Oliver Cromwell

1
Oliver Cromwell
NCEA Year 13 Tudors and Stuarts Part Two
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 Cromwells 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 Prides 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