The 23rd October, 1642 was the scene of the Battle of Edgehill, one of the most dramatic, but uneventful conflicts in the English Civil War. King Charles I was busily engaged in an acrimonious conflict with Parliament. The King was a divisive figure. His accession to the throne was ominous right from the beginning, and his reign merely exacerbated the schism in English society. It also threatened the stability and identity of England itself.
Charles was castigated as a tyrant and a religious bigot by an increasingly vocal section of English society. They believed that the office of Monarch was brought into disrepute by his autocratic behaviour. Another contingent remained his loyal and unquestioning supporters. They were convinced of his divinity, and believed that he was God’s anointed. They also claimed with complete sincerity that he could cure the afflicted.
Parliament desperately attempted a compromise to placate the two factions, but the stubborn and unyielding recalcitrance of the King made it impossible. It only confirmed suspicions that he was arrogant and entitled. When he was asked politely to make concessions, he was unequivocal, retorting in characteristically bluff tones, “There are three things I will not part with-the Church, my crown and my friends; and you will have much ado to get them from me”. Evidently, “much ado” was a euphemism for civil war.
England was torn asunder by the fighting that ensued. The Battle of Edgehill revealed that both sides were unprepared and inexperienced. Both Armies were assembled in haste, and suffered humiliating losses as a result. The Royalists had a greater advantage than their adversaries, but only in terms of being organised. After the battle was fought, with no actual victory for either side, a charismatic leader by the name of Oliver Cromwell stepped in. He disparaged the lacklustre efforts at war, “most of them old decayed servingmen and tapsters, and the (Royalists) troopers are gentlemen’s sons, younger sons and persons of quality”. Cromwell was a rising star in Parliament who had no patience with the King, disagreed vehemently with the notion that he had religious supremacy and refused to abide by any of his strictures on the subject.
England was facing an uncertain future, and amidst despair and demoralisation, an obviously “populist” figure like Cromwell seemed the only hope left for its survival. He was perceived as the champion of freedom and democracy and this was a wildly radical departure from the establishment belief that the King had total religious and political authority. Nevertheless Cromwell attracted numerous sympathisers including smallholders struggling to survive on the paltry amount of land apportioned to them. In their minds the King was mean and miserly, with no sense of charity for those on the brink of destitution.
Cromwell’s pragmatism was a refreshing change. He believed that everyone had individual liberty and rights, including in matters of personal faith. In some quarters of England such ideas would have been regarded as sacrilegious. Many refused to relinquish their piety, and their unwavering devotion to the King.
England was still overwhelmingly Christian, but it was riven by religious division. Bigotry flourished on both sides of the divide, and there was very little tolerance. One side was committed to the absolutism embodied in the King, the other side argued that the conscience of the individual was more important.
In February 1645, in the face of possible political defeat, Parliamentarians formed a set of rival fighters called the New Model Army. It was a meritocratic organisation, unlike the King’s Army which was formed on the basis of social rank. These men admired the political conviction of Cromwell. They followed his example and took up arms to fight on his behalf. They believed that this was a righteous war and it had to be won.
Four months later, the New Model Army faced the Royalists at the Battle of Naseby. King Charles himself led the charge, arriving resplendent in gilt armour on an impressive Flemish steed. The opposing forces looked shabby in comparison, they were poor and humble men battling the privileged elites. However the finery of the King’s men was no substitute for the passion and strength of the Parliamentarian’s military representatives. The King’s troops were also outnumbered. At one o’clock they were exhausted and beaten.
Cromwell claimed victory at Naseby and believed that this was God’s will. In the light of this battle people began to seriously question the King and his role as the head of the Church. Fundamental questions arose, some maintained a vain hope that the King would negotiate and reform the Church but others were determined to prove to the rest of the nation that the King was abusing his powers and drastic measures were required to unseat him.
In April 1647 the New Model Army captured the King, in preparation for a trial. Once more, he was offered a reprieve if he agreed on a settlement to end the war. In a sly move, the King allied himself to the Scottish cause and made a fraudulent promise to the Scots. He told them that he would impose the Presbyterian religion across the English part of his Kingdom.
However this was not a sincere promise, it was a cynical attempt at self-preservation, and it worked initially. Scottish forces invaded Preston in Lancashire and fought a prolonged and bitter battle with the New Model Army. The Scots loyalists were defeated and a new agreement became necessary. Neither side were particularly enamoured by the King, and support for his authority was waning. One year later an urgent meeting was convened at Windsor to discuss the worsening situation. After three days of deliberation a mutual decision was made to “call Charles Stuart, that man of blood, to account for the blood he had shed, and mischief he had done to his utmost, against the Lord’s cause and people in these poor nations”. As the year drew to a close, Parliament and the King reached an impasse.
It seemed that there was no other alternative, the King was not prepared to back down. He was arrested and imprisoned on the Isle of Wight. Cromwell travelled down to London anticipating a coup. On the 6th December Colonel Thomas Pride entered the House of Commons and purged the Presbyterians. One month later the remaining 150 MPs declared themselves the supreme power of the nation. This was Cromwell’s political dictatorship in a nascent form. On the 20th January 1649 King Charles’ trial began at Westminster Hall. He was charged with high treason.
It seemed that the unthinkable had come to pass, God’s holy representative was about to be tried, condemned and possibly executed. Ten days later the death warrant was signed and issued.
The morning of the execution was a bleak occasion. The King cut a pitiful figure, he appeared truly remorseful and contrite. A full account of this day was written by B. Whitelocke in a book entitled “Memorials of the English Affairs”. Whitelocke states, “The King died with true magnanimity and Christian patience; his body was put in a coffin, covered with black velvet, and removed to his lodging chamber in Whitehall. At this scene were many sighs and weeping eyes, and divers strove to dip their handkerchiefs in his blood, as in the blood of a martyr”. The image of his devotees clutching their bloodied handkerchiefs indicates that the King had a cult following that has never truly dissipated. His insistence on dogma attracted admiration and derision in equal measure. It is this ambivalence that dominates today’s society and it has never really resolved.
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