The key. You're going to Hello everyone and welcome to the history of England

episode 411 Commonwealth and Free State.

This episode, may I say, is dedicated to Lois.

In humble apology and in the hope that she will at last be satisfied and I'm really sorry it took so long Lewis

Really sorry

So let me take you back a few days while the idea of putting the king on trial was still in the balance. The army chaplain, the charismatic vulgar excitable Hugh Peters, favorite of both Cromwell and Fairfax Fairfax as it happens, gave a public sermon.

There he was in the pulpit, and yet he seemed not to be ready, he seemed to be fast asleep actually surrounded by the waiting expectant soldiers

And suddenly he gave a great start as if shocked awake

Peter's proclaimed he had been awoken by the voice of heaven.

A voice that assured him that monarchy was to be grubbed up like rotten tree stumps, not only in England but in France and across all of Europe.

But Peters was terrified. He was terrified that Charles, this great barubus of Windsor, as he called him, would escape his due punishment a robber released leaving soldiers to be crucified in his place

just as Christ had been crucified.

Now at the end of the trial on the Saturday the 27th of January 1649 there were many

who wished Peters would be disappointed. Fairfax the only man who could conceivably have stopped the trial

and execution taking place and himself very unhappy with the idea, received a

delegation from the Dutch.

He also received a delegation from the Scots commissioners

with their outraged pleas that the English could not kill

a Scottish king without their agreement, which they certainly would not

give.

Presumably, Fairfax had better manners than to mention Thalodden, but to neither could he make promises. What he did say was that he would try and he called

an army council on Monday the 29th and tried to persuade his colleagues to delay. But his officers, for once, turned to death ear to their beloved

...