Good Old Cause facts for kids

The Good Old Cause was a special name given by soldiers of the New Model Army. It described all the important reasons why they fought for the Parliament of England.

These soldiers fought against King Charles I and his supporters, called Royalists, during the English Civil War. After the war, they continued to support the English Commonwealth, which was England without a king, from 1649 to 1660. Oliver Cromwell, a famous leader, once wrote about a simple, honest captain who believed strongly in the idea of a republic. Many who supported the Good Old Cause also believed in religious freedom and local control over church matters.

What Was the Good Old Cause?

After Oliver Cromwell died, the idea of the "Good Old Cause" became very popular. People who didn't like the political decisions made during Cromwell's rule, called the the Protectorate, looked back to the Army's original goals. They read pamphlets by writers like John Lilburne and John Milton.

Many people felt there was a time of pure revolution when everyone agreed on a good, republican way of governing. This idea, which changed a bit depending on who was talking about it, was often called the "Good Old Cause."

The Cause Becomes Popular

The phrase "Good Old Cause" started appearing more and more after Cromwell's death. By April 1659, and for many months after, you could hear it everywhere. Many pamphlets in bookshops had "The Good Old Cause" on their covers or mentioned it inside.

What the Cause Meant in 1659

The meaning of the phrase could be different for different people. But in 1659, for those who truly believed in it, it meant the pure republic that was created after King Charles I was executed. This republic lasted until Cromwell ended the Rump Parliament in April 1653.

Supporters of the Good Old Cause believed that Cromwell's time as leader, called the Protectorate, was just a temporary break from the true republic. They thought that now Cromwell was gone, everyone should go back to the original Commonwealth government.

Fighting for the Cause

In April 1660, a general named John Lambert tried to gather an army. He wanted to stop the king from returning to power and bring back the Commonwealth. He called on all supporters of the "Good Old Cause" to meet at the old battlefield of Edgehill. However, he was arrested before he could gather enough people to challenge General George Monck, who was helping the king return.

Later that year, in October, Daniel Axtell was executed. He was an officer who had guarded King Charles I during his trial. He bravely declared that he would give his life many times over for the "Good Old Cause." Similarly, Algernon Sidney, before his own execution in 1683, said he was thankful to die for the "Good Old Cause" he had believed in since he was young.

Lasting Impact

The "Good Old Cause" didn't disappear in 1660. It lived on in the words and actions of many soldiers, sailors, and others who felt the new government wasn't fair. Even though laws tried to stop them, people continued to believe in different churches and wanted a government that listened to them. Some even wanted to fight again for the "Good Old Cause," but they never rebelled all together.

In the 1700s and 1800s, the "Good Old Cause" became a key idea for people who wanted big changes in England. They connected their own goals to the ideas of the English Civil War radicals. This memory was kept alive by books and writings about the Civil War, like Edmund Ludlow's Memoirs published in 1701.

See also

• Green Ribbon Club
• Norman Yoke
• Republicanism in the United Kingdom