D) First Civil War - Religion and Politics - Mindmap in A Level and IB History

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Created on: 17-04-14 18:55

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First Civil War - Religion and Politics
- Parliament
  - Not united body - loose groupings of 'like-minded gentry'
    - Held together by Pym until his death (December 1643)
      - Policy of attempting to negotiate with King, while setting up financial + administrative machines to win war
  - Peace Party
    - Led by Denzil Holles
    - Most reluctant to fight King - always hoping for settlement
    - Most only wanted end of Anglican Church
      - Not further restraints on King's powers
  - Middle Party
    - Largest group 1642-3
    - Broadly stuck to Nineteen Propositions
    - Led by Pym
    - Always hoped King would see reason + negotiated settlement could be found
  - War Party
    - Grew as war dragged on
    - Believed King would not see reason + negotiate meaningfully until defeated
      - Once defeated, could negotiate from position of strength
    - Led by Sir Henry Vane + Sir Arthur Heselrige (both future republicans)
    - Not all 'radicals'
      - Many just wanted war over as quickly as possible
- Parliament's organisation for war
  - Finances
    - Assessments system set up (February 1643)
      - Each county under Parliamentary control paid a tax - organised through County Committees
        County Committees often held onto money raised + used for defence of own areas instead of central war effort
    - Compulsory loans introduced (May 1643)
    - Fines put upon Royalist supporters in Parliamentary areas (March 1643)
      - Estates confiscated, could only regain them by 'compounding' - heavy fine based on value
    - Pym's ruthless policies = provided enough money to fight war
  - Manpower
    - Impressment ordinance passed (August 1643)
      - Enabled Parliament to conscript men
      - By 1645: at least 50% Parliament's men = forced to fight
      - Measure of Pym's control that such radical measures could be passsed
        Helped by failure of negotiations with King (spring 1643, Oxford)
        Once clear King = not in mood for compromise, even most Peace Party reluctantly accepted measures
- Solemn League and Covenant + Cessation
  - Solemn League + Covenant (September 1643)
    - Pym dying - last contribution to Parliamentary cause
    - Scots wanted establishment of Presbyterian Church settlement in England after victory
      - Many MPs less enthusiastic about this - but needed help
        Decided to bide time before opposing or watering down intolerant Scottish Presbyterianism
  - Cessation (September 1643)
    - Made easier for Pym (accused for bringing in foreign help)
    - Released Royal troops who had fought Irish rebels for service in England
    - Irish Catholic confederates granted Charles £30,000
      - Confirmed view of many English about King's fondness for popery
        At least Scots = Protestants
- Pym's achievements + death
  - One historian: 1640-3 = reign of 'King Pym' (completely dominated Parliament)
    - Driving force behind Parliamentary opposition to King since Short Parliament (May 1640)
    - Parliament's (virtually undisputed) leader when machinery of Personal Rule + Laudian control of Church had been destroyed (1641)
      - Parliament had followed 19 Propositions with shooting war largely at his prompting
    - Set up machinery to win war + held together various shifting coalitions within Parliament
  - Died December 1643
    - War Party vs. Peace Party
      - Middle Party (vast mass of MPs that supported Pym) virtually ceased to exist after death
        Majority moved towards War Party
      - Split grew during 1644
    - Religious issues
      - Independency had been growing since 1642
        Helped by collapse of Church authority
      - Presbyterians were clear majority in Parliament
        Independent MPs were growing in numbers + influence
      - Presbyterians + Independents could agree on many political issues
        Mistake to assume Presbyterians = automatically more conservative
        
        Was a potential split - would show itself when a final Church settlement would have to be made
    - Manchester vs. Cromwell
      - Manchester = intolerant Presbyterian - inclined to Peace Party
        Conduct of operations against King = less than dynamic
      - Cromwell, cavalry commander = hero of War Party
        Seemed to be only commander with drive + military competence to win war
      - Relations rapidly deteriorated in summer 1644
        Quarrel eventually fought out in Commons
        Result = defeat for Peace Party
        Majority of MPs voted to remove Manchester, Essex + other Parliamentary commanders by passing a 'Self-Denying Ordinance' (3 April 1645)
        Meant no member of either House could hold a commission in the army
        Cromwell granted a dispensation to continue in his command
        
        Face saving device to remove Manchester + Essex without charging them with incompetence
- End of the war
  - New Model army set up (February 1645)
    - Victory of War Party over Peace Party = complete
  - Many who had voted for Self-Denying Ordinance + setting up of New Model army = formerly moderate Middle Party
    - Hadn't become sympathetic to Independency or wanted to move harsh measures against King
      - Not radicals wanting to crush King - conservatives trying to end war
    - Failure of negotiations with Charles = fear that war would go on forever
      - Long war = high taxes, social discontent, collapse of trade + perhaps collapse of traditional authority
  - War ended - summer 1646
    - War Party ceased to have any meaning
    - King was beaten + threatening social, religious + political undercurrents = surfacing outside Westminster
    - Basic conservatism of majority of MPs reasserted itself
      - MPs not radical in religion or politics - expected to be able to negotiate a settlement with the King now war was won
- Developments outside Parliament
  - End of censorship = great outpouring of pamphlets on religious and political ideas
    - 1/5 people could read - pamphlets read to those who couldn't
  - Religious groups
    - Independents
      - Most important development
      - Opposed by Anglicans + Presbyterians
        Believed in one state church which all should belong to
      - Believed in some form of national church - but without powers to make people attend services
      - Grew before Civil War (strongest in East Anglia)
        Spread through Parliamentary army from cavalry of Eastern Association
      - Cromwell was patron
      - By 1646 = challenging Parliamentary Presbyterianism
    - The Sects
      - Far more radical than Independents
        Believed in a 'gathered church' or like-minded members
        
        Rejected any idea of state church organisation
      - Degree of 'religious mania' developing by 1646
        Tiny sects claiming to have the absolute truth
        Scared Presbyterians and even some Independents
  - Political groups
    - Levellers
      - Most important political development outside Parliament
      - Ideas first circulated in pamphlets
        Main pamphleteers = John Lilburne, William Walwyn + Richard Overton
      - Not well-organised political party with clear leadership structure
      - Ideas (sometimes modified) had spread London, but army was most influenced by/in Levellerism
      - Radical religious ideas had been spreading with unauthorised preaching
        Some became entwined with radical political ideas
      - Ideas
        All men are free and equal
        
        All equal in eyes of God - so should be in society
        
        Englishmen were free in past - enslaved by 'The Norman Yoke'
        
        Electoral system should be reformed
        Equal electoral districts
        
        All men over 21 should vote
      - Radicals in politics = small minority, but treatment of army by Parliament over arrears of pay (1647) played into Leveller's hands
      - Failed to force through radical political programme at Putney Debates (1647)
        Majority of army trusted Cromwell rather than Leveller spokesman
        
        Majority more interested in issues (pay) than paper constitutions
        
        No clear leadership or structure
        
        Most dynamic army representative (Rainsborough) killed in Second Civil War
    - Clubmen
      - People living in the countryside in the west
      - Tired of increasing anarchy of war
        Soldiers living for free, destroying their crops, terrorising their neighbourhoods
      - Organised districts into defensive pacts
        Not organised by gentry (like failed neutrality pacts of 1642-3)
      - Farmer, cottagers + artisans practising self-help
        May not have been very successful but showed they could act independently of gentry 'masters'
      - Highlighted slide towards anarchy that was occuring
  - Parliamentary army became hotbed of new religious + political ideas
  - War meant collapse of traditional rule in the countryside
    - Gentry often absent
    - Courts didn't function regularly
    - In some ways, society in danger of dissolving under stress of war
Led by Pym
One historian: 1640-3 = reign of 'King Pym' (completely dominated Parliament)
- Driving force behind Parliamentary opposition to King since Short Parliament (May 1640)
- Parliament's (virtually undisputed) leader when machinery of Personal Rule + Laudian control of Church had been destroyed (1641)
  - Parliament had followed 19 Propositions with shooting war largely at his prompting
- Set up machinery to win war + held together various shifting coalitions within Parliament
Independency had been growing since 1642
- Helped by collapse of Church authority
Undercurrents of other divisions surface
- Manchester vs. Cromwell
  - Manchester = intolerant Presbyterian - inclined to Peace Party
    - Conduct of operations against King = less than dynamic
  - Cromwell, cavalry commander = hero of War Party
    - Seemed to be only commander with drive + military competence to win war
  - Relations rapidly deteriorated in summer 1644
    - Quarrel eventually fought out in Commons
      - Result = defeat for Peace Party
        Majority of MPs voted to remove Manchester, Essex + other Parliamentary commanders by passing a 'Self-Denying Ordinance' (3 April 1645)
        Meant no member of either House could hold a commission in the army
        Cromwell granted a dispensation to continue in his command
        
        Face saving device to remove Manchester + Essex without charging them with incompetence
Fighting to bring King to terms, not defeat him
Parliamentary army became hotbed of new religious + political ideas

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D) First Civil War - Religion and Politics

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