There are some things in this establishment that are fundamental ... about which I shall deal plainly with you ... the government by a single person and a parliament is a fundamental ... and ... though I may seem to plead for myself, yet I do not: no, nor can any reasonable man say it ... I plead for this nation, and all the honest men therein. Oliver Cromwell, to First Protectorate Parliament 12 September 1654
I desire not to keep my place in this government an hour longer than I may preserve England in its just rights, and may protect the people of God in such a just liberty of their consciences. Oliver Cromwell
Later on he [Cromwell] and other English politicians ruled Ireland with a rod of iron. Dr Peter Gaunt
The year is 1640. A gentleman farmer in East Anglia has so far lived his life in obscurity. But now at the age of 40 he is on the verge of greatness. Richard Holmes, Great Britons: Cromwell, BBC 2002
To the horror of Charles I, parliament began make assertions and pushing for a series of measures that challenged the authority of the king and the established Church. But Charles wouldn’t back down. ibid.
The two armies drew up on either side of this low valley ... Here in the middle there were more than 10,000 men shooting and stabbing at each other. ibid.
The army was increasingly mistrustful of parliament ... They published demands for liberty, justice and freedom from tyranny. ibid.
Once again England descended into civil war, and Cromwell gave up the complexities of politics to return to the simple loyalties of battle. He won a series of victories and emerged even more convinced that God was on his side. ibid.
On 20th January 1649 King Charles I was put on trial in Westminster Hall. ibid.
Early on 30th January 1649 King Charles I walked through the Banqueting House at Whitehall and stepped through a first floor window on to a great scaffold. ibid.
Cromwell’s lasting reputation as a butcher here in Ireland rests on his wholesale killing of the garrison and also on the charge that he ordered the murder of unarmed civilians. The story about the civilians is a myth ... But there’s no doubt about the slaughter of the garrison. ibid.
On 16th December he accepted a new title – Lord Protector of the Commonwealth. ibid.
The quarrel is now between light and darkness, not who shall rule, but whether we shall live or be preserved or no. Good words will not do with the Cavaliers. John Lambert, speech to parliament 1656
In the early seventeenth century the British Isles were engulfed by bitter religious and political conflict. The people divided into two warring tribes – the Roundheads, radical parliamentarians led by Oliver Cromwell, fighting to create a more egalitarian Church and State, and the Cavaliers, Royalists led by Charles I, fighting to preserve the religious hierarchy and the King’s authority. Roundhead or Cavalier: Which One Are You? BBC 2012
The battle between Roundheads and Cavaliers continues to shape our national life. ibid.
The Roundheads also introduced a military uniform for the first time - the famous redcoat. ibid.
By October 1647 the King was imprisoned and the Cavaliers were in disarray. ibid.
The Levellers published their demands for human rights and democratic reform in a manifesto called the Agreement of the People. ibid.
The Roundheads were confronted by a pleasure-loving people, and they were never happier than when they were getting drunk. ibid.
Parliament issued an order for the utter suppression and abolishing of all stage plays. ibid.
After a seven-day trial the King was found guilty. ibid.
An English republic was established. ibid.
Cromwell failed to crush the Cavalier spirit of Christmas. ibid.
Oliver Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector for nearly five years. ibid.
Roundhead or Cavalier: the battle continues. ibid.
This is the [bronze] head of Charles I. It was cut off in a brutal act that ended centuries of royal power and paved the way for democracy. This story explores Charles’s mind. Lisa Hilton, Charles I: Downfall of a King I: Two World Collide, BBC 2019
Nine years of bloody civil war and regicide all stemmed from the events of just fifty tempestuous days. ibid.
All this starts with a rift between two men: on one side is King Charles, and on the other, a scheming politician called John Pym. ibid.
Charles’s court reached staggering heights of indulgence. ibid.
Pym’s fear resonates with MPs … The King is being misled by his Catholic Queen and his wrongheaded advisers. ibid.
The Grand Remonstrance caused uproar in parliament. ibid.
Some of the Irish rebels claim to be acting in his name … a brilliant PR coup for Pym. ibid.
The very foundation of the British state fractures. I want to discover how our government can fall apart. Lisa Hilton, Charles I: Downfall of a King II: A Nation Divided
This collision of world-views plunges England into a decade of violence and sends the King sliding towards the executioner’s axe. ibid.
As a Puritan, Pym fears England is ripe for foreign Catholic invasion. He thinks Charles is a dangerous king … Pym’s London radicals dominate the benches. ibid.
Protests spawned riots: riots turn into a national uprising. Attacking the prayer book, rebels did not mince their words. ibid.
Now things get really personal. ibid.
Fuelled by ale, the London apprentices are on the rampage … ‘No Bishops! No Popish Lords!’ ibid.
Charles loses control of the parliament and the people in one foul swoop. ibid.
London is in meltdown. Once a laughable minority, the Puritans have swept into power. ibid.
1st January 1642: Charles summons John Pym. ibid.
A new plan: if he [Charles I] can’t beat Pym, he’ll try and do a deal to get him on side: at a secret meeting at Whitehall Palace he offers him the coveted role of Chancellor of the Exchequer … He refuses the offer. Lisa Hilton, Charles I: Downfall of a King III: The Final Showdown
The Queen’s religion is one of Pym’s most potent weapons. ibid.
Pym is trying to push the King over the edge. ibid.
But the King has no choice except retreat [from parliament]. As he does, their fury finds its voice in cries of, Privilege! ibid.
Mighty John Pym now rules over an abandoned London with 10,000 troops at his command: a myriad of plots, blunders and obstinacy have brought us to this cliff edge. Now in January 1642 war is all but inevitable. ibid.
On 30th January 1649 Charles I’s head was severed from his body. This anointed king was killed in the full light of day with the backing of parliament. This brutal act of regicide comes after seven years of war that divides towns, friends and even families. Charles I: Killing a King I, BBC 2019
But Cromwell is up against a king who is absolutely convinced of his divine right to rule. Charles believes he is answerable to God and not parliament, but the reality is he is a prisoner of parliament. ibid.
Friday 5th January 1649: Everything is moving towards putting the King on trial. The country is inching closer to calling the King to account for his role in the bloodshed of the Civil War. But God is never far from politics. ibid.
It’s January 1649: Parliament has voted to put King Charles I on trial for treason. If he is found guilty, he will be executed. Parliament are demanding that Charles be made to pay for his role in the conflict in the Civil War. But how will the people of England react when the news is made public? And how exactly do you put a King on trial? Lisa Hilton, Charles I: Killing a King II
How the nation affect this radical step the reverberations of which are still felt to this day. ibid.
Moderate Puritan MPs expelled from parliament implore Fairfax to take action to stop the trial. ibid.
When another commissioner voices deep reservations about the legality of the trial, Cromwell snaps. ibid.
For the last two days the King of England has been publicly on trial accused of being a tyrant, a traitor, a murderer, and a public and implacable enemy to the commonwealth of England. Lisa Hilton, Charles I: Killing a King III