17th Century England

Lesson 6: 1641 - The Second Half

Power in London

It was in a state of crisis that the capital entered 1642. Rumours flew around of the Queen's imminent impeachment, the apprentices were still rioting and surging round Whitehall Palace and Charles ordered all his courtiers to wear swords for their own protection.

The rioters stormed Westminster Abbey, but the King's guards threw them back, a falling tile killing the leader. Charles denounced the riots and called on the Royalist Lord Mayor to summon the trained bands if necessary.

The King then appointed two moderate men to positions within his government. The Lords Falkland and Culpepper were previously part of Pym's supporters, but the recent gains in Parliament had made them think that the balance of Government was too far in Parliament's favour and also they saw Pym was not about to stop in his demands.

A whole moderate party who saw that Parliament had way overstepped the mark began to form and Charles's position looked like strengthening. The House of Lords even asked the House of Commons for a guard, like Charles had placed at his palace's gate, but Pym and the Commons refused, saying the people had a right to express their opinions in this manner.

Charles had appointed Lord Saye, an opposition man to the Mastership of the Court of Wards, a prerogative court which had been one of those which had upheld his power. This new opposition master meant that the court was saved from being abolished and Charles retained the income from it.

Charles then astutely wrote to the absentee's from the House of Commons, urging this band of moderates and potential Royalists to attend. He followed up his defence by switching the guard around Parliament from Pym's supporters to the Westminster Trained Bands, officered by the King's friends.

The mob threatened to cut the throats of any who did not sign. The most recent huge petition against Bishops and Charles showed both his support of the Bishops and conciliation by appointing moderate men, not of Archbishop Laud's thinking, to vacant Bishoprics.

On Monday 3rd January, the King felt the time had come to stop the lawlessness by taking a firm hand. He ordered his attorney general in the House of Lords to accuse the six principal opposition men of High Treason.

John Pym, John Hamden, Arthur Haselrig, Denzil Holles, William Strode and Lord Mandeville were denounced and the House of Commons claimed this was a breach of their privileges, an accusation much voiced at anything the King's party did.

Both houses refused to yield the men to the King and Charles planned to seize them himself. Pym and the others knew this, but they had to remain in Parliament for the full effect of Charles's actions to be apparent (if and when he tried to seize them - they bet everything on him failing, so that he could be exposed as a tyrant).

Sure enough, Lady Carlisle, a spy in the King's household managed to warn Pym and the men left the Parliament before the King arrived at the head of his lifeguard on the morning of January 4th 1642.

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