History Department: Knowledge Organiser.
Year 8: Unit TWO : The Interregnum 1649-
Key facts
1660
Sub-topics 1) King Charles 1st was put on trial in January
1.1 The Execution of Charles 1in 1649 1649. The Rump Parliament had appointed a
1.2 The Commonwealth and Protectorate . High Court of Justice to try him. The Court
1.3 Radical Groups during the Interregnum was not a normal legal court and it was
packed with supporters of Parliament such as
the President of the High Court John
Possible tasks: Key Stage Three Questions: Bradshaw from Stockport
1) Evaluate the importance of a number of causes of The trial took place in Westminster Hall in
London and Charles was found guilty and
the execution of Charles. (Q2 page 59 in
publicly executed on the 30th January 1649.
Understanding History 2)
Charles was the first monarch to be killed by
2) To what extent was Cromwell a democrat or his subjects and those people who carried
dictator? (Q2 page 61) out the execution became known as
3) Why did Radical groups appeal so much during the Regicides.
Interregnum? 2) On March 17th 1649 the Rump abolished the
4) Why did Radical groups appeal so much during the monarchy altogether and Britain became a
Interregnum? Republic for the first time. Between 1649 and
5) Research the following Radical Groups during the 1653 Cromwell led the New Model Army to
Interregnum; The Levellers, The Diggers, The victories over the Scots ,Irish and the
Quakers, The Fifth Monarchists. Royalists. In April 1653 Cromwell dismissed
the Rump Parliament.
3) Many radical groups such as Levellers,
Diggers and Quakers had flourished during
the English Civil War. In 1649 John Lilburn
the leader of the Levellers was imprisoned in
the Tower and Cromwell rooted out radical
elements from the army and society.
4) In 1653 Cromwell set up the Barebones
Parliament where the members were
nominated rather than elected.
5) The Barebones Parliament was dissolved at
government called the Protectorate with a
new Constitution but with Cromwell being
granted most of the powers as Lord
Protector. Parliament offers Cromwell the
position of king in 1656 but he turns them
down.
6) Oliver Cromwell died in 1658. His son
Richard Cromwell succeeded him as Lord
Protector .The Republic collapsed and
General Monk decided to restore the Long
Parliament who invited Charles 11 back into
power in an event usually known as the
Restoration.
Key terms
Regicides A group of people who take part in the killing of the current monarch.
The Rump Parliament A Parliament that has had some of its MPs removed or dismissed and is
therefore meant to be more compliant or co-operative,
The Levellers A radical group of early democrats or socialists who wanted votes for all
men and increased powers for parliament and religious tolerance. They
were led by John Lilburn.
Constitution A set of rules setting out how a country should be run.
Interregnum The period between the execution of Charles 1 in 1649 and the return of his son
as king in 1660.
Republic Country without a monarch.
Protectorate An authoritarian government led by Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector in which
freedoms were restricted.
New Model Army Parliament’s revamped army, created in 1645
The Restoration This was when Parliament invited Charles 11 to re-establish the monarchy in
1660.
The Diggers A radical group of early ‘communists’ who wanted to divide up the land equally
in order to get rid of private property. They were led by Gerald Winstanley.
Stretch and Challenge/ Wider reading/independent research:
1) Visit to the Hatters Museum in Stockport where the hat of John Bradshaw (the judge
at Charles’ trial ) is kept .
2) Research the following Radical Groups during the Interregnum; The Levellers, The
Diggers, The Quakers, The Fifth Monarchists.
3) Read the book ‘ Killers of the King; The men who dared to execute Charles 1’ by
Charles Spencer(Lady Diana’s brother) .
4) Read the book ‘The Leveller Revolution’ by John Rees.
5) Research the life of John Bradshaw of Stockport who became the Lord President of
the Council under Cromwell and was the judge at the trial of Charles.
