Consequences of Charles' Death

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses why the execution of Charles the First was not followed by a speedy settlement. It looks at the English society at the time and examines why the years following the execution were filled with conflict between all sections of society and between many of the new Protestant religious sects which began to emerge in the new atmosphere of near-toleration.

From the Paper:

"The execution of the King in 1649 came after a series of abortive attempts by various elements within both Parliament and the Army to reach a settlement which would have allowed the King to remain as the head of state of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland. Charles had refused them all and had eventually been responsible for the Second Civil War which ultimately sealed his fate. Events immediately following the conclusion of the war showed the way in which politics in England would be influenced by the bayonets of the Army until the Restoration in 1660 when George Monck would lead his troops through England and demand the return of Charles II. Colonel Pride's purge of those mainly Presbyterian MPs who it was thought would not support the trial of the King clearly illustrates the way in which the Army had become as much of a factor in government as either the King or Parliament."

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