1646-1649: The Failure to Reach Settlement - Key Groups in the Settlement Period

Key Groups in the Settlement Period 

In 1646, the settlement meant making a deal with the King. There was no thought of making a deal for the future which did not include Charles I (at this point no man was thinking of regicide).

Why couldn't a settlement be reached?

• Charles - attitude and intransigence made negoitation difficult. Arguably Charles could never have accepted any form of a settlement 
• New Model Army - increasingly politicised. Relationship with Parliament had changed
• Parliament - there was division and factions among groups who had their own different ideas - this was the rift of the Political Presbyterians and the Political Independents 
• Radicalism - development of religious and political radicalism, especially within the NMA. 

Parliament during this time

Division within Parliament over how to fight the Civil War alerted Charles to the growing factions and he played on this - it was one of his political advantages over Parliament 

 

Political Presbyterians (Peace Party) V. Political Independents (War Party)

Political Presbyterians - Willing to accept settlement with the King on minimal terms

• Most influential group in Parliament by 1646 
• Conservative on social and political matters
• Opposed to religious toleration 
• Favoured negotiations for peace with the King 
• Drew closer to the Scots 
• Disenchanted by the NMA
• Main aim to prevent social revolution 

Political Independents - Charles must accept limitations before NMA is disbanded (meaning security within the settlement)

• Oliver Cromwell a member of this group
• Dislike the authoritarianism of Scottish Presbyterianism 
• Wanted increasingly religious tolerance
• Allied with the NMA 

What was equally important at the time was what the nation wanted - Farr comments that "most of the country actually favours a quick resolution in order to gain peace." 

This is understandable as people didn't want to go to war in the first place. The war continued longer than many people thought it would have and therefore this made it easy to back the Political Presbyterians as they were willing to go back to the traditional system. 190,000 Englishmen died and this caused an appeal and need for settlement.