0:00

Hey there! Did you know Kroger always gives

0:03

you savings and rewards on top of our

0:05

lower than low prices? And when you download

0:07

the Kroger app, you'll enjoy over $500 in

0:09

savings every week with digital coupons. And don't

0:12

forget fuel points to help you save up

0:14

to $1 per gallon at the

0:16

pump. Want to save even more? With

0:18

a boost membership, you'll get double fuel points

0:20

and free delivery. So shop and save big

0:23

at Kroger today! Kroger, fresh

0:25

for everyone. Savings may vary by

0:27

state. Restrictions apply. See site for details.

0:30

It's January 30, 1649.

0:33

A Tuesday,

0:35

just before 2pm. We're

0:38

in London, outside the Palace

0:40

of Whitehall. It's

0:42

been the home of England's monarchs since the time

0:44

of Henry VIII. The

0:49

day is bitterly cold. There are

0:51

ice flows on the Thames. Flurries

0:53

of snow swirl in the air. In

0:58

the yard, a crowd is gathered, marshalled

1:01

by roundhead soldiers. They

1:04

wait in horror as much as

1:06

expectation, not fully able

1:08

to process the event they're about to witness.

1:15

Inside Charles I, King

1:17

of England, Scotland and Ireland,

1:20

makes the long walk through the state rooms.

1:23

He's escorted by parliamentary guards and

1:25

his chaplain, Bishop William Jackson.

1:29

Yesterday, the King said goodbye

1:31

to two of his children, Elizabeth

1:34

XIII and Henry VIII. His

1:38

daughter was inconsolable. Farewell's

1:41

over, he takes his last earthly

1:43

steps, passing through the banqueting

1:45

hall beneath the beautiful

1:47

Rubens frescoes that he himself commissioned.

1:51

They show his own father, James

1:53

VI and I, looking down from

1:55

heaven. Stonemasons

1:59

have removed the brickwork beneath one of the

2:01

windows. It is now

2:03

an ad hoc doorway opening onto what appears

2:05

to be a balcony. It's

2:08

a wooden scaffold, constructed

2:10

hastily, now draped in

2:12

black cloth. There's a

2:14

coffin at the ready. As

2:19

the king steps out, the crowd falls

2:21

silent. He casts

2:23

his eye across the assembled throne, bottled

2:26

there against the January chill. He

2:29

was wise to ask his valet for an

2:31

extra woollen undershirt, lest his people

2:33

mistake his shivers for fear. On

2:37

the advice of the bishop, he's eaten

2:39

some bread and wolfed a glass of claret. This

2:43

is no task to undertake on an empty stomach.

2:49

Charles turns to those on the platform, the

2:51

presiding officers, plus the burly

2:53

executioner and his assistant. Somewhat

2:57

absurdly, these two men are not just masked,

2:59

but in fancy dress, uniformed

3:02

as sailors. They

3:04

wear fake beards and wigs. Their

3:06

disguise is held in place with fishnets

3:08

pulled tight down over their heads. The

3:12

king makes a quip about them being

3:14

afraid to show their faces. They've heard

3:16

such remarks a thousand times before. As

3:20

his customary, he offers them a small

3:22

purse of coins. Charles

3:26

removes his cloak. He asks if

3:29

his long hair might be an impediment to the

3:31

Axman's aim. The executioner

3:33

suggests that it is, but

3:36

helps the king tuck it up into a nightcap.

3:39

He then limbers up, taking a

3:41

few practice swings. The

3:43

king makes a final speech. It's

3:46

inaudible to orbit those in close proximity.

3:49

Something about going from a corruptible

3:52

to an incorruptible crown. An

4:01

indignity, but it minimizes

4:03

last-minute struggles, though

4:06

there are ropes at the ready should his majesty

4:08

need to be tied down. He

4:11

would like a moment in prayer, he says. When

4:15

he is ready, he will give a signal. Flat

4:19

on his belly, he mutters to himself. He

4:23

then extends his arms out sideways. From

4:35

Noether, this is part

4:37

three of the Oliver Cromwell story,

4:40

and this is Real Dictators. Let's

4:43

go back. It's

4:51

two years previously, January

4:53

1647. The

4:58

English Civil War has come to an end. The

5:01

first one, that is. Since

5:04

the resounding parliamentary triumph at Naysby, royalist

5:07

forces have collapsed. The

5:10

King has turned himself over to the Scottish

5:12

army in Nottinghamshire, hoping for a

5:14

shot at reconciliation. But

5:17

now, after months of stalled negotiations, the

5:20

Scots have handed him back to the English

5:22

Parliament. The question

5:24

still hangs as to the King's fate. After

5:27

all the death and destruction, there is an

5:30

urge for a post-war settlement. No

5:32

one yet envisages the future without the

5:34

participation of Charles I. He

5:38

has, after all, been ordained to rule by

5:40

God himself. This

5:42

is still about curbing his autocratic

5:44

tendencies, embedding him into

5:46

a more constitutional form of government. This

5:50

view is shared both by Parliament and

5:52

the new military strongman, Oliver

5:55

Cromwell. Peter

5:57

Gaunt. becomes

6:01

dominated by more moderate

6:03

parliamentarians who

6:05

want to do a deal with

6:07

the king that's a fairly soft

6:10

political religious constitutional deal. There

6:12

was no question of regicide or getting rid of him as

6:14

yet. Professor

6:16

John Morrow. It takes probably

6:18

a long time to recognize that it's

6:20

going to be necessary to get rid

6:22

of Charles I. Abolition Charles I doesn't

6:25

necessarily mean the abolition of monarchy. Despite

6:29

the war that has ravaged the nation

6:31

Charles is still proving incredibly popular. The

6:34

Royal Cavalcade moves south to Holdenby

6:37

House in Northamptonshire, his

6:39

designated place of house arrest. It

6:42

is met with cheering crowds. But

6:45

there's been too much water under the bridge, too

6:47

much blood spilt for a kiss and

6:49

make up. There are

6:52

too many factions within the House of Commons

6:54

voicing contrasting views on

6:57

how a resolution can be achieved. Plus

7:00

there is a more immediate issue. If

7:05

you remember England has always

7:07

had an aversion to maintaining a standing

7:09

army. Military forces

7:11

are raised to fight a war and then

7:13

disbanded afterwards. A body

7:16

of fighting men is a dangerous

7:18

thing to have sitting around. The

7:20

dissolution of Cromwell's new model army is

7:22

therefore seen as a priority. Unfortunately

7:27

this band of brothers battle-hardened some 20,000

7:29

strong is in no

7:32

mood for being demobbed. Their

7:34

pay is in arrears. They owed

7:37

collectively a whopping 300,000 pounds,

7:40

an eye-watering amount for the treasury to

7:42

find. The

7:46

new model army feels let down

7:48

by the English Parliament in terms

7:50

of pay, Indemnity, provision

7:52

for military widows, and so

7:54

on.. Parliament isn't supporting its

7:56

victorious army and they begin

7:59

falling out. I would

8:01

bread and butter military issues as well

8:03

as much broader political religious constitutional issues.

8:05

What should we do to rebuild the

8:07

country after the Civil War? What sort

8:10

of a deal submitted with the king?

8:13

Of. and they all me says look were

8:15

the ones and will have full of suffered.

8:17

In. It we have to think about the

8:19

tens of thousands of our colleagues have

8:21

fallen and give their lives they didn't

8:24

get their eyes from. Best Compromise. At

8:28

it's base in Newmarket suffered the

8:30

army kicks his hands. out

8:33

of pocket, simmering with discontent,

8:36

Doctor and a K. These people weren't

8:38

professional soldiers. they were people he will.

8:41

Yeah man, I'm farmers, are weavers. Whatever

8:43

They last who had been gathered together

8:45

says as a consequence a kind of

8:47

nina. All those hours sitting around the

8:49

campsite at night and actually been dislocated

8:51

from your wife and your property and

8:53

your children sees the army become very

8:55

radicalised. Plus.

8:58

There's the army's religious nature. Like

9:02

Cromwell himself, it's overwhelmingly of the

9:04

independent the Smooch. This.

9:06

Does not so easily, but the

9:08

Presbyterian majority of Westminster. In

9:11

fact, that he begins on me as much may

9:13

be even more so. Than the

9:15

own specs. Something

9:18

must be done. With.

9:23

Parliament is a toothless tiger.

9:26

In. May a law is passed making

9:28

disbanded month official policy. But.

9:30

The army simply ignores it. An.

9:33

Exclusion zone is Julian Post. It.

9:36

Cannot come within twenty five miles of

9:38

London. But. How can

9:40

they hoped Police That. The.

9:43

New Model Army is now directly at

9:45

odds with it's own parliamentary most Us.

9:48

And is the latest player in the struggle

9:50

for power. Cromwell.

9:53

His tomb. He still sitting

9:55

as an empty and we know he was taking

9:57

a seat in the house of Commons quite rate.

10:00

The in the months after the main Civil War

10:02

ended. But he second in command

10:04

of the New Model Army. He has a

10:06

lot of military sympathies. He has a lot

10:08

of military friends or when push comes to

10:10

shove. When. Parliament's

10:12

and the Parliamentary all me

10:14

fall out was completely in

10:17

May and June. Sixteen, forty

10:19

seven. Cromwell. Jumps.

10:21

And he supports the New Model

10:24

Army. He quits love them and

10:26

he goes to new markets. I

10:29

told him be meanwhile. Tells. The

10:31

first as content to sit back and enjoy

10:33

the show. Amid

10:37

the splendor of the house and

10:39

it's manicured grounds he's been furnished

10:41

with the usual royal trappings is

10:43

even been permitted to retain his

10:45

personal bodyguard. While

10:47

the political turmoil continues, he can

10:49

carry on. Pruning is roses. The

10:53

longer the country remains ungovernable, the

10:55

loud overcome the calls for his

10:57

return. Cromwell

10:59

is not inclined to disagree. As

11:02

contradictory is it may seem given all

11:04

this happened. The King

11:06

anymore. And

11:08

pass. A good person

11:10

to get in his pockets. But

11:14

chrominance for too many battles

11:16

with diplomatic niceties Rather than

11:18

enlist the king. Is

11:21

going to kidnap him. It's

11:32

dorm. June The third. Sixteen,

11:34

Forty seven. As holden

11:36

be, the serenity has broken by the arrival

11:39

of five hundred calorie man. At

11:41

their head as a young sublet tenants. Rights.

11:46

His name is George Joyce.

11:49

On seeing him approach the kings

11:52

God takes flight. Joyce

11:54

pistol at the ready. Climbed the

11:56

stairs and burst the Royal Bedchamber.

12:00

He is there to save his majesty.

12:02

He declares to the stock to steal

12:04

him away from those who would do

12:06

him harm. To enlist is help in

12:08

resolving the political crisis. He

12:11

assures the king that is he a company's

12:13

him to new market and puts himself in

12:15

the care of the army. They will guarantee

12:18

his sixty. He will

12:20

not be forced to do anything against his

12:22

conscience. The King

12:24

asks, now tell me Mister Juice, where

12:26

is your commission. It's.

12:30

Do response to his men lined

12:32

up on the terrorists outside. Their.

12:37

Indeed, since Charles arching an eyebrow,

12:39

it is fair a commission and

12:41

as well written as I've seen

12:44

in my life. And

12:46

so the king is whisked away. This.

12:51

Move is not been sanctioned by Commander

12:53

in chief Sir Thomas Fairfax. To.

12:55

Him Joyce's actions are worthy of a

12:58

court martial. But. The

13:00

move had been given covert blessing by

13:02

Chromo. There. Was

13:04

no doubt no within the New Model

13:06

Army where the true power lies. Cromwell's.

13:09

Have Joyce promoted. Mirror

13:18

of. With

13:21

maria question he spent two

13:23

hours in a team read

13:25

trials but the only him

13:27

for jihad is days on

13:29

a record. As

13:33

everyone had, that's anonymously online at

13:35

the same time. Correct net you

13:37

need to seem to act on

13:40

C bought fast so you time

13:42

all those retro notes into detox

13:44

instantly. Nero all the well, and I

13:46

can assign as fast as he meets.

13:48

Your nailing mess. Now you see

13:51

hundreds of sticky notes from the

13:53

Retro. A real mess, but you

13:55

organize them into five themes and

13:57

just seconds near. I basically

13:59

get back and entire hour when I use

14:01

it's a eye towards for clustering. And

14:03

she's done it. stood. Over

14:06

sixty million people running. Actually

14:08

enjoyable and actionable. Retro: The

14:10

Mirror did your first three

14:12

boards free and miro.com that

14:14

am iro.com I'm. Historian Risk

14:16

Edmunds host of Noises News

14:18

Podcast the Curious History of

14:20

Your Home. Percent

14:23

my life investigating the hidden history

14:25

as everyday objects. As a

14:27

team. Cleaner in your cupboard. Sleek and

14:29

compact. Today, but when it was invented,

14:32

it was literally powered by who. Took

14:35

four to six. People's Lottery. The

14:38

minty fresh to exploit see. Well.

14:40

If you lived in Ancient Greece he

14:42

be washing your teeth with ground up

14:44

phones. an oyster shells. Double

14:47

glazed windows. We oh

14:49

those were French kings. Old fascination

14:51

with orange is. The.

14:54

Curious. History of your Home

14:57

explores the extraordinary in the

14:59

ordinary. Listen to the curious

15:01

history of your home Each

15:03

Tuesday wherever you get your

15:05

podcast from award winning Post

15:07

Holsters Noises is a curious

15:09

history of your home. The.

15:16

King has taken ultimately to hunt

15:18

and palace. Favorite of

15:20

the rural homes. Where. He

15:22

will be kept under and even looser house

15:24

arrest. Atmosphere

15:27

like. Fairfax

15:32

and Chrome and arrive for discussions

15:34

with Charles. The men can

15:36

be same walking in the gone laughing and

15:38

joking. Overcoming days

15:40

various offices of invited to die in

15:42

of the room table. Some

15:45

like Fairfax, though not Cromwell.

15:47

Even kissed the kings hand. His

15:51

majesty reminds them to the is a

15:53

dukedom up for grabs. The. Recent

15:55

death of the Earl of Essex has left

15:57

a vacancy. as dangled

15:59

ten in front of Cromwell. The

16:03

Goodwill is reciprocated. Cromwell,

16:05

having seen Charles play with his

16:07

children, declares the king to be

16:09

the most uprightist and conscientious man

16:11

of these three kingdoms. The

16:15

Love Inn is in full flow. It

16:17

seems that the monarch can soon be

16:19

reintegrated back into the political structure. And

16:22

more immediately Cromwell's troops can

16:25

be paid off. But

16:31

the king is a wily old fox.

16:33

He's been watching affairs keenly and

16:36

taking soundings. To him,

16:38

this chaos is not for quelling but

16:41

exploiting. Particularly

16:43

given the religious divisions now scarring

16:46

Parliament. At Westminster

16:48

it's no longer Puritan versus Anglican,

16:51

but Puritan versus Puritan. There

16:54

are the Presbyterians who favour a Scottish

16:56

style state religion. And

16:59

then there are those independents who

17:01

reject any notion of government interference

17:03

in worship. Having

17:07

lost the war, the

17:10

king and his advisors calculate

17:12

that maybe they can win the

17:14

peace. And they win

17:16

the peace by trying to play divide

17:18

and rule. And you've

17:20

got various groups. The long parliament

17:22

sitting in London. You've got the army units

17:24

and the army leaders on the English side.

17:27

But you've also got the Scots. So if

17:29

you could play divide and rule, maybe all

17:31

those would fall out amongst themselves, would attack

17:34

each other. And there might

17:36

be a route whereby the king

17:38

could regain freedom of manoeuvre and

17:40

power. So the king spends the

17:42

time saying yes to

17:45

nothing, saying no to nothing,

17:47

welcoming all those rival parliamentarian

17:49

groups to put different settlements

17:52

to him and spinning out

17:54

negotiations. The

18:00

longer the new model army sits idling,

18:03

the more it's becoming whipped into a

18:05

revolutionary fervor. Across

18:07

late 1647 it hosts a series of gatherings. They

18:11

culminate in what are known as the Putney

18:14

Debates, held at St Mary's Church

18:16

on the banks of the Thames. Professor

18:19

Mihalu Shukra. And so

18:22

what we see with the English Civil War

18:24

in the 1640s is an increased radicalization that

18:26

the longer the war goes on, the more

18:28

you see these millennial figures coming to the

18:31

fore who see this, if you

18:33

like, as a precursor to the Second

18:35

Coming of Christ, to setting up a

18:37

new Jerusalem, a whole series of religious

18:39

beliefs and understandings. A

18:46

stream of excitable young soldiers is now taken to

18:48

the pulpit, espousing increasingly

18:51

extreme views. Most

18:53

notably, the army is being infiltrated

18:55

by a revolutionary sect known as

18:57

the Levelers. They

18:59

believe in universal suffrage and

19:02

the bottom-up reordering of society. The

19:05

Levelers are the new loud voices calling

19:07

not for the restoration of a reformed

19:09

monarchy, but the abolition of

19:11

it altogether. They

19:14

demand the establishment of a republic. It's

19:17

a funny thing because things which seem to

19:19

us utterly obvious as a sort of reasonable

19:21

and fair and just way of organizing things

19:24

were to the mid-17th century mind, highly

19:26

unorthodox and risky and way out, like the

19:28

idea that you might allow all men to

19:30

vote. No one was suggesting allowing women to

19:33

vote. It's just even more outrageous and radical.

19:36

So when in the Putney Debates, the discussions stray

19:38

into those sorts of areas, the army high command

19:40

closed it down because they don't want this to

19:42

happen. Cromwell is not a social radical. He doesn't

19:44

think there should be a universal voting franchise, but

19:47

it's the tension of that kind of

19:49

bubbling world of possibilities within the army.

20:03

Iaton was a hero of the Battle of Naseby

20:06

and he has recently married Cromwell's daughter

20:08

Bridget, another one

20:10

to add to the expanding Cromwellian

20:12

dynasty. These

20:14

senior officers will be known as the

20:16

Army Grandies. They will

20:18

call the shots with regard to the future, not

20:20

just of the army, but of England.

20:25

Iaton is his protégé. He comes

20:27

from a Nottinghamshire gentry family, fairly

20:29

similar to Cromwell, though in

20:31

a very curious part of Nottinghamshire in which

20:33

the eldest son doesn't inherit. So he's always

20:36

the eldest son, he doesn't inherit the property,

20:38

so he's a jobbing attorney. He

20:40

joins the army and finds himself in Isanglia

20:42

and he works with Cromwell in the Isle

20:44

of Ely. And in 1646

20:47

he marries Bridget, Cromwell's daughter, and

20:49

they work very closely together. Iaton

20:53

has been given permission to present new terms

20:55

to the King. They

20:58

seem very generous, surely opening

21:00

a smooth passage to his return. Pardons

21:04

are offered for the royalist commanders, plus

21:07

the acceptance of two-year parliaments and

21:09

a general policy of religious toleration. But,

21:14

to the exasperation even of his own

21:16

confidence, the King dismisses them.

21:20

Professor Claire Jackson. One

21:22

of the things I noticed most from looking at

21:24

foreign ambassadors, particularly the French, who are very sympathetic

21:27

to Charles and also have their own interests because

21:29

Henrietta Maria was a French princess. But

21:32

even they become incredibly frustrated when they're in

21:34

close proximity to Charles, basically saying, you

21:36

know, you can lead a horse to water, but you

21:38

cannot make it drink. Charles

21:41

is still playing the long game, hopeful

21:43

of a reset to the old days, and

21:47

he may be reading the tea leaves correctly.

21:50

A general mood of discontent is spreading across

21:52

the country. Pockets of

21:54

royalist protests are breaking out. Professor

21:59

Nicholas O'Shea. I'd.

22:01

Be more contemporary court Also first

22:03

a sweet and gracious prince who

22:06

knew not how to be or

22:08

be made great. He

22:10

is also the opportunistic. He is a

22:12

cool he will wriggle out and since

22:15

he is untrustworthy and why does he

22:17

behave like that? Because.

22:19

He thinks he has the divine right of

22:21

kings. That it's not an

22:24

authority interested to him by heaven. In

22:26

a sense, he is heaven. And

22:30

Gods Agent as a trump card to

22:33

play. During the

22:35

Civil War. Charles Shaw How the intervention

22:37

of the Scottish army tip the balance

22:39

and favor of parliament. He

22:42

also noted how the Scots were reluctant to

22:44

home him in captivity. They

22:47

are not just a formidable fighting

22:49

force, but still Loyalists at home.

22:52

He is after all, Charles

22:54

Stewart, King of Scotland. As

22:57

much as he is or was of England,

23:00

Yes, there remains the possibility of raising

23:02

ruins troops in Ireland. May.

23:04

Be getting the French on both to

23:07

fight is cause box what city to

23:09

bring the scots and again only this.

23:11

Time, his. To

23:14

guess they could. We come from England, The

23:18

overriding issue for the Scottish government has

23:20

always been presbyterian isn't. What?

23:23

Then if he were to promise

23:25

to install it as the state

23:27

religion of both kingdoms Scotland and

23:29

England in return for his restoration,

23:32

Secret. Emissaries a dispensed back

23:35

channels open to Edinburgh. And

23:38

music to chose his. Scots.

23:41

Seem amenable, The.

23:45

Scots said. Always been inside the uneasy

23:47

alliance with the English and they think

23:49

being the shop fulfilling their side of

23:51

the deal. By. Introducing a Scottish

23:54

star religion in England, Wales and they

23:56

begin to think maybe Wheaton cuts effects

23:58

of separate deal with it You can.

24:02

Forget the old Covenant that can be

24:04

consigned to the dustbin of history. This.

24:06

New agreement will be known as

24:08

the Engagement. The King,

24:11

the Scots, and Presbyterian isn't. In.

24:13

A wholly union. Jobs

24:16

will string along. Crumble and co.

24:19

Until the opportune moment. Of

24:22

so he thinks. It's

24:28

an autumn nights and sixteen forty seven

24:30

were in the blue. Bought have any

24:32

hope of London. In

24:35

this rowdy pub, the ale flows freely

24:37

along with the on godliness. In

24:41

the corner sit to army troopers

24:43

sitting at best logins minding their

24:46

own business. They keep assertive watch

24:48

on the door. They

24:50

have a lookout posted outside. A

24:53

tip off as come their way. At

24:56

ten pm a dispatch right of is due to arrive

24:58

at the in. Here to switch

25:01

horses before continues his journey down to

25:03

Dover. And sewn into

25:05

the leather of his saddle. Will.

25:08

Be a top secret communicate. Something

25:10

to be smuggled across the channel. As

25:15

the clock ticks round to the appointed hour,

25:18

That. Given the node. The.

25:20

Men abandon that ales and faced an

25:22

outside swords at the ready. And and

25:24

he said cloaks. In

25:27

the yard, a horse clubs across the

25:29

cobbles. It's right to smoke. It's handing

25:31

the reins to a stable boy. He

25:34

on buckles his saddle, holding it off

25:36

to transfer to a fresh mount. The.

25:39

Two men drag him out of sight unseen.

25:41

Him against the war. They

25:45

slit open a leather and wrench out

25:47

the letter in the glow of a

25:49

lump. They break the seal read: His

25:53

Majesty King Charles Just addressed to

25:56

his wife Queen. Henrietta Maria.

25:59

france In

26:01

his delicate, recognisable hand, Charles

26:04

informs her that both the army

26:06

and the Presbyterians in Parliament are

26:08

vying for his affections. But

26:11

that his best bet for victory lies

26:13

with the Scots. And

26:15

as for his opposite number, this oafish

26:17

Oliver Cromwell, he's been forced to deal

26:20

with. Instead of a

26:22

silken garter, he writes, his neck should

26:24

be fitted with a hempen cord. The

26:27

first man issues a rye chockle. The

26:30

second joins in. Masquerading

26:33

as ordinary soldiers, they

26:35

are none other than Cromwell and

26:37

Iaton themselves. As

26:44

if to compound his complicity, the king

26:46

then does something quite stupid. On

26:49

the night of November 11th, 1647, he escapes. Dressed

26:54

as a servant, his standard disguise,

26:57

he sneaks out of Hampton Court. He

27:00

then makes rendezvous with three mounted accomplices in

27:02

the woods of Surrey. Only

27:04

instead of heading north to safe territory,

27:07

the king insists they ride down to the

27:09

south coast to the Solent. A

27:12

boat should be waiting. He's

27:15

going to make a boat for the Isle of Wight. From

27:18

a new offshore base, he will reboot

27:21

the royalist cause, he declares. But

27:25

the king is acting on bad intelligence. He

27:28

presumes that the island's governor, Robert

27:30

Hammond, will immediately put himself at

27:32

his disposal. In

27:34

fact, Colonel Hammond is yet

27:36

another in Cromwell's extended family,

27:39

related by marriage through a cousin. On

27:42

crossing the water, Charles is arrested.

27:46

He's carted off to Carisbrook Castle, a

27:49

maximum security facility, compared

27:51

with the tame ankle tagging of Hampton

27:53

Court. What

27:56

the hell was he thinking? He

27:58

was in a position of strength. Just

28:01

a few concessions short of a glorious

28:03

return. Yet now

28:05

he's a fugitive, and a

28:07

demonstrably double-crossing one. So

28:11

it is a botched escape. There

28:13

are two versions of this. Version

28:16

one is, by late 1647, Charles

28:19

had pretty well decided

28:21

that the best chance of regaining

28:23

power was to come

28:25

to an agreement with the Scots to

28:28

launch a second civil war. And

28:30

in order for freedom of maneuver, he knew

28:33

he had to get away from Parliament's hands.

28:36

Version two, Cromwell is

28:38

being duplicitous. Cromwell

28:41

can see that he and

28:43

his fellow senior officers are

28:45

losing control of an

28:47

increasingly fractious new model army. So

28:50

Cromwell sends rumours to Charles.

28:53

Charles, if you stay at

28:55

Hampton Court, there are assassination

28:57

plots. Your life is in danger.

29:00

Cromwell deliberately runs down the

29:02

Parliamentarian guards at Hampton Court,

29:04

enabling Charles to run away.

29:06

Charles takes debate and does

29:08

a botched escape. But

29:11

that's very good, because it means

29:14

he's now a danger so the

29:16

new model army can pull back together,

29:19

reunite under its senior

29:21

commanders such as Fairfax and Cromwell. It

29:24

played into their hands. It

29:26

ended a period of division

29:28

and uncertainty for the senior

29:30

army officers in general. It

29:33

makes his life much easier. And

29:35

that's why some historians believe this

29:37

second rather Machiavellian dubious notion of

29:40

events. The

29:45

army is certainly becoming increasingly problematic.

29:49

Shutting down the putney debates has not decreased

29:51

the agitation. Fired

29:53

up by the levelers, it's on the verge of

29:55

open revolt. There are rumours

29:57

of plots by soldiers to arrest or murder.

30:00

It's generals. There. Are

30:02

kernels talking Have been pitching crumbles

30:04

himself? Old

30:06

know as they've also taken to calling

30:08

him. as being getting way too

30:11

cozy with the good for nothing king. The.

30:14

Dissenters have a new slogan. England's

30:17

Freedom Soldiers writes.

30:20

Some. Of them have taken to touching the

30:22

money system into their fans. From

30:26

well we'll hear none of it. Old

30:29

Ironsides, Old know, Rides

30:31

out in conference and army gathering at

30:33

were in her teacher. Putting

30:36

the fear of God into the men,

30:38

he makes an impression speech about duty

30:40

and honor and tells them to wrap

30:42

up the city. Bits of paper pumping

30:44

out of their helmets, He

30:47

then who's three men out of the line

30:49

and puts and before an impromptu court martial.

30:52

They are some really condemned to death. But

30:55

he says. Two of them

30:57

will be spared. They

31:00

must each roll dice for their

31:02

lives. It

31:04

is Private Richard Arnold. It was

31:07

the unlucky low scorer. Key.

31:09

Is shot by firing squad made

31:11

up of is to reprieved comrades.

31:19

With. Order restored. There is work to be done.

31:22

Something they can all bond over. In

31:25

Kent Chromo he is. The

31:28

navy as mutinied. A

31:30

squadron of ships sailed off to the

31:32

Low Countries. They've. Offered the

31:34

King's son Charles Prince of Wales

31:36

it admiral ship. Then.

31:39

There's the Royalists seizure of the garrison

31:41

town of Colchester. The. Taking

31:43

of Pontefract tussle. and

31:45

other assorted. Proponents. Wales

31:49

is afflicted by general uprising own

31:51

over. And of course

31:53

there are the Scots again. On

31:56

April the twentieth, Sixteen, Forty Eight. Charles.

31:59

His efforts by. The

32:01

Scottish engages issue a declaration

32:03

they are behind the king.

32:07

And this is almost the final

32:09

straw, particularly for from well after

32:11

everything that has happened since that

32:13

that child is now as he

32:15

sees it, trying to vests allies

32:17

as to a foreign nations is

32:19

really warped convinces Crumble that he

32:21

cannot be negotiated with any further.

32:25

Cuomo knows the Charles is pulling the strings from

32:28

his prison on the Isle of Wight. The.

32:30

Kings also been trying to escape

32:32

again com nothing is bedsheets. He

32:36

and his New Model Army pledged

32:38

to sort this matter how themselves

32:40

to get parliamentary commission. While

32:43

Fairfax tackles the uprisings in

32:45

the southeast, Cromwell's jumped to

32:47

Wales. The army

32:49

grandees Cromwell in particular are unilaterally

32:51

at odds with every legal authority

32:54

but their stride and in the

32:56

view that what they're about to

32:58

do is God's will. And so

33:00

the New Model Army gets back

33:02

to doing what it does best,

33:05

breaking Royalist heads, The

33:08

various uprisings a crushed including in

33:10

Wales com and eating them. Epic

33:12

siege. Then.

33:15

In August. Word. Reaches

33:18

Cromwell. Up and. The.

33:21

Duke of Hamilton has raised to ten

33:23

thousand strong and agent army to march.

33:28

Out Einsteins nos. The

33:35

Second Civil War is a brief

33:37

one sided affair. Almost.

33:39

Laughably so. Ever

33:42

since he and I have seen that secret letter

33:44

from the King. Crumble. Is

33:46

known what was coming. His

33:48

forces intercept the Scots as they

33:50

passed down to the English northwest.

33:54

The Battle of Preston takes place

33:56

across three days. In. The lanes

33:58

and hedgerows of length issue. The

34:01

new Model Army make swift work of the enemy.

34:04

Against two thousand the Scottish dead,

34:06

nine thousand wounded and captions. The.

34:09

New Model Army loses if the reports

34:11

or to be believed just a hundred

34:13

men. The Royalist

34:16

military threat. Is crushed. Crumble.

34:21

Is not the only voice now demanding

34:23

an end to negotiations with this dishonorable

34:25

king? He had his chance

34:27

and he blew it. Charles is

34:29

as the army. Damn him a man

34:31

of blood. Is mere

34:34

existence is enough to maintain a threat of

34:36

realism. At the very

34:38

least, he must abdicate. But

34:41

abdication, exile, or having a

34:43

younger some govern underwear reached

34:45

that still leaves Charles Stewart

34:47

as a symbol. You'll

34:50

be a figurehead for opposition as long as

34:52

he lives and breathes. Parliament

34:55

hopes not easily that his

34:57

st majesty welcome to his

34:59

regal census. Yet more

35:01

peace talks are held. That

35:03

Cromwell puts his foot down. Enough

35:05

is enough. The. Only

35:08

way to resolve matters is to. Get Rid

35:10

Of These pieces. To

35:12

be. There.

35:20

Are already troops in London? On

35:22

the I attend A Restless Army is No.

35:24

Camped out in the woodlands of Hyde Park.

35:28

Sale. There's much to concentrate minds as

35:30

to maintain public order. On

35:33

December the Six, sixteen, Forty eight, that

35:35

seven in the morning. A

35:37

detachment of soldiers is dispatched to

35:39

Westminster. The head of the days

35:41

parliamentary session, They. Are

35:43

led by Colonel Thomas Pride. A

35:45

veteran of nice Be in and. Pride.

35:49

enters the commons and forcibly prevents

35:51

at the pound of a musket

35:53

all opposition m p's anyone not

35:55

in sync with a new model

35:57

armies candies from entering the chamber

36:01

So, pride's purge, they purge

36:03

the parliament. They turn

36:06

back, in some cases arrest, large

36:08

numbers of MPs, and other MPs

36:10

seeing this don't even try and

36:13

take their seat, they voluntarily stay

36:15

away. So they purge the

36:17

House of Commons, and in the

36:19

end, I was awake of this, probably only 70

36:22

or so MPs are willing and

36:24

able to take their seat, and they're the hard men, the

36:27

radical men, the men who support the army

36:29

and the army agenda. The

36:33

remaining, thinned out, pro-independent chamber

36:36

will be known as the Rump Parliament. Whether

36:40

Iotan acts unilaterally or at Cromwell's

36:42

behest is debated by

36:44

historians. Cromwell is still

36:46

in Yorkshire when Colonel Pride makes his move. But

36:50

he arrives himself just hours later, hot-footing

36:52

it down from the north, and

36:54

quickly takes ownership of the situation. By

36:58

the late 1640s, the army does seem

37:00

to have this sort of semi-autonomous power base.

37:03

It is very concerned about its

37:05

own mounting power, it is very

37:07

concerned about becoming a scapegoat in

37:09

any settlement eventually negotiated. So

37:11

the coup, that's what it is really,

37:14

that is, Pride's purge in December 1648, shows the

37:16

very real depths of division. The

37:19

Rump Parliament is steered by Cromwell now. It

37:23

declares itself the supreme authority in the

37:25

land, the only one vested with

37:27

the right to pass laws. And

37:30

it will do so without the consent of the

37:32

House of Lords or the King. By

37:35

now Fairfax is the military leader in name

37:37

only. All authority has

37:39

been long since surrendered to his number

37:41

two. Oliver Cromwell

37:44

has the army at his back, and

37:46

an executive of Yes Men running the country.

37:49

He is now the most powerful man in England. Emily

38:00

Twenty Eight, the Speaker of the House

38:02

reach out and ordinance. The.

38:04

Run Parliament as instituted a

38:06

special High Court of Justice.

38:09

It's is going to put the king.

38:12

On trial. For. High Treason.

38:20

Okay, Why?

38:22

Do some parliamentarians? Why do

38:24

some members of the new

38:27

model all me including senior

38:29

officers decide to get rid

38:31

of the king? What's what's

38:33

the tipping point? Whatever to

38:36

grounds first most obviously. The.

38:38

King shows himself to be in

38:40

sincere in open negotiations. He's launched

38:43

a new civil war in sixty

38:45

Forty Eight is almost and and

38:47

Sea King so secular ground. But

38:50

it's also a religious arguments. Right

38:52

at the end of April and beginning of May.

38:54

Sixteen Forty Eight. Large numbers

38:56

of New Model Army officers, almost

38:58

certainly including Cromwell, gathered for an

39:01

intense Three Day Prayer Meeting. At

39:03

Windsor Castle. On there was

39:06

seeking god's guidance. Why dogs do

39:08

seem to have deserted is why

39:10

have you plunge us into a

39:12

renewed civil. And they

39:14

can't understand this. What they dance

39:16

And them one of the offices

39:18

has a revelation. From.

39:20

God he receives God Message Those

39:22

messages was you oppose the king

39:24

on the battlefields. I supported you.

39:26

I gave you victory at most

39:28

and more. Amazed me. However

39:31

when you then try to do

39:33

a deal with the king everything

39:36

went wrong and you been divided

39:38

on i've turned against you Saw

39:40

a second line is it's God's.

39:47

There. Is a quick

39:49

realization. After Parliament's victory

39:51

in the second Civil War,

39:53

that further negotiation with Charles

39:56

is pointless. That. he

39:58

cannot be trusted it's not It's not clear

40:00

that that necessarily means regicide. It could

40:02

have been a trial for treason that

40:04

would result in some kind of outcome,

40:06

perhaps abdication in favor of his son.

40:09

Cromwell himself, it appears,

40:11

eventually came to support

40:13

regicide as an inescapable

40:15

necessity. In

40:17

other words, as long as Charles

40:20

is alive, you will always have

40:22

war. What they

40:24

then realize, of course, is that you

40:26

always have war, even when he's

40:28

dead, because he has a son, and

40:31

a younger son, and so forth. And

40:33

of course, the younger son becomes King James II.

40:37

Life is not entirely without incident, either.

40:45

It's the morning of Saturday, January 20, 1649. We're

40:50

at Westminster Hall. The

40:53

old Norman building, with its hundred-foot ceiling,

40:55

is the largest indoor space in England.

40:59

Wear better to host a show trial. The

41:03

hall has been turned into a stage set, a

41:06

makeshift courtroom, bedecked with captured

41:08

royalist battle flags. The

41:11

benches arranged with Puritans in their black

41:13

coats, white colors and muckled hats. And

41:17

the balcony the public wear more color, a

41:19

sign of at least some royal support. The

41:24

nervous chatter abates when a buzz goes around,

41:26

that the King is on his way. At

41:30

the far end, Cromwell and the judges

41:32

watch Charles arise. He's

41:34

surrounded by guards, but he

41:36

exudes a regal calm, slowly

41:38

climbing out of his sedan chair. They

41:42

all rush to the window and see this

41:44

little figure. It's January, it's very cold, everything's

41:46

frozen. Charles' first very small, so

41:48

a cloaked figure walking across the lawns. And

41:52

Cromwell turns to the group and says, what

41:54

have we done? And

41:57

just for a few minutes, it sort of hangs in the air.

42:00

And then he kind of recovers himself and says, No,

42:02

this is great work. We're here and we must do

42:04

it. Cromwell whispers

42:06

to Judge John Bradshaw, who then addresses

42:08

the court. My

42:10

master's, he is come. He is come. An

42:16

air of the surreal hangs of her proceedings.

42:20

Judge Bradshaw, fearing assassination, is wearing

42:22

an oversized bulletproof hat that comes

42:24

down over his ears. Its

42:27

fur is lined with iron plate. It

42:31

takes Parliament some time to find a

42:34

judge who's willing to preside. And it

42:36

is unprecedented. I mean, the idea of

42:38

putting a divinely ordained, anointed King on

42:40

trial, charging spectators money to attend this

42:42

trial. At

42:45

least Bradshaw has showed up. Of

42:47

the 135 commissioners or judges selected, only 68 hardliners, handpicked

42:53

by the army, have turned out. The

42:57

others have stayed away in fear for their safety.

43:01

When Charles enters the hall, there is a hush.

43:05

He surveys the room with disdain as

43:07

much as curiosity. There are

43:09

sporadic shouts from the gallery of God save the

43:11

King. His

43:13

majesty appears completely unruffled. He's

43:16

dressed in fine black velvet. The

43:19

order of the garter hangs on a bright blue

43:21

ribbon around his neck. No

43:25

one seems quite sure what to do. The

43:28

King is ushered into the dock. The

43:30

clerk reads out the names of those assembled.

43:33

The taking of the class register. The

43:36

empty seats include the one set aside for

43:39

Fairfax. As the

43:41

official war leader, he of all people should

43:43

have been present. A

43:45

voice rings out from above. He

43:48

has more wit than to be here. It's

43:51

Fairfax's wife. There's

43:53

a stunned silence. Then

43:56

Bradshaw begins a long rambling speech.

44:00

about how the court is acting on

44:02

behalf of God, justice, the house of

44:04

commons, and therefore the people. But

44:07

this is effectively a kangaroo court, and

44:10

now it seems not even a quarry

44:12

one. Oh yeah,

44:15

the whole thing wants to call it

44:17

a court in any sense, is

44:20

a joke. The

44:22

dice are loaded, and the king

44:24

knows it. The

44:31

floor is thrown open to John Cook, the

44:33

solicitor general and chief prosecutor. The

44:36

king leans over and taps Cook on the shoulder

44:39

with his cane. Asking if he

44:41

might be allowed to speak, Cook

44:43

ignores him. As

44:45

the king goes for a second attempt, the

44:47

silver top pops off the stick and hits the

44:50

floor with a loud crack, causing

44:52

everyone to flinch and Bradshaw to

44:54

grasp his hat. As

44:58

the silver bauble rolls across the stone

45:00

flags, nobody moves a muscle.

45:03

The king must stoop to pick it up himself.

45:07

In an age of subservience and

45:09

obsequiousness, such a thing is unheard

45:11

of. But

45:14

Charles has a clear strategy, a game

45:17

plan. He will show

45:19

up to his mind what a spiteful

45:21

and unlawful piece of theater this all

45:23

is. Chief

45:26

Prosecutor Cook continues. He

45:29

condemns the king as, quote,

45:31

a tyrant, traitor, murderer, and

45:33

the public and implacable enemy of

45:35

the Commonwealth of England. Charles

45:38

merely issues a haughty laugh. When

45:41

asked how he pleads, innocent or

45:43

guilty, his response is exactly

45:46

as Cromwell had predicted before the trial

45:49

began. He questions the very validity of

45:51

his arraignment. For

45:53

once, the king's trademark stammer leaves him.

45:57

There are many unlawful authorities in this

45:59

world. Thieves and robbers by

46:01

the highway, but I

46:03

would know by what lawful authority I was

46:05

brought here. It's

46:08

not just the court, but the charge. Treason

46:12

in legal terms means an act against

46:14

the crown. How can a

46:16

sovereign be treasonous against himself? In

46:19

any case, he is above the law. The

46:23

king repeats his defense. Show

46:25

me by what authority I am seated here,

46:28

and I will answer it. I

46:30

mean, the Constitution is being subverted. There's

46:33

no legal way that the army could

46:35

purge Parliament. The lords who are still

46:38

sitting, they want no part in setting

46:40

up the trial and execution of the

46:42

king, so the House of Lords is

46:44

abolished a few weeks later. All

46:47

this is unconstitutional, unlawful.

46:50

Is there any way that a reigning

46:52

monarch, a divinely appointed monarch, could

46:54

be charged with treason? Was Charles the first

46:57

pointed out at his trial? You know, show

46:59

me the law. He wouldn't recognize the court.

47:01

He wouldn't enter a plea. Show

47:03

me the legal justification for this court, and then I'll

47:05

enter a plea, and of course they couldn't do that.

47:12

Proceedings are adjourned, and Charles is

47:14

led away. Further

47:16

cries of God save the king and

47:18

Your Majesty ring out from the

47:20

public seats. Charles

47:23

is calm and consistent with... ...the bottoms

47:25

will continue to flummox Bradshaw, who

47:27

ends up frequently shouting over him. But

47:31

the king knows where all of this is heading.

47:34

On day three, the court moves

47:36

the goalposts. It decrees

47:38

that the king, through his refusal

47:40

to play ball, is in contempt of

47:43

court. It means he

47:46

can be tried in absentia. The

47:49

trial shifts to the smaller room next door,

47:51

known as the Painted Chamber. In

47:54

there, in private, one

47:56

by one, a stream of prosecution

47:59

witnesses can find. that the king had

48:01

willfully declared war on the English people. While

48:05

the case against him mounts, the

48:07

king is permitted, no legal representative,

48:09

no defence. The

48:12

members of the court are judge, jury and

48:14

ultimately executioner. They

48:18

reach their verdict on day five, that

48:20

the king is guilty of all

48:22

he has been charged with. In

48:26

the ultimate showdown between King and Cromwell,

48:29

there is finally a winner. So

48:37

you have two men

48:40

who had religiously augmented

48:42

delusion about the nature of their power,

48:45

and those delusions were bound

48:47

to clash and bound to end in the death of one

48:49

of them. Charles had

48:52

run into the gap, thinking

48:54

that he could carry it off this time.

48:56

It was a huge gamble of course and

48:58

it failed, and it ended up

49:00

on the scaffold. But

49:20

even then, even at the point of Charles' trial, there are many who

49:22

don't want

49:25

him executed. Famously of course Sir Thomas

49:27

Fairfax, who was the general-in-chief. Cromwell

49:30

was actually at this time his secretary. He

49:33

was the only judge who had ever been

49:35

charged with a gun. He was the only judge

49:38

who had ever been charged with a gun. He was the

49:40

only judge who had ever been charged with a gun. Famously

49:45

of course Sir Thomas Fairfax, who

49:47

was the general-in-chief. Cromwell was actually

49:49

at this time his subordinate, who

49:52

would not accept, would not sign the

49:55

death warrant for Charles I. political

50:00

thumbscrews. Eventually,

50:03

fifty-nine names are put to the

50:05

document, some under

50:07

extreme coercion. Sir

50:10

Richard Inglesby reportedly is dragged across

50:12

the room by Cromwell personally, before

50:15

the quill is manipulated in his hand. It

50:18

is not a majority as they had originally defined,

50:21

but a majority of those who turned up, and

50:24

so the death sentence

50:26

is sneaked across the line. On

50:31

January the 27th, the court

50:33

moves back into public session for the

50:35

pronouncement. Westminster

50:37

Hall falls silent as Bradshaw declares

50:39

that the King has been convicted

50:41

of treason and other high crimes

50:43

exhibited against him by the people

50:46

of England. A

50:48

woman's voice rings out, it's a lie. It's

50:51

Lady Fairfax again, only this

50:53

time in disguise. In

50:56

the chaos, her head troops

50:58

threaten the crowd. Asked

51:02

to respond for the first time,

51:04

Charles' voice cracks. Do

51:07

not forget that I am your sovereign King,

51:09

ordained by God to rule his people.

51:12

By that authority I stand more for the

51:14

liberty of my people than any that come

51:16

here to be my pretended judges. You

51:19

have shown no lawful authority to

51:22

satisfy any reasonable reason. He

51:26

backpedals now, offering to submit

51:28

himself to a court of the whole of

51:30

Parliament. He knows that

51:33

it will include the Lords and enough common

51:35

sympathizers to save his neck, but

51:37

it's too late. He's informed

51:39

that he will be put to death by the severing

51:41

of his head from his body. Silenced

51:45

by Bradshaw, Charles is

51:48

led away. His

51:50

final words are a desperate plea. Will

51:53

you not hear a word, sir? The

51:58

King has moved back to the court of England. his palace.

52:02

His captors thought that if he stayed at Whitehall,

52:04

the sound of the scaffold being hammered together would

52:06

keep him awake. He

52:09

spends the next three days in prayer and writing

52:11

letters to his family, including

52:13

his teenage sons in exile, Charles

52:16

and James. Shortly,

52:18

technically, Charles Jr. will

52:21

accede to the throne as Charles II,

52:23

his lawful heir. Slowly

52:27

sleeping the night before his execution, the

52:30

king is up before sunrise, declaring,

52:33

I have much work to do today. That

52:36

morning, January 30th, at

52:39

10am, there was a knock on

52:41

his door, the sign for him

52:43

to be led through St James's Park, back

52:46

to Whitehall. The

52:48

officers who were to escort the

52:50

king to the scaffold, they

52:53

had to be a bit of paperwork, they

52:55

had to be given written orders to take

52:57

him and sign those orders,

52:59

and they refused. They

53:01

just couldn't do it. And so

53:03

finally Cromwell signed the paper and

53:06

another officer signed. So

53:08

it shows how even at the

53:10

moment of execution, there was a

53:12

huge amount of trepidation of self-loathing,

53:14

if you like. That

53:19

freezing January morning, the

53:22

blade falls hard. The

53:24

king's corpse twitches as

53:26

a four-foot jet of blood squirts over those

53:28

in the front row, a

53:31

little party trick that the execution has

53:33

always enjoyed. One

53:35

observer writes, a groan went

53:38

up, as never I've heard

53:40

before and hope never to hear again.

53:44

According to legend, the

53:46

axeman hoists the decapitated head

53:48

and shows it to the

53:50

crowd, yelling, behold, the head

53:52

of a traitor. More

53:55

likely, he says nothing, the better

53:57

not to betray his identity. Other

54:00

reports claim that he tosses the king's head

54:03

into the multitude, so that his followers might

54:05

dip their handkerchiefs in his blood. What

54:09

is fact is that the

54:11

cry of horror turns to stunned silence. As

54:15

a crack of thunder reverberates across

54:17

the slate-grey sky, God's

54:19

vengeance would seem close at hand.

54:25

England, after a thousand

54:27

years of history, and

54:29

by the hand of Oliver Cromwell, has

54:32

taken a leap into the unknown. In

54:44

the next episode, outrage

54:48

of the king's execution leads Cromwell to

54:50

wage war on Scotland and,

54:53

notoriously, Ireland. Insurgencies

54:56

over, he will become

54:58

lord protector of a united commonwealth. King

55:02

in all but name. But

55:05

as discontent continues to spread, the

55:07

unthinkable will once again become possible. The

55:11

monarchy couldn't be restored, could it? That's

55:15

next time, in the final

55:17

part of the Cromwell story. Tennessee

55:29

just sounds perfect. Whether that's

55:31

live music, the crack of a

55:33

campfire, or kids laughing on an

55:35

adventure, to start planning your trip,

55:38

visit tnvacation.com. That's

55:40

tnvacation.com. Tennessee

55:42

sounds perfect.