MPS were divided how to deal with the king. Colonel Thomas Pride threw out 300 MPS who supported parliamentary negotiations with the king – this was known as Pride’s Purge and the ups who remained were known as The Rump. it meant that when the king was bought to trial there was no one on his side in the Houses of Parliament.
A special commission put the king on trial for treason. 68 commissioners arrived out of the 135 attendees. Among the men who did not arrive was General Thomas Fairfax. The men who did not arrive felt that things had gone too far, Charles refused to recognise the authority of the commission because he said a king could not be tried for treason. When he argued with John Bradshaw, the chief judge who was so scared of assassination that wore a special reinforced hat, the king was removed from the court while witness gave evidence against him. There were no witnesses to support Charles and he was found guilty.
Charles I was executed on 30th January 1649 at Whitehall and England became a republic – the Commonwealth. There was no monarchy during the protectorate which lasted for the next 11 years. Instead Cromwell, the army and Parliament ruled.
Government kept a strict control on many aspects of everyday life. It banned Christmas, closed all the theatres and forbade Mayday celebrations. The Commonwealth did not believe in free speech for everyone, the Levellers, a group that. believed in equality were imprisoned and their
leaders killed. And in Ireland, the Catholic population were treated appallingly. At Drogheda women and children were murdered. Land was taken from Catholics and given to Protestants. Ultimately, he disbanded Parliament and ruled through the army – which sounds remarkably like tyranny…..