Civil War - The Republic
After the execution the Commons sought to consolidate its power. From now on legislative power lay solely with the House of Commons, which, on 13 February 1649 created an executive body called the Council of State, with John Bradshaw as president and, de facto, head of state. On 17 March the monarchy was formally abolished, as was the House of Lords two days later. But it was not until 19 May that Parliament officially proclaimed England a ‘Commonwealth and Free State’.
The new Commonwealth was defended in print by John Milton who in February published The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, a spirited defence of the right of resistance to tyranny and the freedom of men to choose their rulers. However, an alternative view of recent events was given by John Lilburne who, in the same month, published England’s New Chains Discovered in which he criticised the Rump for betraying the ‘good old cause’ by failing to institute a wide-ranging programme of reform. From the other side furious Presbyterian railed against the regicide and the republic from the pulpit
A Turbulent few years
The regicide caught everyone by surprise even the army itself. The commons though strong found itself leading a non-united country. It received a chilly reception from the monarchies abroad. Queen Henrietta tried to enlist support from France. Although sympathetic they were still engaged with a war with Spain. Closer to home Ireland and Scotland were more of a danger to the new regime. Both countries had proclaimed Charles II as king.
Before 1649, Ireland had been at war with itself. Until them pro royalists had been split between those (protestants) who wanted the king restored to his previous powers and those Catholics who saw an opportunity for a counter-reformation. Cromwell saw to it that Ireland would be punished for its lack of support. He lead an army that at Drogheda and Wexford committed barbarous, though legal, atrocities. Setting light to a church full of soldiers, most of which burnt to death or put to the sword as they escaped. This perhaps Cromwell believed was divine retribution for 1641. However the conduct of the war was to have longer term effects. The invading armies brought disease. Small holders were forced from their farms and famine was rife. Perhaps one-fifth of the population does as a result.
The Scots posed a different problem. They were not as roused as the Irish to take on the English. On the other hand Thomas Cromwell could not inflict the same atrocities on a protestant led Scotland. Cromwell military skills were again most evident. Edward Hyde had advised Charles II to keep a low profile but he decided on an alliance with the Scots and renouncing the his Anglican and Catholics adherents and officially chastised hos father for breaking the Covenant. The Scots went to war with the new r
The Levellers imploded but other extra-parliamentarian groups flourished for a while. The Diggers argued for the abolition of property. The Ranters as they were called maintained that their bond from God excepted them from moral laws. There were fanciful accounts of women stripping naked in church. Other tales, mostky reported by their opponents, speak of wife swapping, illicit sex and other wanton activities [1]
Most of these sects failed because they did not have support from within Parliament, Once exception the Fifth Monarchy men they were in many respects like the Millenariansexcept they did not have a timetable for the end of the world. They were backed by Thomas Harrison and believed authority lay not with elected MP's but with the people who as God's elect would subjugate the wicked.
<reference>
| Date"Date" is a type and predefined property provided by Semantic MediaWiki to represent date values. | |
|---|---|
| Act Abolishing the Office of King | 17 March 1649 |
| Army Remonstrance | 18 November 1648 |
| Civil War - Regicide | 6 December 1648 30 January 1649 |
| Civil War - Restoration | 4 April 1660 |
| Commissions of Array | 1 June 1642 |
| Execution of Archbishop William Laud | 10 January 1645 |
| Execution of Charles I | 30 January 1649 |
| Execution of Thomas Wentworth | 12 May 1641 |
| Four Bills | 24 December 1647 |
| Grand Remonstrance | 22 November 1641 |
| Heads of Proposals | 22 September 1647 |
| Instrument of Government | 16 December 1653 |
| Militia Ordinance | 7 December 1641 |
| Naseby | 14 June 1645 |
| National Covenant | 27 February 1638 |
| Newcastle Proposals | 1 July 1646 |
| Nineteen Propositions | 1 June 1642 |
| Petition of Right | 7 June 1628 |
| Petition of the Leveller Women | 11 September 1649 |
| Putney Debates | 1 October 1647 |
| Representation of the Army | 5 June 1647 |
| Root and Branch Petition | 11 December 1640 |
| Saffron Walden | 1 May 1647 |
| Scottish Prayer Book | 23 July 1637 |
| Short Parliament | 13 April 1640 |
| The Bishop's War | 1 January 1639 |
| The Five Members | 4 January 1642 |
| The Second Civil War | 22 February 1648 |
| The Self Denying Ordinance | 19 December 1644 |
| Treaty of Uxbridge | 29 January 1645 |
