Editing Pride's Purge (section)

==Background==
[[File:Charles I at his trial.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|[[Charles I of England|Charles I]]; by 1648, a significant element felt only his death could end the conflict]]

When the [[First English Civil War]] began in 1642, the vast majority on both sides believed a 'well-ordered' monarchy was divinely mandated. They disagreed on what 'well-ordered' meant, and who held ultimate authority in clerical affairs. [[Cavalier|Royalists]] generally supported a [[Church of England]] governed by [[Episcopal polity|bishops]], appointed by, and answerable to, the king; [[Puritans]] believed he was answerable to the leaders of the church, appointed by their congregations.{{sfn|Macleod|2009|pp=5–19 passim}}

"Puritan" was a term for anyone who wanted to reform, or "purify", the Church of England, and contained many different perspectives. [[Presbyterian polity|Presbyterians]] were the most prominent in the [[Long Parliament]]; in general, they wanted to convert the Church of England into a Presbyterian body, similar to the [[Church of Scotland]]. [[Independent (religion)|Independents]] opposed any state church, and although smaller in number, included [[Oliver Cromwell]] along with a significant portion of the [[New Model Army]].{{sfn|Scott|n.d.}}

Having won control of Scotland in the 1639 to 1640 [[Bishops' Wars]], the [[Covenanters]] viewed the 1643 [[Solemn League and Covenant]] as a way to preserve their dominance by preventing a Royalist victory in England. Moderate [[Roundheads|Parliamentarians]] like [[Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles|Denzil Holles]] wanted to re-establish what they considered to be a long-standing English legal principle that the king ruled with the consent of [[Parliament of England|Parliament]], a principle violated by the period of [[Personal Rule]] from 1629 to 1640. They took up arms to uphold the traditional political structure, not destroy it, and as the war progressed, both they and their Scottish co-religionists came to see the Independents and political factions such as the [[Levellers]] as a greater threat to the established order than the Royalists.{{sfn|Rees|2016|pp=103–105}}

In 1646, most Parliamentarians assumed military defeat would force [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] to comply with their terms, but his refusal to make any substantial concessions frustrated allies and opponents alike.{{sfn|Royle|2004|pp=354–355}} He successfully exploited divisions among his opponents to negotiate an alliance with Scots and English Presbyterians which led to the 1648 [[Second English Civil War]]. Although quickly suppressed, it created a political grouping within the New Model Army who believed Charles had proved he could not be trusted and only his removal could end the conflict. For the vast majority, including Cromwell, at this stage, it meant [[Abdication]] rather than execution.{{sfn|Royle|2004|pp=475–478}}

Parliament [[Treaty of Newport|continued negotiations]] with Charles but by the beginning of November, the Army had lost its patience. On 10 November, [[Henry Ireton]] presented the draft Remonstrance to the Army General Council, which set out a constitutional vision of a state with Charles replaced by an elected monarch. While the Council was initially divided on whether to approve it, they did so on the 15th when it seemed Parliament was about to restore Charles unconditionally. They decided to act after intercepting secret messages from Charles stating any concessions he made were intended only to facilitate his escape.{{sfn|Ackroyd|2014|p=303}}