Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to Western sev Episode four hundred and
Speaker 1: sixty one, The Fall of the Earl. In July of
Speaker 1: sixteen forty, the Lord General of the Scottish Forces, Alexander Leslie,
Speaker 1: began to create the nucleus of the army that would
Speaker 1: once again take the fight into England. His intention was
Speaker 1: to seize Newcastle. By seizing the coal at Newcastle, he
Speaker 1: could put pressure on Charles down in London to hopefully
Speaker 1: resolve the matters in the favor of the Scottish covenanters.
Speaker 1: Leslie's contacts in England had in fact assured him that
Speaker 1: the next Parliament, when summoned, would demand that the King
Speaker 1: sign a peace treaty. If Charles didn't, Leslie would assured
Speaker 1: that the Parliament would give him no financial assistance. Now,
Speaker 1: on the morning of the twentieth of August, the King
Speaker 1: set out from London to meet his own forces in
Speaker 1: the North. On that exact same night, a Scottish army
Speaker 1: of twenty thousand men crossed the Tweed River into England.
Speaker 1: The head of the Royalist forces was Thomas Wentworth, the
Speaker 1: Earl of Stratford. He hoped that the site of an
Speaker 1: invading army would enrage all good Englishmen and turn the
Speaker 1: tide in Charles's favor, but that proved not to be
Speaker 1: the case. It helped that the Scottish army was extremely
Speaker 1: well disciplined and well behaved. Now meanwhile, by Count Conway,
Speaker 1: he was in charge of Newcastle, had been ordered to
Speaker 1: fortify the banks of the Tyne River. He left two
Speaker 1: thirds of his troops to protect the city and took
Speaker 1: the remainder, about four miles above Newcastle, to a ford
Speaker 1: in the river. In Newbern, the Scots took up a
Speaker 1: position opposite him on the north bank, where they fired
Speaker 1: into the enemy. The English soldiers, unaccustomed to gunshop, fled
Speaker 1: after some of their numbers were killed. The cavalry also
Speaker 1: retired in disarray. It was the first major victory of
Speaker 1: a Scottish army over the English for about three hundred years. Charles,
Speaker 1: the first, through his proxies, had now effectively failed in battle,
Speaker 1: the single most important disgrace that could stain the honor
Speaker 1: of a king. The Battle of Newbern can also, if
Speaker 1: you want, be considered the first of the English Civil War,
Speaker 1: since two rival parties had now for the first time
Speaker 1: fought on English soil. After their defeat, the English army
Speaker 1: retired to the borders of Yorkshire, leaving Durham and Northumberland
Speaker 1: in the hands of the enemy. The vital city of
Speaker 1: Newcastle quickly surrendered. The news of the royal defeat at
Speaker 1: Newbern was greeted with celebrations in London. Twelve peers of
Speaker 1: the realm nobility of Puritan persuasion now issued in the
Speaker 1: traditional manner, a petition to the monarch in which they
Speaker 1: demanded a parliament. The King reacted to this somewhat medieval
Speaker 1: request in a thoroughly medieval way. He received the petition
Speaker 1: at York and summoned a Great Council of the Peers.
Speaker 1: He may have hoped that they would raise large sums
Speaker 1: of money for him without the assistance of Parliament, but
Speaker 1: in this hope he was disappointed. Archbishop Laud, who had
Speaker 1: a much cooler head through all all this, was much
Speaker 1: more realistic and believed that the Great Council would lead
Speaker 1: inevitably to the calling of another Parliament, which would, not,
Speaker 1: in his estimation, go well. And so the Peers of
Speaker 1: England met at York on the twenty fourth in September.
Speaker 1: In his opening speech to them, the King announced that
Speaker 1: he would indeed some in Parliament to meet at the
Speaker 1: beginning of November. It was hoped that on the basis
Speaker 1: of this, those assembled would lend him money. In the
Speaker 1: debate that followed, it was eventually decided, though, that there
Speaker 1: would be no money forthcoming. Instead, what the peers decided
Speaker 1: to do was to send a group to negotiate with
Speaker 1: the Scottish Commissioners. The high Nobility of the Realm also
Speaker 1: repeated their previous demand that Charles call a parliament where
Speaker 1: a permanent peace treaty could be agreed to. In other words,
Speaker 1: what we see here is the nobility of the Realm
Speaker 1: effectively turning its back on Charles. They trust Parliament, not him,
Speaker 1: and so if Charles had hoped to ferment a Royalist
Speaker 1: party at this point, he was badly disappointed. So ultimately,
Speaker 1: negotiators from the Scots and the English met at the
Speaker 1: town of Rippon, where it was concluded that the King
Speaker 1: would pay the Scots twenty five thousand pounds a month
Speaker 1: until a peace treaty had been reached. This was essentially
Speaker 1: to prevent them from invading England. Further, now, it seemed
Speaker 1: likely that only Parliament would be able to supply the
Speaker 1: king with such a sum the peers at York were
Speaker 1: asked to advise the acceptance or rejecting of the agreement.
Speaker 1: It was, of course not a debate at all. Everyone
Speaker 1: agreed immediately. The King had no choice. He was going
Speaker 1: to have to accept this agreement. He had no choice.
Speaker 1: He had to submit to the claims of these invaders,
Speaker 1: and he also had to call a parliament. There just
Speaker 1: wasn't a way around it. Remember back a couple episodes ago,
Speaker 1: I discussed how during the period of personal rule, the
Speaker 1: only way that this would work would be if there
Speaker 1: was peace. The moment there was war, it was a
Speaker 1: foregone conclusion. Charles was going to have to call parliament again,
Speaker 1: and so this experiment of absolute monarchy in England had
Speaker 1: come to an abrupt end after about ten years. Now. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: down in London, parliamentarians were already getting prepared. They understood
Speaker 1: what the Scots wanted, and in turn, the Covenanters relied
Speaker 1: upon the help of their English friends in Parliament to
Speaker 1: engineer the necessary change. As in religion, this was it's
Speaker 1: going to develop into the so called quote unquote Protestant
Speaker 1: cause of the English Civil War. Now, unlike the previous
Speaker 1: short parliament. The voting in these parliamentary elections was unusually combative,
Speaker 1: with eighty six contests. That's an increase of about twenty
Speaker 1: five percent compared to the last parliamentary elections, which just
Speaker 1: goes to show you. Everybody recognized how important the parliament
Speaker 1: that was about to be called truly was. And so
Speaker 1: on November third, the King finally traveled south to meet
Speaker 1: this new parliament. As soon as they were assembled, in debate,
Speaker 1: the members of Commons issued just a laundry list of
Speaker 1: grievances against the conduct of the King's counselors, mostly against
Speaker 1: the Earl of Stratford and Archbishop Laud. The disillusion of
Speaker 1: the short parliament before any measures of reform could be
Speaker 1: agreed had not improved the temper of the Commons. Sixty
Speaker 1: percent of them had sat in the previous assembly, and
Speaker 1: they were now more angry than ever. Yet the largest
Speaker 1: group in the Commons was still that of the landed gentry,
Speaker 1: who were in essence conservative and much less inclined to innovation.
Speaker 1: They didn't want to destroy the King or the Orthodox constitution.
Speaker 1: They wanted government to be restored upon the old model.
Speaker 1: Yet even this group had been disappointed by the king's conduct.
Speaker 1: To say the least, They had watched as their king
Speaker 1: lost a war. They had watched as he alienated all
Speaker 1: of his natural supporters. They had observed him in the
Speaker 1: company of Roman Popish courtiers around his wife, and most importantly,
Speaker 1: they had witnessed the disruption of the rule of law
Speaker 1: and the disruption of the English economy, and they didn't
Speaker 1: like it. All. The parliamentarians, this group included, now understood
Speaker 1: that they had the cards. They knew that the King
Speaker 1: had relied upon them to salvage him from the disaster
Speaker 1: that Charles had somehow got himself into. If Parliament did
Speaker 1: not supply the King with the funds, he would not
Speaker 1: be able to pay the Scottish Army as he had
Speaker 1: agreed to, and the inevitable invasion of England would recommence.
Speaker 1: It didn't take long for the parliamentarians to focus their
Speaker 1: ire on the Earl of Stratford back north. The Scots
Speaker 1: believed that Stratford was the cause of the war between
Speaker 1: the two nations. Puritans hated him. The city of London,
Speaker 1: that is now more powerful than ever, remembered how he
Speaker 1: had threatened its aldermen with hanging if they didn't produce
Speaker 1: enough money. It was agreed by the King to take
Speaker 1: some natural steps, and his councilors urged him to increase
Speaker 1: the defenses of the Tower of London. This fortification was
Speaker 1: meant as a warning to the city. The tower was
Speaker 1: also the likely destination for those about to be arrested.
Speaker 1: Stratford at the time was quoted as saying that quote
Speaker 1: he hoped the city would be subdued in a short
Speaker 1: time end quote. On November the eleventh, Charles was expected
Speaker 1: to the tower and inspect its garrison. None of this, however,
Speaker 1: was going to go the way that Charles and the
Speaker 1: Earl of Stratford expected it too. Instead, him, the member
Speaker 1: of Parliament I mentioned last time, decided that they would
Speaker 1: act first. He went to the House of Lords with
Speaker 1: orders to accuse the Earl of Stratford of high treason
Speaker 1: and to recommend that he be immediately sequestered from Parliament.
Speaker 1: Stratford had been told of the events then unfolding, and
Speaker 1: he said, quote, I will go and look my accusers
Speaker 1: in the face end quote. It should be noted that
Speaker 1: the lords themselves had a lot of grievances against Stratford,
Speaker 1: who was definitely the King's most arrogant and most difficult advisor,
Speaker 1: and on his entry he was commanded by them to withdraw.
Speaker 1: An order was then passed committing Stratford to the custody
Speaker 1: of the Gentleman Usher. He was directed to to the
Speaker 1: chamber and to kneel while the order was read to him.
Speaker 1: Stratford then asked permission to speak, but this was denied.
Speaker 1: His sword was taken from him and the Earl was
Speaker 1: led away. At this point Stratford was effectively removed from
Speaker 1: public life, and Charles had lost his principal counselor. It
Speaker 1: was a brilliant stroke by Pim, who was able to
Speaker 1: mastermine this sort of advanced attack. Now was widely assumed
Speaker 1: by everyone that this had been a huge accomplishment very
Speaker 1: very quickly for Parliament. The King was now required to
Speaker 1: disburse the garrison he had established within the tower and
Speaker 1: to dismantle any guns that had been recently mounted. His
Speaker 1: attempt again to simply overawe his opponents, this time the
Speaker 1: people of London in Parliament had failed again. This is
Speaker 1: yet another one of those humiliating reversals that had become
Speaker 1: sort of the hallmark of Charles's rule. With the threat
Speaker 1: of disillusion or a coup now removed, Parliament could believe
Speaker 1: its work in earnest and this was important because most
Speaker 1: members of Parliament believed it was time for a whole
Speaker 1: scale renovation of government. A Committee for Petitions was quickly
Speaker 1: established to deal with the various complaints that had cropped
Speaker 1: up throughout the Kingdom. While all this was going on,
Speaker 1: evidence was brought forward against Stratford on the twenty fourth
Speaker 1: of November sixteen forty and was formulated in the first
Speaker 1: article of indictment against him. The Commons was asked to
Speaker 1: declare that quote Thomas, Earl of Stratford, hath traitorously endeavored
Speaker 1: to subvert the fundamental laws and government of the realms
Speaker 1: of England and Ireland, and instead therefore to introduce an
Speaker 1: arbitrary and tyrannical government against the law end quote. If
Speaker 1: you could tell the key were there was traitorously. It
Speaker 1: had become clear to everyone playing this game that Stratford
Speaker 1: could not be allowed to live. If he evaded the
Speaker 1: charge of treason, he would become the focused of Royalist
Speaker 1: hopes and might even bring back non parliamentary government. Now,
Speaker 1: while all this was going on. Of course, there were
Speaker 1: arguments over religion. In fact, arguments over religion were the
Speaker 1: heart and soul of this first session of what, by
Speaker 1: the way, is going to become known now as the
Speaker 1: Long Parliament. This was all outweighing any concerns whatsoever over
Speaker 1: secular misgovernment, of which there were plenty. Already, the Puritans
Speaker 1: were in full pursuit of the Armenians. A London crowd
Speaker 1: had burst into Saint Paul's Cathedral, where it destroyed the
Speaker 1: altar and tore up Laud's new book of Liturgy. And
Speaker 1: so on December the eleventh, the citizens of London presented
Speaker 1: a petition to Parliament calling for reformation in church government.
Speaker 1: It declared that the government of archbishops and local lords,
Speaker 1: deacons and archdeacons, etc. Has provided prejudicial and very dangerous
Speaker 1: both to the Church and commonwealth, and therefore it urged
Speaker 1: that ecclesiastical governments should be destroyed, all dependencies, roots and branches.
Speaker 1: The idea here was to eliminate the episcopal structure and
Speaker 1: replace it with something much more puritan, much more small,
Speaker 1: much more local, much more focused on scripture. Fifteen hundred
Speaker 1: supporters gathered in favor of this petition at Westminster. Having
Speaker 1: laid the groundwork, it was now time for Parliament to
Speaker 1: attack the archbishop himself. On the eighteenth of December, Laud
Speaker 1: was impeached and taken into custody. He was accused of
Speaker 1: fostering doctrines that lent support to the King's arbitrary measures,
Speaker 1: and of using the courts both to impose innovations in
Speaker 1: worship and to silence the true professors of England. The
Speaker 1: members of Parliament now determined to consolidate the strength that
Speaker 1: they had. On the twenty fourth of December, it was
Speaker 1: recommended that the English Lord Commissioners, which in effect meant
Speaker 1: the Puritan lords who had launched the petition for Parliament
Speaker 1: in the summer, should be responsible for the disbursement of
Speaker 1: money to the Scots. This was clear as a message.
Speaker 1: They wanted to say two things. Number one, the King
Speaker 1: lacked the resources to pay the Scots. In fact, he
Speaker 1: didn't have the resources to pay his own household expenses.
Speaker 1: And two, the message to the Scots was clear. Parliament
Speaker 1: was now in charge of England, not the King. The
Speaker 1: King was not the one who was going to bring
Speaker 1: you the money. It was going to be the parliamentarians.
Speaker 1: It was further agreed that Parliament should meet at fixed times,
Speaker 1: with or without the cooperation of the King. At this time,
Speaker 1: the Venetian ambassador reported that quote, if this innovation is introduced,
Speaker 1: it will hand over the reigns of government completely to Parliament,
Speaker 1: and nothing will be left to the King, but mayor
Speaker 1: show he'll be stripped of credit and destitute of all
Speaker 1: authorities end quote. What remained to be seen was whether
Speaker 1: Charles would willingly relinquish his powers. By the year of
Speaker 1: sixteen forty one, the king was truly in desperate streets.
Speaker 1: His authority and his revenue were both on the brink,
Speaker 1: and his principal counselors were now languishing in the tower.
Speaker 1: Charles himself tried to keep his spirits and his health up.
Speaker 1: He believed implicitly that the enemies of the Lord's anointed,
Speaker 1: that is, his enemies, would be of necessity fail, that
Speaker 1: all the traders would eventually be brought to justice. That,
Speaker 1: of course, had to be God's will. So on January
Speaker 1: the twenty third, Charles summoned both houses of Parliament to
Speaker 1: the Banqueting House at Whitehall and delivered a speech in
Speaker 1: which he complained about the obstructions placed in his path
Speaker 1: by men quote who put no difference betwixt reformation and
Speaker 1: alteration of government end quote. Yet for the first time
Speaker 1: he did seem a little conciliatory. He seemed willing to compromise.
Speaker 1: He promised to return to the laws of religious policy,
Speaker 1: to the quote purest time of Queen Elizabeth's days end quote.
Speaker 1: Yet the status of his most faithful servant, the Earl
Speaker 1: of Stratford, was still very much in doubt. It was
Speaker 1: already whispered at court that Stratford must rely upon his
Speaker 1: own protestations of innocence, and if they should fail, upon
Speaker 1: the mercy of Parliament Charles was unwilling to fight for him.
Speaker 1: Charles seems to have realized now that only Stratford's death
Speaker 1: could bring about the reconciliation that he desired with his people.
Speaker 1: At the end of the month, the charges that were
Speaker 1: drawn up against the Earl included twenty eight separate articles
Speaker 1: covering the last fourteen years of his career, and outlined
Speaker 1: on over two hundred sheets of paper. Now at the
Speaker 1: beginning of February, the Commons, having to deal with foreign
Speaker 1: affairs now voted three hundred thousand pounds to the Scots
Speaker 1: under the name of quote unquote brotherly assistance the two
Speaker 1: nations they determined were not to be divided. They also
Speaker 1: passed the Triennial Bill, a bill which would guarantee the
Speaker 1: meeting of Parliament on a regular basis. The bill was
Speaker 1: a major blow to royal prerogative, and Charles had been
Speaker 1: most reluctant to give his assent. His power was of
Speaker 1: course extremely limited if he couldn't dismiss and call Parliament
Speaker 1: as he wished, and his authority compromised. Yet on the
Speaker 1: sixteenth of February, he was persuaded to concede the issue,
Speaker 1: partially from the advice that he would receive no money
Speaker 1: whatsoever after any refusal. So he declared, in the old
Speaker 1: Norman fashion, Leroy, the King wishes it now in private.
Speaker 1: Of course, Charles was furious about this. In fact, the
Speaker 1: act made him reliant upon Parliament and gave the Assembly
Speaker 1: that permanent existence that had never known before in English history.
Speaker 1: In fact, it was already rumored that there was going
Speaker 1: to be a new Privy Council created, and it would
Speaker 1: reflect the wishes this time of the Commons. In addition
Speaker 1: to the King, the King doing his best to try
Speaker 1: to avoid all these exigencies, had declared himself to be
Speaker 1: a moderate, equally ready to forgive his enemies and to
Speaker 1: turn his policies in light of complaints directed against them.
Speaker 1: At the same time, he was still desperately trying to
Speaker 1: pursue a divide and conquer strategy. Many in Parliament did
Speaker 1: not share the religious enthusiasm of the Scottish Covenanters, and
Speaker 1: had no wish to see the English Church remodeled to
Speaker 1: satisfy their demands. Others were already beginning to resent the
Speaker 1: amount of money being spent for the maintenance of the
Speaker 1: Scottish army in the North. Charles could pull these groups
Speaker 1: onto his side, maybe, just maybe he could hold on
Speaker 1: to power. The compromise with the Puritans of Parliament did not,
Speaker 1: in the end succeed. The King had insisted that in
Speaker 1: order to take up the offices of state that he
Speaker 1: promised to various men, they must agree to retain the
Speaker 1: bishops and the House of Lords, and to spare the
Speaker 1: Earl of Stratford's life. They in turn turned around and
Speaker 1: demanded that they would be granted at any offices that
Speaker 1: they wanted, particularly in the Privy Council before doing anything
Speaker 1: at all. In the end, there was no space between
Speaker 1: these two positions, and no grand reconciliation occurred, And so
Speaker 1: on the fourteenth of February, Stratford was brought from the
Speaker 1: tower to the chamber of the House of Lords to
Speaker 1: answer all the charges that had been laid against him. Stratford,
Speaker 1: according to our sources, defended himself well with eloquence and wit,
Speaker 1: throwing into serious doubt the result of any trial. Within days,
Speaker 1: it was reported that the parliamentary leaders didn't know how
Speaker 1: to proceed with their case. Sure it was all well
Speaker 1: and good is simply declared that Stratford was a trader.
Speaker 1: But as many have found out through life, proving it
Speaker 1: in court is a lot more difficult. They went forward
Speaker 1: with the trial anyway, which opened on the twenty second
Speaker 1: of March. This, it turned out, was a spectac very
Speaker 1: much that might determine the fate of the nation, as
Speaker 1: the prisoner fought both for his life but also for
Speaker 1: the cause of the king. Now negotiations were continuing behind
Speaker 1: the scenes. The Puritans were ready to spare Stratford's life,
Speaker 1: for example, if the king agreed to grant them the
Speaker 1: Great Offices of State. When the twenty eight articles of
Speaker 1: impeachment were read to him, Stratford was seen to smile.
Speaker 1: He could already see the legal difficulties besetting his accusers.
Speaker 1: They were attempting to prove treason essentially by accumulation that
Speaker 1: no one thing was treasonus. But if you put him
Speaker 1: all together, they somehow got you there. That's a tricky
Speaker 1: needle to thread right there. The days passed with witnesses
Speaker 1: and questions and arguments, in the course of which Stratford
Speaker 1: seemed to really enjoy himself. It was quite the amateur lawyer.
Speaker 1: It turned out, he could outwit the councils for the
Speaker 1: prosecut cution, while in turn they did a terrible job.
Speaker 1: All the reports that we have of the trial showed
Speaker 1: that the parliamentarians were seen as bombastic and antagonistic and
Speaker 1: didn't come off well to the Lords who had to
Speaker 1: decide the case. When on the tenth of April, the
Speaker 1: Lords allowed an enjurement for the prisoner to consult his
Speaker 1: notes before making a closing speech, the Commons protested in fury.
Speaker 1: Now it seemed what was really happening was the two houses,
Speaker 1: the Lords and the Commons, had moved into an antagonistic position. Now,
Speaker 1: the members of the Commons returned to their chamber in
Speaker 1: the afternoon, and at this opportune moment, certain notes taken
Speaker 1: at a previous meeting of the Privy Council happened to
Speaker 1: sort of conveniently show up. This was the council during
Speaker 1: which Stratford had told the King that quote, you have
Speaker 1: an army in Ireland, you may employ it here to
Speaker 1: reduce this kingdom. In the quote, now, the accusers of
Speaker 1: Stratford interpreted this kingdom to be England. That remains arguable, remember,
Speaker 1: because this is at the beginning of the First Bishop's War. Now, this,
Speaker 1: of course would have been treason, and the Commons readily agreed,
Speaker 1: and so they decided to try a new tact. They
Speaker 1: drew up a bill of attainder. A bill of attainder
Speaker 1: is a medieval device whereby both houses of parliaments could
Speaker 1: simply condemn to death an enemy of the kingdom without
Speaker 1: the formality or requirement of any trial. It was also
Speaker 1: a way of persuading the House of Lords to vote
Speaker 1: for Stratford's death without the burden of any legal proof.
Speaker 1: As an aside, bill of tainders are going to be
Speaker 1: directly banned by the United States Constitution. On April nineteenth,
Speaker 1: the King ordered all military officers immediately to return to
Speaker 1: their regiments. When a negotiator from Scotland had an audience
Speaker 1: with the King two days later, he reported that quote
Speaker 1: his mind seems to be on some project here shortly
Speaker 1: to break out end quote. It was also rumored that
Speaker 1: the French, inspired by the Queen HENRIETI Maria, were about
Speaker 1: to invade. What the leaders of the parliamentary faction feared
Speaker 1: most was a disillusion of Parliament. If that happened, both
Speaker 1: the trial and the proposed bill of attainder would be
Speaker 1: immediately canceled. In other words, they would lose all their momentum,
Speaker 1: and so they moved fast. On that same day, April nineteenth,
Speaker 1: the Commons hastily passed the bill of attainer against the
Speaker 1: Earl of Stratford. When the Commons passed the attainer, the
Speaker 1: King wrote to Stratford and assured him once again that
Speaker 1: he had his word he would be spared now. Two
Speaker 1: days later, the King addressed both houses of Parliament from
Speaker 1: his throne. In his speech, he emphasized again some conciliatory
Speaker 1: themes that he would never again act against his conscience.
Speaker 1: This was taken to mean that he would veto any
Speaker 1: attainer against his counselor, however, by many, let them find
Speaker 1: Stratford guilty of just a misdemeanor, and he would take
Speaker 1: it no problem. The king also, unfortunately refused to disband
Speaker 1: his Irish Army, which in turn continued to raise fears
Speaker 1: of military action. Soon rumors of plots and counterplots were
Speaker 1: literally everywhere. For some weeks, a vessel chartered by Stratford's
Speaker 1: secretary had been moored in the Thames River. The boat
Speaker 1: could easily take an escape prisoner to France. Some of
Speaker 1: these reports were true. On Sunday, May the second Sir
Speaker 1: John Suckling, a courtier and army commander, poet and notable gambler,
Speaker 1: called sixty men to the White House tavern in Beard Street.
Speaker 1: There they wore battle dress and carried swords. They were
Speaker 1: supposed to gain entrance to the Tower of London in
Speaker 1: the guise of reinforcements, where they would at once overwhelm
Speaker 1: the guard and secure Stratford's liberty. It was an insane scheme,
Speaker 1: made all the more improbable by the sight of sixty
Speaker 1: armed men milling about in the middle of London. Their
Speaker 1: presence was quickly known and interpreted, and the news passed
Speaker 1: immediately to the leaders of Park Lament. A tumultuous crowd
Speaker 1: of Londoners quickly gathered and ringed around the Tower of
Speaker 1: London to prevent any effort. Nothing happened. It was now
Speaker 1: proposed by the Commons to try to regain a little
Speaker 1: bit of the momentum to pass a religious manifesto. The
Speaker 1: as it was called Grand Remonstrance, devised by the Commons,
Speaker 1: was in sense an English version of the old Scottish Covenant,
Speaker 1: binding those who signed it to an oath that they
Speaker 1: would remain loyal to quote the true Reformed Protestant religion
Speaker 1: against popery and Popish innovation end quote. It was quickly
Speaker 1: printed and circulated throughout the country, addressing and inspiring what
Speaker 1: we now probably should just call a parliamentary party. On
Speaker 1: May the fifth, the Commons, fearful of now another papist uprising,
Speaker 1: in response to the Grand Remonstrance, ordered all the towns,
Speaker 1: cities and counties of England to ensure that their arms
Speaker 1: and munitions were well prepared. A papist plot amounted in
Speaker 1: the context of course, to a royalist plot. And again
Speaker 1: the lines are drawn and you could see the sides
Speaker 1: starting to form. On the day that a new bill
Speaker 1: was passed allowing Parliament to remain in session until it
Speaker 1: voted for its own dissolution, this was the moment it
Speaker 1: was said that reform turned into revolution. This was the moment,
Speaker 1: if we're going to talk, that Charles lost his right
Speaker 1: to govern. Now, the lords themselves had directed that an
Speaker 1: armed force should take command of the tower, thus divesting
Speaker 1: the King of responsibility for military affairs, striking another blow
Speaker 1: to his authority. Meanwhile, this issue with the attainder and
Speaker 1: the Earl of Stratford continued. A delegation from both houses
Speaker 1: of Parliament now carried the document of attainder to the
Speaker 1: Banqueting House for the King's signature. The House of Lords
Speaker 1: had passed it as well. The members were accompanied by
Speaker 1: a crowd of approximately twelve thousand people, which is pretty
Speaker 1: decently sized for this sort of an affair, calling out justice, Justice.
Speaker 1: The King, understandably demoralized, now said that he would give
Speaker 1: his response on Monday morning, but this delay did not
Speaker 1: please the assembled crowd, who promptly gathered again outside the
Speaker 1: palace gate. If the King refused to sign the attainder,
Speaker 1: many predicted that the palace would be attacked and that
Speaker 1: the King and Queen placed into custody. Charles quickly conferred
Speaker 1: with his bishops and the remaining privy councilors that he had,
Speaker 1: many of whom urged him to sign the bill condemning
Speaker 1: Stratford to death slowly, and I should say, reluctantly. King
Speaker 1: Charles nodded and signed the document, and so on May twelfth,
Speaker 1: sixteen forty one, Statford went to his death on Tower
Speaker 1: Hill in front of what was to say the largest
Speaker 1: crowd ever gathered in England, crowds of two hundred Thus
Speaker 1: thou people watched his progress through the city in an
Speaker 1: atmosphere of carnival and rejoicing. In his final words from
Speaker 1: the scaffold, the earl declared, quote, I wish that every
Speaker 1: man would lay his hand on his heart and consider
Speaker 1: seriously whether the beginning of the people's happiness should be
Speaker 1: written in letters of blood. He knelt in prayer for
Speaker 1: about a half an hour, then laid himself down on
Speaker 1: the block. His head was off in one stroke. England
Speaker 1: would require many more as we're about to see now.
Speaker 1: If you've enjoyed this episode and they're looking for ways
Speaker 1: to support Western Sieve, you can click on the link
Speaker 1: in the show notes that will take you to our
Speaker 1: Patreon page where you can access western Siev two point zero.
Speaker 1: For a couple of shekels every month, you get access
Speaker 1: to early versions of this show with no ads, and
Speaker 1: in addition, you can get bonus content. Trans Zip two
Speaker 1: point zero is essentially the entire podcast, but over again