Oliver Cromwell

1. NCEA Year 13 Tudors and Stuarts Part Two Oliver Cromwell

2. July 1644 Marston Moor • This battle surprised the Royalists • Cromwell received much praise over this battle • Cromwell became angry with Manchester for mismanaging the second battle of Newbury in October 1644 • The Independents passed a Self-denying Ordinance in April 1645 to remove half-hearted MPs and Peers from the army within forty days. It removed men of rank rather than ability. Officers could then reapply for their positions. Cromwell and Fairfax were exempt.

3. Cromwell reorganised the army into the New Model Army commanded by Fairfax. • It had 22,000 men • Cromwell was made Lieutenant-General • Royalists nicknamed it ‘The New Noddle Army’.

4. June 1645 Naseby • This was a success for Parliament and ended the First Civil War • 8000 Royalists were captured or killed and Parliament lost only 200. • Some Royalist houses refused to surrender and went into siege

5. Charles’ surrender • May 1646 Charles surrendered to the Scots • The peace left two unresolved questions: • What was to happen to the New Model Army? • Would England adopt the Presbyterian religion according to the Solemn Covenant? • Parliament met in 1646 and decided to disband the army

6. This angered the army who were due wages • Most soldiers were Independents and against the Covenant • Parliament offered the army only six weeks pay • The army set up the General Council of the Army • Cromwell was pressurised by the army to support them.

7. Cromwell was also mistrusted by Parliament because he was an Independent. • Cromwell decided to side with the army • He ordered the King to be secretly captured • The next day Parliament ordered Cromwell’s arrest • Charles refused to negotiate with Cromwell and instead turned to the Scots

8. Parliament offered to pay the army what it owed • But now the army wanted to share in the power • John Lilburne led the Levellers • The Putney Debates were held between the Levellers and the army • They wanted power in the hands of the ordinary people • In October 1647 they presented the Agreement of the People

9. Cromwell was angry he felt that they were trying to, “raise the servant against the master” • Levellers wanted the vote • Mutinies and revolts inspired by the Levellers were violently put down • Cromwell was firmly in control of the army

10. In 1647 the Heads of Proposals were put to Charles to keep him as king and allow him to practice his high religion • Charles escaped to the Isle of Wight • Charles was secretly negotiating with the Scots • Until 1647 Cromwell had tried to find a solution to no avail • He now turned against, not the monarchy as such but against, Charles Stuart

11. -”if it be an absolute and indisputable necessity for us to do it, then it must be done.” • In December 1647 a Vote of No Addresses was passed abandoning negotiations with Charles. • May 1648 there were Royalist uprisings in Wales, Kent, Essex and in Scotland. • Cromwell beat the Scots at the Battle of Preston.

12. Fairfax put down other rebellions and then presented a remonstrance to Charles that he be put on trial. • All MPs who opposed a trial or were Presbyterians were kicked out. • 45 MPs were arrested and 95 were excluded – this was known as Pride’s Purge • The remaining MPs were known as the Rump • Cromwell was in the north

13. Cromwell was determined that the trial should be as legal as possible and that Charles should die for his crimes. • Cromwell did not have the support of everyone. • Two Lord Chief Justices refused to take part. • The prosecution was carried out by two obscure lawyers

14. The Trial • The trial began on the 20th January 1649 in Westminster Hall • Of 135 MPs that Cromwell persuaded to attend only 80 showed up. • Charles was found guilty on the 27th January 1649 he was guilty of being: • “a tyrant, traitor, murderer and a public and implacable enemy of the commonwealth of England.”

15. Bibliography Cromwell, by Amanda Purves, Wayland, London, 1977