0:01

Many moons ago, when the world was

0:03

young and heroes walked the earth, there

0:05

was born the History Podcast.

0:09

And in this world there was the Beeb,

0:11

there was Lars Brownworth on a bloke called Mike

0:14

Duncan and we heard Mike and knew he

0:16

was good. And so

0:18

was spawned a new generation. Wherein

0:21

I was inspired by Robin Pearson, who

0:23

picked up the mantle of the Roman

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Empire in Byzantium. Robin,

0:27

I'm glad to say, is still going

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strong, is still producing magnificent history and

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entertainment and here is a message from

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him. And

0:57

so is the history of Byzantium. The

1:30

hour is late. It's the night of

1:32

the 2nd June 1647 at

1:35

the very grand Holdenby House

1:38

in Northamptonshire. King

1:40

Charles Stuart, King of England and Wales, Scotland

1:42

and Ireland, and indeed a mess of little

1:44

islands scattered around the place here and there,

1:47

had already retired to bed, worn

1:49

out by another hard, full day

1:52

playing bowls at nearby Ulthrop House.

1:55

He Was slumbering in a suitably

1:57

regal manner when he was woken

1:59

by a commotion burn. Though angry

2:02

raised male voices, he recognized the

2:04

commander of his god, General Brown

2:06

been. They have a voice young,

2:08

demanding urgent not to be denied.

2:11

He reached out, he rang the little silver

2:13

bells he always kept by his but in

2:15

case of emergency. Oh well. Discuss.

2:17

You could really as his servants

2:20

James Maxwell panicky burst in a

2:22

young round had officers was demanding

2:24

access. Charles figured he

2:26

was light on choices s and

2:28

so in came around as enzymes

2:30

with sword and shield them to

2:32

soul and hand. Charles.

2:34

Said calmly. It may take away my life

2:37

if you will have in your sword in

2:39

your hand. Charles.

2:41

A long ago accepted that his

2:43

destination might be Macedon. Have

2:46

that destinations now arrived.

3:08

Hello everyone, Welcome to the History

3:11

of England Episode Four Hundred and

3:13

Three. No mere mercenary army. Last

3:16

time we heard about how the deceit of

3:18

the enemy without in the form of the

3:21

king. Had free to parliament to turn

3:23

on the enemy. Within. That.

3:25

Presbyterians when our fully engaged on

3:27

their attempt to eradicate the independent

3:29

religious a bonus by destroying this

3:31

season? Whether was strongest the New

3:33

Model Army. And. They remade

3:36

thoroughly confident of their groomed of

3:38

course. They. Were only doing what

3:40

the country wanted on the country needed.

3:42

They. Were removing a crushing financial

3:45

weight from the bowed soldiers

3:47

of that people. We.

3:49

have come to the moment of truth

3:52

and will the new model disband meekly

3:54

the presbyterians in parliament address off to

3:56

deal with the king restoring his place

3:58

imposing a nationally uniformed church, will

4:01

the leaders of the new model Fairfax

4:04

and Cromwell side with the legally constituted

4:06

Parliament for whose rights they took up

4:08

arms, or stand

4:10

by the comrades and brothers

4:12

in arms with whom they

4:14

have fought? Plus, of course, you will be

4:16

wanted to know about a young man with sword and pistol, and

4:19

what he has come to do. The

4:22

young man in question is Cornet George Joyce,

4:25

and to explain his presence and his friends,

4:27

let me take you to Drury Lane in

4:30

Hoban in London just a few days before

4:32

and to the home of one Oliver Cromwell.

4:34

Now Cromwell, just like

4:36

Fairfax, was facing an agonising

4:39

dilemma trying to reconcile his loyalty to

4:41

Parliament and his loyalty to the army.

4:43

What he knew was that things

4:45

were coming to a head. The

4:48

Cromwell household in Drury Lane had become

4:50

something of a centre for army officers

4:53

based in London, probably including his son-in-law

4:55

Henry Ierton and favourite army chaplain Hugh

4:57

Peter. Usually they met in

4:59

the house, while Elizabeth Cromwell served them small

5:01

beer and bread and butter, no muffins on

5:04

Drury Lane, of course, or at

5:06

other times they went out to Coleman Street

5:08

to the Star Tavern. There

5:10

they debated the King, the Army, the

5:12

Commons, the argue back and forth about

5:14

what they should do. News

5:16

of their worries got back to John Lillburn

5:18

in prison. He confided to

5:20

a fellow inmate, Louis Dive. He

5:24

confided that Cromwell thought he could no longer

5:26

keep his feet in both camps, Parliament

5:29

or army. He must choose.

5:32

Now Louis, it turns out, was a royalist,

5:34

and he sent this news about the division

5:36

in the parliamentary ranks straight back to

5:38

the King. On

5:41

the 3rd of May then, Cromwell had

5:43

a new visitor in Drury Lane via

5:45

4th 3rd George Joyce. George

5:47

was a Taylor son from London and by the

5:49

age of 29 he had achieved the lowest rank

5:51

for a commissioned officer in the cavalry that of

5:53

a Cornet. Cornet Joyce

5:56

was already effectively involved in a

5:58

mutiny anyway. Members

6:00

of the self-appointed Agitators Council of the

6:02

Soldiers had arranged for him to raise

6:05

a substantial troop of five hundred horse,

6:07

and go and help another rebel regiment

6:09

seizing the artillery train at Oxford before

6:11

the Presbyterians could get their dirty little

6:13

hands on it. There

6:17

he'd heard this rumour that Parliament meant to

6:19

seize the King, a greer, quick deal that

6:21

would leave the army out in the cold.

6:24

This would be a disaster. The Agitators

6:26

in the army had a plan,

6:29

a plan to stop that dead in

6:31

its tracks, but they needed the

6:33

support of their generals. So

6:35

on that night of the 1st of June then, Joyce

6:38

emerged from Drury Lane after his bread

6:40

and butter, obviously, sent orders

6:42

to his troops to go to Holdenby and set

6:44

out of the gallop to meet them there. The

6:48

following day, on the 2nd of June 1647, they

6:50

clattered into the court at Holdenby.

6:53

They faced Colonel Richard Graves and

6:55

General Brown, who stood in their

6:57

way with the King's guard. It

6:59

could have been bloody, but it was instead

7:01

breezy as it happened. The

7:04

guardsmen greeted the troopers like long-lost buddies.

7:06

Graves and Brown were utterly

7:09

powerless. The

7:11

plan Joyce had worked out with Cromwell had

7:13

been implemented perfectly. They'd agreed

7:16

that Joyce would take over the guard

7:18

around the King so that no one

7:20

could then remove Charles from Holdenby without

7:22

the agreement of the army. Phew! That

7:24

was easy. Then

7:26

everything changed. Joyce saw

7:29

Colonel Richard Graves, the commander of one

7:31

of the Parliament's regiments, riding hell for

7:33

leather out of the estates. Now

7:36

that was worrying. Where was he off in

7:38

such a leather? Joyce

7:40

realised he was on borrowed

7:42

time, because Richard Graves was the super-loyal

7:44

commander Hollis had so nearly managed to

7:47

replace Fairfax with earlier in the year.

7:49

Pound to a penny said Graves will be back

7:52

with a much bigger boat before you could

7:54

say sovereignty of the people. Joyce

7:56

dashed off a letter to Cromwell if he could

7:58

be found, if not to Iaton or

8:00

Fleetwood asking for instructions, but actually he knew

8:02

he was on his own, a reply

8:05

would come way too late to help out. So

8:08

Joyce and his men came to a decision,

8:10

they must leave, and they must take the

8:12

king with them. So

8:14

back to the king then in his gym jams. Charles'

8:17

time had not come. Joyce

8:19

put away pistol and sword and politely explained

8:21

that he meant no harm, but the

8:23

king must leave with him in the morning. Charles

8:26

figured this was the kind of choice with which

8:28

Hobson would be familiar and went along with it.

8:32

But the next morning, six o'clock bright and

8:34

early, Charles' view-pot had changed

8:36

somewhat, the sinews had been

8:38

stiffened, it occurred to him that he

8:40

really ought to check the paperwork, so

8:42

he asked what commission, what orders Joyce

8:45

had to remove him. Young

8:47

Joyce replied earnestly that he was trying to

8:49

avoid a second civil war and needless bloodshed,

8:52

just sort of hyperbole you'd expect from a young'un.

8:55

Charles had something more specific in mind

8:57

and he asked again, and Joyce in

8:59

desperation told him he'd already answered that,

9:02

please shush now. Charles

9:04

thought that wasn't good enough and kept

9:06

going. I pray

9:08

you, Mr. Joyce, deal ingenuously

9:10

with me and tell

9:12

me what commission you have. Here

9:16

is my commission. Where? Behind

9:19

me, said Joyce. Behind

9:23

Joyce stood five hundred fully armed troopers,

9:25

maybe some were thoughtfully feeling the edge

9:27

of their sword or checking the sights

9:30

of their carbines, who knows. It

9:33

is as fair a commission and as

9:35

well written as I have seen a

9:37

commission written in my life, a

9:39

company of handsome, proper gentlemen as I

9:41

have seen in a great while. The

9:44

conversation went on. Charles asked where they were

9:47

going and Joyce appeared not to have thought

9:49

about that. They suggested Oxford. Charles didn't like

9:51

that so they went through a few places

9:53

and hit on Loughborough. Well, they

9:55

didn't actually. Charles Suggested Newmarket because he'd

9:58

gone hunting there with his dad. The

10:00

back in the diner it's just said fuck

10:02

it and. It was space

10:04

briefly. Helpful decision as it happens.

10:06

anyway. Of they said. That

10:10

was more but in not a delightful

10:12

story. There. Are so many things

10:14

I like about as the young twenty

10:16

nine year old Joyce clearly full of

10:19

enthusiasm and radicalized server. But. In

10:21

a situation way above his prey

10:23

grade than a foolish fico school,

10:25

either nice, lustrous, as nice as

10:28

a Soviet composition is a. And

10:30

then they get in Newmarket because Charles like

10:32

the hunting. I mean really, Come on folks.

10:35

Who says they said revolutions are trying our

10:37

last? This won't look good on the back

10:39

of a blurb. It

10:42

is also very difficult to dislike

10:44

a man who can make such

10:46

an excellent the dry gag with

10:48

the it is an excellent commission.

10:50

Line coach Swath funny draws a

10:52

bone. Generally. It's

10:55

thought Joyce was indicating sauce when

10:57

he pointed at a stripper. Similar

10:59

revolutionary spirit Have this suggested that

11:01

Joyce was pointing to his manners

11:03

representatives of the people's well. I

11:06

love the second. But. I'm going to assess

11:08

to be honest. As

11:11

the business and of all this joyce

11:13

always as a whole thing was Cromwell's

11:15

idea when from a family denied any

11:17

such thing in the keys choice of

11:19

being economical with the truth. Charles.

11:22

Acidly told oliver are not believe

11:24

you unless you hang him. Most.

11:28

Historians square the circle as I have

11:30

done. That promo agreed the

11:32

Joyce should take control of the king

11:34

at Holden. They. But. Not abduct him

11:36

and remove him from there. Anyway,

11:39

So. Long or short of that is

11:41

that Crumble had made his choice army

11:44

or parliament's Convinced as he was that

11:46

Parliament with the rightful source of authorities,

11:48

he would nonetheless nazi his colleagues and

11:51

arms thrown to the lions. As

11:53

he would have known, Fairfax had also

11:56

chosen the army. Thomas. fairfax

11:58

had ordered a general must of

12:00

the whole army, which was to

12:02

be near the Army HQ at

12:04

Berry St. Edmunds, conveniently just outside,

12:06

you guessed it, Newmarket.

12:10

That night, as the soldiers began to

12:12

assemble at Newmarket, Hollis and Co, probably

12:15

unaware of the King's abduction at

12:17

this point, decided to put the

12:19

pressure on and arrest Cromwell. But

12:22

someone warned him, probably God's request

12:24

as far as Oliver was concerned,

12:26

but God's tool was also the

12:28

leveller William Wallin, who later claimed

12:30

he persuaded Cromwell to leave. But

12:33

however it happened, Cromwell left Roalane along with

12:35

Choo Peter and the Muffin Man, of course,

12:37

and set off for Newmarket at the cracker

12:39

dawn. Hollis had missed his

12:42

man. That

12:44

night, the Commons met in continuous session, in

12:46

something of a panic, it must be said.

12:49

They'd now heard of the King's abduction. They

12:52

were also getting bad news from the

12:54

London militia, who were not taken to

12:56

their new press platoon officers at all

12:58

well. None of the bonding

13:00

you'd like to see was happening. So

13:03

at two o'clock in the morning, they

13:05

rather caved. They finally decided that maybe

13:07

they'd been a little hasty. And

13:10

they struck the declaration of dislike from

13:12

the parliamentary record. Three

13:14

days later, on the 7th of June, a

13:16

full indemnity ordinance for all soldiers was passed.

13:19

They sent commissioners out on the road to tell

13:21

the Army of their general loveliness, and that always

13:24

once more sweetness and life and so sorrow didn't

13:26

mean it. Would it be

13:28

enough? In

13:30

Newmarket, the Army were having a bit

13:32

of a love-in on the 4th of June, 1647. Well,

13:35

I say love-in. Before the love-in

13:37

could start, the Presbyterian officers who

13:40

had chosen to accept Hollis and

13:42

Co's command to go to Ireland

13:44

took the occasion to leave the

13:46

new model. It appears

13:48

there are about 57 of them, which isn't

13:50

a massive number, but it is significant, because

13:53

the officers that replaced them were mainly

13:55

promoted from the ranks. That

13:58

meant the remaining officers of the

14:00

new model were of even more humble

14:02

origins, yet more radical,

14:04

yet more homogenous in their independent

14:07

religious views. Anyway,

14:09

the leaving Presbyterian officers were apparently

14:11

hooted off the field, and

14:14

then the loving could begin.

14:16

The agitators of the soldiers

14:18

had put together a petition, the

14:21

humble representation of the dissatisfactions of

14:23

the army. It was

14:25

signed by their officers on behalf of the

14:27

men. Fairfax did not

14:29

say, get back in line you horrible

14:32

little men. Instead,

14:34

he accepted it. He

14:36

then went and visited every single

14:38

one of the thirteen regiments, and

14:40

had said representation read out to

14:42

each and every one. His

14:45

message was on conciliation, a message

14:48

of support for the army, but urging

14:50

them to be moderate in their demands,

14:52

and to respect the civil authority of

14:55

Parliament. His charm, charisma,

14:57

integrity won their hearts as

14:59

always, and he was cheered

15:01

everywhere he went. And

15:03

that night Cromwell arrived and joined the

15:06

party. It

15:08

is at this point that Henry Ioten really

15:10

begins to take centre stage in the English

15:12

Revolution. He is one of

15:14

those who does not have anything like the

15:16

recognition he should have. He is,

15:18

it's got to be said, a rather difficult man to

15:21

like. Severely religious, iron-willed,

15:24

relentless, not many laughs on

15:26

him. Clarendon and

15:28

the royalists hated him, largely

15:31

because he was effective and forensic.

15:34

The levelers would grow to hate him too, because

15:36

he was one of the army grandees with whom

15:39

they would fall out later, and he was less

15:41

radical than they were as he will show at

15:43

the pitney debates. But he

15:45

was still deeply radical for the

15:47

time, and a genuine revolutionary. He

15:49

was rigorous, iron-willed, selfless, he lacked

15:51

any Cromwellian grandstanding, though he and

15:54

Cromwell were always very close, and

15:56

not just because of the family

15:58

ties. fellow

16:00

officers and independents loved him. John

16:03

Cook, the man who will prosecute

16:05

the king, wrote of his dedication

16:07

and hard work, seldom

16:10

thinking it time to eat till he had done

16:12

the work of the day at nine or ten

16:14

at night, and then will sit up

16:16

as long as any man had business with him.

16:20

He was realistic as well as radical, and

16:22

it is he who will be the architect

16:24

and penmaster for the stream of petitions and

16:26

agreements that come from the army over the

16:29

next couple of years, and

16:31

his rigour created coherence from the

16:33

mass of opinions, demands and petitions

16:35

that came from so many different

16:37

parties. In general

16:40

the historian is very impressed.

16:43

To Ioten, as much as

16:45

any individual, belongs the credit

16:47

for calling Mollakito account and erecting

16:50

the English Republic on its ruins.

16:54

This is the first time, then, when

16:56

Ioten produces an army document. He

16:59

seems to have got together with

17:01

all the agitators, talked through their

17:03

desires, their grievances, petitions, other matters,

17:06

and then pulled it all together into

17:08

a conclusion called the solemn engagement of

17:10

the army. Three

17:13

big things to mention

17:15

about the solemn engagement. Firstly,

17:17

it was more than just a manifesto

17:19

of grievances. It was a sacred covenant,

17:22

a bond, an oath in the sight

17:24

of God and their comrades, a commitment

17:27

presented and assented to publicly by every

17:29

regiment and every soldier. The

17:32

army assembled and gazed that we

17:34

shall not willingly disband nor divide

17:36

until their grievances were satisfied. Secondly,

17:39

it declared that no one in England

17:42

should be subject to oppression from those

17:44

who had abused Parliament. That,

17:46

my friends, is coded language for hollows

17:48

and co. Coded language for

17:51

them to be fired. It's

17:53

personal now. Whether they go or

17:55

we go. And

17:58

thirdly, it's probably the most remarkable thing.

18:00

of all from the solemn engagement. The

18:03

engagement set up a new body to

18:05

manage the new model army, a general

18:07

council of the army. The

18:09

council would be composed of the senior

18:11

officers obviously who currently formed the Council

18:13

of War, but now there

18:16

would be a general council too,

18:18

to which each regiment would send

18:20

two officers and two soldiers for

18:23

each regiment, called agitators. But

18:25

again for agitators think rather of the idea

18:27

of an agent. It

18:30

is at once a stroke of genius, appropriating

18:33

the informal system that had

18:35

arisen among the soldiers and

18:38

also extraordinarily democratic. Every

18:40

soldier would now have a voice in the running of

18:42

the army. Is that any way to run an army

18:44

I wonder? Surely officers of the

18:46

time normally would have given the lippy

18:48

a bit of a thrashing and told

18:50

them to do what they were told.

18:52

Okay so the solemn engagement

18:55

was taken by all. The

18:57

army were then presented on the 10th of

18:59

June with the commissioners from Parliament and Fairfax

19:01

courteously drew the army up for them to

19:03

listen to what they had to say. It

19:07

didn't go well. The commissioners

19:09

left with shouts of, justice, justice

19:12

ringing in their ears. Words

19:14

thought hollows bitterly later when he

19:16

was writing his memoirs that Cromwell

19:18

and Iaton had taught them. I

19:21

don't think they needed any teaching at all as it

19:23

happens. Fairfax wrote to

19:25

Parliament to say that the army sought

19:27

no alteration of civil government, but

19:30

this is the last time Fairfax will keep

19:32

trying to keep the new model away

19:34

from politics. I have

19:36

no doubt Fairfax and Cromwell heartily did

19:38

not want this kind of confrontation, but

19:40

there really was no choice. Getting

19:43

the army justice had become political and

19:45

no one trusted the Commons who had

19:47

tried to destroy the new model army

19:49

anymore and showed them so

19:51

little respect and gratitude for their

19:53

sacrifice. The army were insulted and

19:57

there were ideas circulating now about what they

19:59

had been fighting for all this

20:01

time, ideas and thoughts that could

20:03

no longer be re-bottled. These ideas

20:05

came partly from the soldiers and

20:07

partly from the likes of Iacen,

20:09

but partly because Leveller influence

20:12

was beginning to grow. Men

20:14

such as Wallin, Lilburn, Sexti, Wildwin,

20:16

William Allen, Richard Overton were either

20:18

part of the army or their

20:20

writings were becoming well known and

20:23

distributed there. The

20:25

big change came on the 14th of June when

20:28

Fairfax and the Council of War issued

20:30

a document called the Declaration from Sir

20:32

Thomas Fairfax and the Army, once

20:35

more Iacen's work. It

20:38

started with a proud statement of who

20:40

they were. We

20:42

are not a mere mercenary army, hired

20:45

to serve any arbitrary power of

20:47

state, but called forth

20:50

and conjured by the several declarations

20:52

of Parliament to the defence of

20:54

our own and the people's just

20:56

rights and liberties. This

20:59

idea, this sense of

21:02

being drawn from and representers

21:04

of the people was

21:06

now core to the new model

21:09

army's identity and what made it

21:11

a revolutionary force. So

21:14

this declaration now included politics,

21:16

a demand for regular parliaments based

21:19

on fairer constituencies and it called

21:21

for the impeachment of 11 members

21:23

of parliament, Hollis and

21:25

Co essentially. And

21:28

the army was now on the march towards

21:30

London super slowly. On

21:33

the 21st of June it then issued

21:35

the remonstrance of the representatives of the

21:38

army and together with the 14th of

21:40

June declaration we're now getting to a

21:42

full political programme. There should be

21:44

regular parliaments based on coherent consistencies.

21:46

There should also be reform of

21:48

the justice system and the judiciary.

21:50

There should be absolute liberty of

21:53

conscience. And at last

21:55

that sense of looking at the whole

21:57

story of a willingness to get the

21:59

nation. heal recognition that the king

22:01

must be part of the settlement and

22:03

a much gentler language about royalists and

22:05

their life in the new world. Even

22:09

angry, honest John Lillburn approved of all

22:11

this, thanking his old mate Cromwell for

22:13

the active pains he was taking in

22:16

the path of reform. In

22:19

London, levelers remained active,

22:21

and indeed from March Richard

22:23

Overton in particular launched a

22:25

pamphleting campaign. This was

22:27

not easy on him, nor his family.

22:30

The leveler movement very much involved

22:32

women as radical as the men.

22:34

Mary Overton, Richard's wife, kept the

22:36

presses running and was producing coppers

22:38

of Richard's latest appeal. Regal

22:41

tyranny discovered, stitching pamphlets

22:43

together. When

22:45

soldiers arrived, pushed their way into

22:48

the house to destroy the press

22:50

and confiscate the leaflets, Mary

22:52

was hauled off to the Lords. There,

22:56

the Speaker of the House of Lords demanded

22:58

to know the names from her of those

23:00

who had brought coppers of the pamphlet. Mary

23:03

refused to give her a single

23:05

name. She was ordered to

23:07

prison. Pregnant, clutching her

23:10

six-month-old baby, she was dragged on

23:12

hurdles through jeering crowds along the

23:14

muddy streets of London to the

23:16

House of Correction at Bridewell. There,

23:19

she was incarcerated. Only

23:22

she would be freed, but not before she'd

23:24

miscarried. She was

23:26

furious about her treatment and

23:28

wrote that the common people

23:30

of England were enslaved by

23:32

a lordly, arbitrary, vasilagean bondage

23:35

with that Norman brood of

23:37

insolent, dominating tyrants and usurpers,

23:39

the House of Lords. Elizabeth

23:42

Littleburn was also imprisoned, as was

23:44

Richard Overton, but he continued

23:47

to write from prison, with many

23:49

ideas that would appear later in

23:51

the level of programme, criminal reform,

23:53

educational provision, the concept

23:56

of natural right, rights

23:58

with higher authority than

24:00

even Parliament. Meanwhile,

24:03

he, Wallin, Lillburn all maintained their

24:05

contacts in the army like Sexty,

24:08

Wildman and William Allen. The

24:11

Levelers were becoming more organised, it was

24:13

becoming a network, in touch with each

24:15

other, planning and working together, like

24:17

a model of the modern political activist.

24:20

The storm was coming. Hey,

24:28

I'm Ryan Reynolds. At Mint Mobile, we like

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to do the opposite of what big wireless

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terms at mintmobile.com. OK,

25:02

what of Presbyterian London then?

25:05

Well, resolve in Parliament was

25:08

weakening. Several provincial

25:10

MPs began to withdraw their shares

25:12

from Hollis & Co. as did

25:15

Bolstrode Whitlock. Now look, our

25:17

Bolstrode will be a master trimmer.

25:20

By the by, none better. If

25:23

you saw Bolstrode sidling away, it was

25:25

a good time to check the cut of your

25:28

political jib because there's stormy weather ahead. Despite

25:32

the sliding backwards, though, despite their earlier

25:34

concessions at heart, Hollis and the members

25:36

of the Derby House Committee remained committed

25:38

to the counter-revolution, desperate to

25:40

make it work. Edward Massey,

25:42

the ex-Western Association commander, rode through

25:44

the streets of London in his

25:47

coach, inciting the citizens to defend

25:49

their city against the new model

25:51

army. All guards were

25:53

posted on the city walls. The port

25:55

coluses of the gates clanged shut. The

25:58

mayor called the trained bands to arms. arms,

26:00

the militia men tried to turn their

26:02

enthusiasm up to eleven. Most,

26:04

it has to be said, managed no more

26:06

than one or two, sadly for the mayor.

26:09

But he tried. On

26:11

15 June, Hollows defiantly persuaded Parliament

26:13

to pass a resolution aimed squarely

26:15

at the forehead of the army,

26:18

demanding the King be brought to

26:20

London immediately. They

26:22

also decided to define where the English

26:24

Rubicon lay over which the army could

26:27

not cross, and it was

26:29

to lie in an ark thirty

26:31

miles outside London. Over that virtual

26:33

brook the new model and Fairfax

26:35

must not cross. Fairfax

26:37

therefore moved St Albans twenty-five

26:40

miles away. So that went well

26:42

then. Fairfax

26:45

also kept up a correspondence with the

26:47

London Council and William Lentall, Speaker of

26:49

the Commons. People tend to

26:51

think about Fairfax as being non-political, but

26:53

that's not really true. What he probably

26:55

was, was not ambitious for power. But

26:58

anyway, at the start of July an important

27:01

blow was struck by all this

27:03

correspondence. He asked the Speaker to

27:05

be placed under command of all

27:07

the forces in England, and to

27:09

support his argument, noted that order

27:12

must be re-established in the Northern

27:14

Army, which had rebelled against its

27:16

Presbyterian commander, Poyntz. She's

27:18

rather a delicious irony, because the

27:21

rebellion had been caused by new

27:23

model agitators. But

27:25

it made a good argument. Parliament

27:28

saw that they had lost this

27:30

card, went for conciliation, and agreed

27:33

to appoint Fairfax as the general

27:35

of all military forces. Concession was

27:37

made with concession. Fairfax drew the

27:39

army outside the Rubicon back to

27:42

Reading. And

27:44

at Reading then, under the spirit of

27:46

this kind of rather forced conciliation, he

27:48

then called this general council of the

27:51

army, which had been promised. It

27:53

was to meet on the 16th of July. Now look,

27:57

it's the Putney debate that gets all the press, or

27:59

the quadral lot of you I'm sure have never heard

28:01

of that but anyway it does but

28:03

don't worry we'll be coming back to the partner

28:05

debates in episode 405 but the Reading General

28:09

Council is almost as remarkable

28:12

it started with a debate with the

28:14

agitators who demanded an immediate march on

28:16

London Cromwell and Iathan

28:18

talked them down Cromwell's

28:20

view was that achieving consensus

28:22

in healing was critical to

28:25

the future and this is what he said

28:27

whatever we get by treaty will

28:29

be firm and durable we shall

28:32

avoid the great objection that we've

28:34

got things of Parliament by force

28:38

but he agreed that they should demand the

28:40

restoration of the old officers of the London

28:42

train bands and that the imprisoned

28:44

levelers Lillburn and Overton should be freed then

28:48

on the second day Iathan

28:50

produced his Magnus Opus the document

28:52

that was to become known as

28:54

the heads of proposals the

28:58

heads of proposals seems to have mainly

29:00

been Iotans work but it was also

29:02

produced in consultation with key independence in

29:04

Parliament in particular the

29:07

kind of triumvirate we keep talking

29:09

about Sae and Seale and the

29:11

Lords Harry Vane and Oliver St. John

29:13

from the Commons the old independent

29:15

muckers he also

29:18

seems to have corresponded with a royalist

29:20

envoy from the Queen actually one John

29:22

Barkley and so these

29:24

are the proposals then that Iotan after

29:27

this consultation put the general council to

29:29

form the basis of an offer to

29:31

the King designed to wrest control back

29:33

from the Presbyterians unlike

29:36

the Newcastle propositions which have been

29:38

broadly about power the

29:41

heads of proposals was an attempt to

29:43

achieve genuine reform and a better world

29:46

more than that it was an attempt to

29:48

heal old eminities and create a settlement acceptable

29:51

to all of them the

29:53

spirit of reconciliation at last seemed

29:55

to have ridden back into town

29:59

Under the heads. Parliament's would

30:01

be elected every two years. Rotten

30:03

Borrows should be close to the

30:05

new rational constituency that constructed on

30:08

the basis of the taxation yield

30:10

of each county and bara. Parliament.

30:14

Would control the malicious but for only

30:16

ten years after that it would be

30:18

returned to the king. Parliament

30:21

would appoint ministers estate for ten

30:23

years. Also spoke at once again

30:25

as to trust had been reestablished.

30:27

A permanent system will be implemented.

30:29

Were by parliament will propose three

30:31

names for which the king would

30:33

choose his minister. Sir. Government

30:35

would be a partnership. A

30:38

council estate would not replace the

30:40

old privy council with members holding

30:42

office or six term so as

30:45

to reduce corruption and favoritism. Royalist.

30:48

Would be banned from public office and

30:50

parliament, so there's an element of retribution.

30:53

The but unlike earlier and and day

30:55

later proposals that exclusion would last for

30:57

only five years. and then that was

30:59

it. No more retribution, an active oblivion.

31:03

In. Addition, the system of compounding

31:05

would be reformed to radically

31:07

reduce the penalties on Royalists.

31:10

And physically, only five individuals will

31:13

be exempted from this general act

31:15

of oblivion sets a very important

31:17

factor for a king tortured by

31:20

the memory of stress. It. Finally,

31:24

Village in. The. Book

31:26

of Common Prayer was to be

31:28

permitted unless under the Newcastle propositions,

31:30

bishops who are allowed to return

31:33

and continue Unlike the Newcastle propositions,

31:35

but physically, business would be shorn

31:37

of that coercive powers. They would

31:39

beat spiritual leaders only not tools

31:42

of royal oppression. There

31:44

will be no penalties for not going to

31:46

church for anyone. To

31:48

that set the guts of the heads

31:51

of proposals. It was the most open

31:53

statement of toleration to a path for

31:55

another forty years. It was

31:57

an impressive document. Who's all

31:59

my secrets? The ordinary that this senior

32:01

commanders of the army rather than just

32:03

doing it given their starting the discussion

32:05

said had to parliament. They

32:07

did for the soldiers of the General

32:09

counsel for discussions and agreement before they

32:12

took it to king or concern be

32:14

parliament. Over a

32:16

hundred soldiers air force listened to eyes and

32:18

talk about the Pin. One.

32:20

Of the agitators, a noted love of

32:22

us responded on all of their behalf.

32:25

These are things a great weight having

32:27

relation to the settling of a kingdom

32:30

which is great work. Truly the work

32:32

we all expect. Have a Sharon. He

32:35

also times the most considerate. And.

32:38

They went off in a huddle. The. Following

32:40

day they returned to council, gave their

32:42

agreement that the heads of proposals was

32:44

acceptable to all. The. Heads with

32:46

and sent parliament on the twentieth of July.

32:49

It's and say and say the Lord's to

32:51

that immediately they has this has any twelve

32:53

Lord Celeste in the House of Lords at

32:55

this point. So

32:57

eight same to this point said the

33:00

approach of the army had one the

33:02

commons accent said this was the way

33:04

forward follow some. The eleven members retired

33:07

from the house, control of the London

33:09

trained bans was returned. one sort of

33:11

Sas Ice. Great unity restored bass, bass

33:13

and indeed boss. Oh.

33:16

I needed to happen now. Was.

33:18

The chose to seize this generous

33:20

and innovative way forward Amazon. we

33:22

can all get back today and

33:24

nation again. That

33:26

then must take us back to Charlie Lad

33:28

What have things been like to the this

33:30

hello since the comfort of home they have

33:33

been left behind How is he taking to

33:35

army camps. But. I

33:37

could not be more pleased when for

33:39

me that Charles had been charmed and

33:42

designed to. Buy. The reception he

33:44

had received at the hands of the army.

33:47

There. Was scarcely a trace of Republic is

33:49

I'm at this point and the New Model

33:51

Army and Chromo and Says acts themselves was

33:53

full of worms, an aberration. Say

33:56

welcome Zach King with open arms

33:58

They offered him. Eerie Honor.

34:01

On. Market Newcastle and How to Make. He

34:03

was allowed to use the Book of

34:05

Common Prayer. He was allowed to have

34:07

access to his favorite Anglican chaplains. We.

34:10

Know lots of this through the

34:12

memoirs of one John Barclays, the

34:14

Queen's person or envoy. Henrietta.

34:17

Maria had been in contact with her

34:19

hub constantly of coast and urged into

34:21

just makes a damned deal. Who cares

34:23

what flavor person chance you will have

34:25

your own damn the Heretic send you

34:28

I. Just. Say Yes! I.

34:30

Paraphrase and horribly simplify it. Of this

34:33

I apologize to Henrietta Maurice. Actually, her

34:35

real sticking point was over control of

34:37

the army, but on religion to do

34:40

the deal. King. Anyway,

34:42

spinoff, They had been sent over by

34:44

Henrietta Maria to oil the wheels. He

34:47

was welcomed into camp as well and had

34:49

friendly chat set fires accent with Cromwell but

34:52

it's actually seems a bit of a loving

34:54

was going on. Scrum on him to see

34:56

was moved to tears at the size of

34:58

Charles with his children. The. French

35:00

ambassador Rico's crumbles been news meant

35:02

that a simple gentleman farmer like

35:05

himself was hobnobbing with the king.

35:07

Not something you're Huntington's entry sama

35:09

would have expected. Sex.

35:11

Trying to sniff out some

35:13

stuff for his monthly report.

35:15

Michelle Ambassador Dahlia of with.

35:18

Ask commas what his aims

35:20

were. On. The village bit vague

35:22

until he mutters. None. Rises

35:24

so high is he who knows not

35:27

whether he is going. It.

35:29

Is an interesting statement. I

35:31

have heard of more than one person.

35:33

Expand this to include a philosophy the

35:36

whole Civil War because again unlike the

35:38

American and French Revolution, there have been

35:40

notes on Loch Ness Monster scarce know

35:43

enlightenment say was no road map to

35:45

follow or model to reach for. No

35:48

one had expected to, for Dalliance had

35:50

become a revolution. no one journey so

35:52

far as those who do not know

35:54

where they're going. Anyway,

35:57

so none rises so high is he

35:59

who knows not whether he is going

36:01

as regards Cromwell. Of course Royalists would

36:03

latest spin this as ambition scrum of

36:06

had no ambition or limits that he

36:08

would set himself does know heights to

36:10

which he could not prize. On.

36:13

The other end of the spectrum. It

36:15

is part of a story of

36:17

Cromwell, the honest, an ambitious man

36:19

who never really wanted power. It

36:22

was just thrust upon him by

36:24

circumstance that he is here simply

36:26

expressing his astonishment at how far

36:28

site had brought him. But.

36:31

Maybe is even more simple. Gym

36:33

of this parish suggests a crumb.

36:35

I was talking to the ambassador

36:37

of an international not necessarily friendly

36:39

power and he was just being

36:41

vague because he had no intention

36:43

whatsoever spilling any beans. Actually. Gym?

36:45

that is now my favorite explanation.

36:49

Other conversations tend suggest that this

36:51

stage anyway, it is not personal

36:54

ambitions that have brought Fairfax and

36:56

Cromwell to this point. So

36:59

later then for example, before presenting

37:01

Charles with the best proposition it's

37:03

he will ever have. From

37:05

are said to him that. They. Thought

37:07

no man could enjoy their lives

37:10

in the States quietly without a

37:12

king had his rights. And

37:15

he described the kings of he fought

37:17

tooth and nail against the last five

37:19

years as the a prices than most

37:21

conscientious man of the three kingdoms. Sali,

37:25

This. Seems to just sat at this

37:28

stage at least both sides and

37:30

cromwell just wanted to finish this

37:32

and all go home. Side.

37:34

All. Seems set fair.

37:37

For. Peace. And

37:40

yet, Barkley. Sounds. Is

37:42

king suspicious? He found him

37:44

disbelieving. Yes again of the

37:46

motives of these rebels. It

37:49

was now that Charles confined to

37:51

a rather shocked Barkley. They did

37:53

not trust these commanders speakers. None

37:55

of them had our sinful, personal,

37:57

honest or savers or person really.

38:01

Apparently, that is what required

38:04

on the part of serious political

38:06

operators and courtiers. Without

38:08

such motives, they surely couldn't be

38:10

serious about their proposal. What's in it for

38:12

them? By

38:15

now, Charles was physically being moved progressively

38:17

down towards Hampton Court, and he had

38:19

arrived at the grand house of Woburn

38:21

Abbey, and it was here that copies

38:23

of the heads of the proposals appeared

38:25

with his morning post. Charles,

38:28

in the way, was super excited about

38:31

these proposals. He saw in them the

38:33

real opportunity for peace and the new

38:35

future at last, and he told Charles

38:37

so. To

38:39

his despair and astonishment, Charles

38:42

did not seem happy at all. At

38:44

a minimum he wanted the Church of England

38:47

confirmed in its power and its law with

38:49

its bishops as they had been, and also

38:51

none of his friends to be exempted from

38:53

pardon at all. And

38:56

he was confident, chipper almost, firm

38:59

in his recalcitrance, because

39:01

he knew, or he thought he knew,

39:04

that they could get nowhere without him.

39:07

Without their king's agreements he held all

39:09

the cards. I shall

39:11

see them glad ere long to accept

39:14

for equal terms. At

39:16

this moment, unfortunately, Jack Ashburnham appeared

39:19

again, I'll sort of Tim Nice-but-Din

39:21

Curtier, and he appeared to have as

39:23

much backbone as a jellyfish, so he did nothing but

39:25

agree with Charles. Also

39:27

Charles's other counsellors appear and fill

39:30

his head with dreams. John

39:32

Maitland, Lord Lordedale, was there with

39:34

seemingly great plans for royalist revival

39:37

in Scotland. Letters were

39:39

around from Presbyterians in London, promising

39:41

their bowels were feeling firm they

39:43

had plans for the greatest comeback

39:45

since Lazarus. Arcee

39:48

was aghast at all this. He kept

39:50

panging away that here was the most

39:52

generous offer Charles was ever likely to

39:54

get. In a very

39:56

famous conversation he pleaded with Charles that

39:59

with these proposals Never

40:01

was a crown so near lost,

40:03

so cheaply recovered, as his magistrates

40:05

would be, if they

40:07

agreed upon such terms. Well,

40:13

while Charles was mulling, London

40:15

erupted. The news got

40:17

out that the Presbyterians had surrendered to the independence

40:20

and that the eleven members had fled Parliament. Presbyterian

40:23

ministers thundered resistance from

40:25

their pulpits, angry militiamen,

40:27

watermen, rifflemardoes, gathered in

40:29

Skinner's Hall and raged

40:31

against this capitulation. And

40:33

they swore their own great engagement, a

40:36

mirror image of the army's engagement. Thousands

40:39

of rifflemardoes protested in St James

40:41

Field. The London Common Council accepted

40:43

their petitions. Hollers and the eleven

40:46

members came out from hiding and

40:48

whipped up the passions, presenting a

40:50

petition to Parliament to bring the

40:53

King back to London immediately

40:55

in defiance of the army. But

40:58

still, Parliament, for the

41:01

moment, stood firm and rejected

41:03

their petition. But

41:05

that simply enraged the rifflemardoes

41:08

still more. Now

41:10

there was a riot, a mob swirled

41:12

and crashed into Parliament, stormed into the

41:14

chamber of the House of Lords itself,

41:17

bullied the Lords to pass acts, restoring

41:19

the militia to city control. And

41:21

there was stuff being thrown around to

41:24

encourage them, ladies and gentlemen, and I

41:26

must use the word excrement on a

41:28

public podcast, because, gentle listeners, such was

41:30

included in the throwing. MPs

41:33

and Lords asked for help from the Mayor to

41:35

restore order from all this, and the Mayor said,

41:37

Mmm, busy actually, so sorry, let me get back

41:40

to you on that. In

41:43

the end, eight peers and fifty-seven MPs fled

41:45

the riots in the city and found their

41:47

way to the army camp at Reading. Back

41:50

in London, their flight once more

41:52

readjusted the balance of power in

41:54

Commons, now back in favour of

41:57

Hollis and Co and the Presbyterians, and for

41:59

a one-year-old. the eleven

42:01

members returned and tried to revive

42:03

the Counter-Revolution. Despite

42:07

those riots, it had

42:09

become increasingly clear that support within London

42:11

and its suburbs was in fact as

42:13

thin as an after dinner mint. Outside

42:17

of London, there was nothing but tumbleweed

42:19

for their cause, not a leaf nor

42:21

a twig stirred in support. The

42:24

Levellers and their allies in the army

42:26

watching all of this in London were

42:29

furiously demanding a march now on London

42:31

immediately by the army to dissolve Parliament

42:33

for new free elections. Let's stop pussyfooting

42:36

around here. But

42:39

Fairfax and Cromwell, new

42:41

lasting peace, lay in negotiation and

42:43

accommodation with the King. So,

42:46

back at Woburn, Charles had

42:48

sent to Fairfax that he was prepared

42:50

to discuss the heads of proposals, and

42:53

so it was with hope and optimism that on the 28th

42:55

of July 1647 Fairfax's delegation

42:59

of four appeared at Woburn. The

43:03

group was led by Henry Ioten

43:05

and along with him were Colonels

43:07

Thomas Rainsborough, Robert Hammond and Rich.

43:10

They were ushered in to see the King with

43:13

great hopes. Ioten must have

43:15

been optimistic that here peace was in

43:17

his grasp. If they

43:19

could clinch this now, here was

43:21

the ultimate opportunity to finally heal

43:24

the rift in the nation. Furthermore,

43:28

if Charles accepted it now or

43:30

anything close, Fairfax then had plans.

43:34

He would take the army, he would have them

43:36

march to London with Charles at

43:38

its head. Surely

43:40

then the last of the resistance must

43:43

melt away. A new country

43:45

would dawn, which would set a new

43:47

standard, a constitutional monarch, reformed

43:49

and refreshed Parliament, elected on

43:51

fairer terms. A level

43:54

of religious liberty unequaled anywhere in

43:56

Europe, except maybe the Netherlands. It

43:58

was a thrilling prospect. And fear

44:00

the excitement, as I write." So

44:04

back to the meeting then. As

44:06

Charles faced these four men, not a drop

44:08

of blue blood amongst them, he

44:10

spoke the language not of reconciliation,

44:13

but the language of division, the

44:15

language of content. Or

44:17

in the words of Berkeley himself, entertained

44:20

them with very tart and bitter

44:22

discourses. He insisted on

44:24

an established church. He brought up

44:26

strafford again. The meeting

44:29

went on for hours, for three hours.

44:31

Repeatedly Charles made the same point, displaying

44:33

again and again the bottom of sea

44:35

of his overconfidence.

44:37

He insisted that in the end everyone must bend

44:39

to his will, because no agreement

44:42

was possible without the king. He looked them

44:44

in the eye and told them

44:46

so straight. "'You cannot be without

44:48

me. You will fall to

44:50

ruin if I do not sustain you.'"

44:54

All this talk was so much

44:56

blarney in his view. "'In the end you

44:58

know you will have to come back, Cap'n Hand.'" No

45:01

one could quite believe what they were hearing. At

45:05

one stage, Berkeley could bear it

45:07

no longer. He leant over and

45:09

he whispered in the king's ear,

45:11

"'Sir, your majesty speaks as

45:13

if you have some secret strength and

45:15

power that I do not know

45:17

of. And since

45:19

your majesty has concealed it from me, I

45:22

wish you had concealed it from these men

45:24

too.'" Charles

45:27

had his personal certainty from God.

45:30

He also had Lord Adale's promises that the

45:32

Scots were fixing to bring an army south.

45:35

There was all that chaos in London anyway.

45:38

Charles didn't want to heal. He wanted

45:40

to win. He

45:42

wanted his party triumphant and the rebels

45:44

put in their place. Nothing

45:47

less would satisfy his sense of

45:49

honour. So neither Berkeley nor I could

45:53

shift him, though they kept trying. Colonel

45:55

Thomas Rainsborough, on the other hand, had far

45:57

less regard and patience with all this. the

46:00

debate was still going on, he got up and left.

46:03

I always think not enough is made of this. One

46:06

does not simply leave the presence of

46:08

the King in the seventeenth century any

46:10

more than one simply walks into a

46:13

mordor. Rainsborough

46:15

was a man of action. He held radical

46:17

views which would lead him increasingly towards the

46:20

levellers. It feels here like

46:22

he had just crossed a mental line. He

46:24

had done with us. The King was

46:26

incorrigible, had no spirit of compromise

46:29

and he must be forced, not

46:31

conciliated. In

46:33

the end the rest gave up as well and

46:36

the best chance for peace and healing died at

46:38

Woburn Abbey in July 1647. The

46:42

army as a whole were of course well aware that

46:44

this was all going on through their agitators and

46:47

the King's contempt outraged many of

46:49

them. Feelings towards the

46:51

King, as I say, had been remarkably positive

46:53

in the army towards this man they'd been

46:56

fighting but that now began to

46:58

change as well. So

47:01

what to do then? Chaos in London

47:03

and uncooperative King? Time for

47:05

Fairfax and the army to take matters in hand.

47:09

And we will talk about those matters and indeed

47:11

those hands in the next episode. Until

47:13

then everyone I hope you do not grieve

47:15

too much that this great opportunity for peace,

47:18

truth and light and justice has been so

47:20

callously thrown aside. I

47:22

would like to thank you all for your

47:24

patience and interest and do let me know

47:27

what you think at thehistoryofengland.co.uk or at Facebook

47:29

or email me or indeed pin ballads and

47:31

libels to the door on your local in

47:33

the 17th century idiom. Until

47:35

then, thank you very much for

47:37

listening everyone. Good luck and have a great week.

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