The English Civil War 1640-1649 by Martyn Bennett

Author:Martyn Bennett [Bennett, Martyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History
ISBN: 9781317880936
Google: Jb2OAwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 3262999
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 1995-08-31T00:00:00+00:00

Part Three: Analysis — Society in Dysfunction

11 Aftermath

Although the war itself was over, the disputes between the King and Parliament, dating back to 1641, were not ended. The expected short, sharp shock of war, designed to bring one or both sides to 'their senses', had never materialised. The longer conflict which had ensued, and cost thousands of British and Irish men and women their lives, had not proved to be a solution. Indeed, when looking at the years following the first Civil War in England it would appear that the Earl of Manchester's 1644 perception of the nature of the struggle had been realistic. The King had been defeated, but only militarily. To Charles, the religious and constitutional issues of 1641-42 were still there, and his royal prerogative was still not negotiable. The war, and the attempted negotiations, had crystallised his position. He was resolved to maintain the royal authority, the Church of England, and the lives and fortunes of those who advised and served him. It was on these issues that the Scots, the English Parliament and the Irish Catholics, each with their own distinct set of demands, now sought to deal with him, each determined to gain advantage from his weakened position. Charles, in turn, sought to keep these groups separate, to exploit differences between them, and to retain independence by allying with one or more against the rest. It became a question of who would tire first, or who would sacrifice their principles in order to achieve a settlement.

However, fundamental changes had taken place since the Long Parliament had first met. The principal protagonists of 1640-42 namely, the Irish, Scottish and English politicians and upper section of society, the 'political nation', to which they looked for support were no longer the only people involved. The Bishops' Wars and the War of the Three Kingdoms - that is, the interrelated conflicts in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England - had all involved the liberty of the subject to some degree, whether it was the freedom of the Catholic Irish to their own religion, the freedom of the Scottish Presbyterians from English interference, of the right of English property-owners to a share in government. No matter how tenuous these freedoms were as political aims, each had been used to stir up ordinary men and women in the three kingdoms and the principality of Wales, by means of the press and the pulpit. It was not to be expected that these people would now contentedly remain off-stage and allow the politicians to decide their fate in bargains with the King.

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