Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction: the two ‘deaths’ of Henry Ireton, 1651 and 1661
- 1 The making of Henry Ireton, 1611–1642
- 2 Reshaping, 1642–1647
- 3 ‘Penman’ of the army, 1647
- 4 Putney, 1647
- 5 Radicalisation, 1648
- 6 The Remonstrance, 1648
- 7 Purge, 1648
- 8 Regicide, 1648–1649
- 9 Ireland, 1649–1651
- 10 Lord Deputy, 1650–1651
- Conclusion: Henry Ireton and the English Revolution
- Bibliography
- Index
6 - The Remonstrance, 1648
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 September 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction: the two ‘deaths’ of Henry Ireton, 1651 and 1661
- 1 The making of Henry Ireton, 1611–1642
- 2 Reshaping, 1642–1647
- 3 ‘Penman’ of the army, 1647
- 4 Putney, 1647
- 5 Radicalisation, 1648
- 6 The Remonstrance, 1648
- 7 Purge, 1648
- 8 Regicide, 1648–1649
- 9 Ireland, 1649–1651
- 10 Lord Deputy, 1650–1651
- Conclusion: Henry Ireton and the English Revolution
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The Remonstrance, drafted principally by Ireton in November 1648, marked the political conclusion of articulating Charles' guilt and equating him with those royalists who had already been executed. It is likely that Ireton believed Charles should die. Enacting this was, however, rather different. Ireton believed that justification for the regicide existed but he had concerns about the consequences and needed to prepare the framework for its justification, but also a means of proceeding that could take other, less determined men along with him. Deliberately choosing his words with care, rather than the Remonstrance being ‘a mist of circumlocutions’ and ‘dark and vain tautologies’, Ireton facilitated interpretations of justice by others which may have seen the removal of Charles by imprisonment, deposition or exile to maintain the political alliance necessary to bring Charles to trial. It is possible that for men like Fairfax, and even Cromwell, the implication of regicide in the Remonstrance may have been regarded as a device to bring Charles to his senses, reinforced by a trial. For Ireton the Remonstrance was a justification of regicide.
The nature of the Remonstrance reflected the manner of its composition based on discussions by a core group around Ireton including Cromwell, Rich, possibly Harrison and most notably Peter. A contemporary referring to Peter stated:
I look upon you as one of the principall Guides of the Army, and a man that doth from time to time speak very much the sence of the Leaders of the Army because you ly in their Bosoms know their secrets and are much imployed by them to Trumpet abroad their Tenets and Principles.
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- Information
- Henry Ireton and the English Revolution , pp. 138 - 158Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2006