What was the English Revolution?
Brian Manning continues the study of the tumultuous period leading to the English Civil War.
The Parliament which Charles I was obliged to summon to meet at Westminster on November 3rd, 1640, did not intend to initiate a revolution. The two Houses of Parliament were composed of nobility and gentry – wealthy landlords – who represented the ruling class of England. Their intention was to reinstate the ancient constitution which in their view had been undermined by the actions of the King since 1629, and to restore the Church of England to the position established by the Elizabethan Religious Settlement which in their opinion had been subverted by the innovations of Archbishop Laud. Charles and his advisers had strained the natural alliance and normal harmony between the monarchy and the ruling class. The aim of the Parliament was to recover the working partnership of the nobility and gentry with the Crown.
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