist armies came better equipped mobilised in defence of parliament
than parliamentarian armies because
of the individual wealth of the
royalist commanders
⁃ A greater number of nobles deployed
their troops for the king and some of
these, such as the earl of Worcester
(who donated £300,000+ to the war
effort) and earl of Newcastle, had huge
resources of money and manpower
⁃ Some royalists were directly involved in
industries that produced military
Revolution –
YEAR 13
The two sides:
⁃ Cavaliers: supporters of the kind
⁃ Roundheads: supporters of parliament who wore their hair short
Brief overview of the war:
⁃ failure of both sides to reach a settlement that would have averted war
in the summer of 1642
,⁃ The failure of the king to achieve absolute military victory in the
summer of 1643
⁃ The failure of both sides to negotiate a settlement in the winter of 1645
⁃ Parliaments successful achievement of military victory in June 1645
⁃ Parliament’s imposition of settlement in January 1649
Indicators of local allegiances
Religion:
⁃ In Yorkshire, all the parliamentary leaders and half of parliamentarians
were strong puritans
⁃ One third of royalist gentry were catholic
⁃ Mode moderate Protestants were neutral
Regions:
⁃ Parliament was typically stronger in southern and eastern regions in
England, particularly in London but also bigger regional cities such as
Manchester and Bolton
⁃ Lancashire gentry were moderate in religion and royalist in politics
⁃ Efforts to conscript men from Bolton into royalist forces failed as
puritans headed into the city to help their brethren
⁃ The King based his court in work and generally the north and west
favoured royalism
⁃ Due to proximity, some in the northwest were fearful of an invasion
from the Irish army and looked to parliament instead
⁃ Rumours of the behaviour of Irish Catholics during the ongoing rebellion
made this worse
Employment:
⁃ In Gloucester the city corporation agreed to support parliament on
behalf of all its members
⁃ Local gentry insisted their tenant farmers fought in royalist militia or
they would be evicted
Jobs:
⁃ Independent tradesmen, artisans and professional classes had more
freedom to decide who to support
⁃ Those tied to local employment networks had to follow the lead of
others
Local Guidance:
⁃ Sometimes individuals took sides with little reference to what was going
on and instead were guided by what was happening on a local level
⁃ Sir John Hotham was a Yorkshireman who had lost authority in Yorkshire
when Wentworth had gained power, he now chose to support
parliament
⁃ When the parliamentarian Fairfax family became equally powerful he
switched sides and became a royalist
⁃ He and his son were executed for treason in 1645 as a result
Figures:
⁃ Powerful and well-liked figures could attract support for either side
,⁃ In Huntingdon in East Anglia, the royalist gentry struggled to resist the
mobilisation of the ordinary people for parliament by Oliver Cromwell
Neutralism:
⁃ A growing force in 1642 and the majority of Englishmen chose this path
⁃ Reports of social and economic collapse during the 30 years’ war in
Europe was one reason
⁃ Many people were forced to choose a side however when commissions
of array were ordered by the King and the Militia ordinance was enacted
⁃ These orders could place those who wished to remain neutral under
severe pressure
Bills:
⁃ In Cheshire and Yorkshire, the Commissioners of Array and
Commissioners for the Militia agreed to move on elsewhere
⁃ Sometimes the local gentry worked together to stop either side
⁃ The men of South Malton in Devon attacked royalist commissioners with
muskets, spears, axes and clubs
⁃ The women filled the market square with huge stones and threatened to
Braine the men if they came near
Military preparations for war:
⁃ January 1642: Arrest of the 5 members fails, and Charles flees to
Hampton Court
⁃ February 1642: Queen Henrietta Maria arrives in the Hague in the Dutch
Republic, she tried to secure foreign support, pawn the crown jewels
and enlist help from allied such as Prince of Orange and King Christian
IV of Denmark. (Potential buyers refused to purchase the jewels, fearing
parliament would reclaim them if victorious)
⁃ 5th February: Exclusion Bill - remove bishops from the house of lords
⁃ 15th February: Militia Ordinance
⁃ April 1642: Charles travelled to Hull to requisition weapons stored there
since the bishops Wars. He was denied entry by Sir John Hotham, the
parliamentary appointed governor, who insisted on a warrant from
parliament. Led to a propaganda battle, with both sides using the event
to portray themselves as the lawful authority. In Manchester, Lord
Strange attempted to seize arms from a local arsenal, but was driven
off, indicating that skirmishes were beginning to break out.
⁃ May 1642: Both parliament and the king issues instructions to local
gentry to raise militias.
⁃ June 1642: Formal order to mobilise the militia were passed. Charles
responded with the Commissions of Array, an ancient and rarely used
royal method of raising troops, which further alarmed parliamentarians
due to its outdated and absolutists connotations
⁃ June 1642: 19 propositions were issued as a final attempt to prevent
war.
⁃ July 1642: Parliament voted to raise an official army under the
command of Robert Deverex, the earl of Essex (a trusted ally of Pym
and a veteran soldier)
⁃ 22nd August 1642: Charles raised his royal standard at Nottingham.
, Individuals:
⁃ Pym: Leads the Junto and led the attack on Charles (was behind the
writing
⁃ Henrietta Maria: she was targeted by Pym, and the Puritans attacks due
to her faith which she was very devoted to. They separated her from the
King and accused her of starting the Irish rebellion, as well as dismissing
the catholic household clergy that she was attended by
⁃ George Digby: A close advisor of Charles who was considered one of the
most charming and intelligent of his generation. He failed to denounce
Pym - meaning that they could not be arrested. Additionally, he advises
Charles to arrest the 5 MP’s, what goes on to be a very bad decision.
⁃ Lucy Hay: lady in waiting of Henrietta Maria, they were very close
friends, but she was a Protestant. She became an insider for Pym,
passing important information to him - such as warning him that Charles
was coming to arrest him.
⁃ Henry Jermyn: Father of London’s west end and one of Henrietta Maria’s
favourites. It was rumoured by Lucy Hay and Pym that him and
Henrietta Maria were engaging in an affair - a way of attacking both
Henrietta and Charles.
How strong was the royalist cause in 1642?
A victory for each side would constitute…
⁃ The king; expand his royal prerogative
⁃ Parliament: expand their parliamentary rights
⁃ Have a constitutional balance of power between the two
Strengths of Royalist cause Weaknesses of Royalist cause
Loyalty and Tradition:
⁃ natural allegiance fell towards the
king in Stuart England
⁃ As the political nation polarises in 1642,
support for the royalist cause began to
rise
⁃ His rallying call to Nottingham in august
1642 was done to reach out to his natural
supporters
Men and Money: ⁃ Key nobles such as the earl of Essex
⁃ Royalist armies came better equipped mobilised in defence of parliament
than parliamentarian armies because
of the individual wealth of the
royalist commanders
⁃ A greater number of nobles deployed
their troops for the king and some of
these, such as the earl of Worcester
(who donated £300,000+ to the war
effort) and earl of Newcastle, had huge
resources of money and manpower
⁃ Some royalists were directly involved in
industries that produced military
