HIST362: Modern Revolutions

The Parliamentarians, including Cromwell, hoped to reach a compromise settlement with Charles I. However, the King would not accept a solution at odds with his own Divine right doctrines. The so-called 'second civil war,' which broke out in 1648 after Charles I's escape from prison, suggested to Cromwell that no compromise with the King would be possible. In 1649, after being tried for treason, Charles I was executed by the Rump Parliament at Whitehall. Cromwell came under pressure from the radicals among his own officers to execute the King, whom they termed, "Charles Stuart, that man of blood." Many hold Cromwell responsible for the execution of Charles I in January 1649, although there were 59 signatories to the death warrant. However, Cromwell does hold much of the responsibility, as his troops broke into the Parliament's chambers and only permitted the "regicides" - those in favor of Charles' execution - to vote on the matter.

Cromwell did not have long to dwell on the future form of government in England however, as he immediately left the country to crush the remaining Royalist strongholds in Ireland and Scotland. After the 1660 Restoration of the Monarchy under Charles II regicide became a crime that was equated with rebellion against God, and was incorporated into the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which marks the murder of the King as martyr with a solemn feast on January 30.