Treaty of Newport facts for kids
The Treaty of Newport was an attempt to make peace during the English Civil War. It was a series of talks between the English Parliament and King Charles I of England. These talks happened from September 15 to November 27, 1648.
The meetings took place in Newport, Isle of Wight. King Charles was allowed to leave Carisbrooke Castle for the talks. He stayed in Newport during this time. The original plan was for the talks to last no more than 40 days. Even though things mostly stopped by October 27, the talks formally continued into November.
King Charles started by taking back his earlier statements against Parliament. But he also said that any agreements he made would only count if a full peace plan was finished. This made the whole process feel a bit unreal from the start. What made it even more complicated was that Charles secretly told James Butler, a loyal supporter, not to follow any agreement made at Newport.
Contents
The People Involved
Parliament chose fifteen people to represent them in the talks. These people were called Commissioners.
There were two main groups among the Commissioners:
- Presbyterians: Led by Denzil Holles, this group wanted a peace deal that was more favorable to the King. They were more traditional.
- Independents: Led by Henry Vane the Younger, this group was more moderate. They wanted to make sure that Parliament kept the rights it had gained during the Puritan Revolution.
It was mainly the influence of the Presbyterians that led Parliament to allow these talks to happen. Earlier in 1648, Parliament had decided not to talk to the King at all (this was called the Vote of No Addresses). But they changed their minds to try for peace again.
Why the Treaty Failed
Many Members of Parliament, especially the Presbyterians and a group called the Middle Group, wanted to keep talking with King Charles. They hoped to reach a lasting peace.
However, some members of the Army had lost their patience with the King. They became very angry when Parliament seemed ready to let Charles come to London to finish the peace deal. Because of this, Henry Vane the Younger and Henry Ireton, a key army leader, decided to move King Charles. They took him back to Hurst Castle on the mainland.
After this, Parliament was changed by an event known as Pride's Purge. This meant that many Members of Parliament who wanted to make peace with the King were removed. The remaining Parliament then canceled the Treaty of Newport on December 13, 1648. Soon after, plans began for the King's trial.
List of Commissioners
Here are the people Parliament chose to be part of the talks:
Presbyterian Commissioners
Independent Commissioners
- Henry Vane the Younger
- Nathaniel Fiennes
- William Pierrepont
- Samuel Browne
- Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland
- William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele
Non-aligned Commissioners
- Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke
- William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury
- James Cranfield, 2nd Earl of Middlesex
- Thomas Wenman, 2nd Viscount Wenman
