17th Century England

Lesson 8: King or Parliament?

Why Royalist?

Here are some Royalist viewpoints and reasons as to why people sided with the King:

At the first point in the war, Charles wrote to Parliament:

“The God of Heaven direct you and in mercy divert those judgements which hang over this nation, and so deal with us and our posterity as we desire the preservation and advancement of the true Protestant religion, the law and the liberty of the subject, the just rights of Parliament and the peace of the Kingdom.”

Lord Paget – (a noble who switched sides away from Parliament before the conflict, when Parliament claimed control of the military)

“My ends were the common good, and whilst that was prosecuted, I was ready to lay down both my life and fortune; but when I found a preparation of arms against the King under a shadow of loyalty, I rather resolved to obey a good conscience than particular ends, and am now on my way to His Majesty, where I will throw myself down at his feet and die a loyal subject.”

Edmund Verney writing to his Parliamentarian brother Ralph:

“I beseech you consider that Majesty is sacred; God sayeth, “touch not myne anointed.”

Sir Edmund Verney, father to Edmund and Ralph and the King’s Knight Marshall.

“I wish the King would yield and consent to what they desire, but in honour and in gratitude I have eaten his bread and served him near thirty years and will not do so base a thing as to forsake him.”

Sir Beville Grenville:

“I cannot contain myself within my doors while the King of England’s standard waves in the field, the cause being such as to make all that die in it little inferior to martyrs…I go with joy and comfort to venture a life in as good a cause and with as good a company as ever Englishman did; and I do take God to witness, if I were to choose a death it would be no other than this.”

Lord Saville was won over by favours from the King.

Sir Ralph Hopton was a staunch Parliamentarian until Parliament claimed control of the armed forces. He then beame a staunch Royalist to the end of his days.

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