Several MPs had commanded the Parliamentarian army. Of these, the
strongest was an East Anglian gentleman farmer named Oliver Cromwell. He had
created a new "model" army, the first regular force from which the
British army of today developed. Instead of country people or gentry, Cromwell
invited into his army educated men who wanted to fight for their beliefs.
Cromwell and his advisers had captured the king in 1645, but they did
not know what to do with him. This was an entirely new situation in English
history. Charles himself continued to encourage rebellion against Parliament
even after he had surrendered and had been imprisoned. He was able to encourage
the Scots to rebel against the Parliamentarian army. After the Scots were
defeated some Puritan officers of the Parliamentarian army demanded the king's
death for treason.
The Parliamentarian leaders now had a problem. They could either bring
Charles back to the throne and allow him to rule, or remove him and create a
new political system. By this time most people in both Houses of Parliament and
probably in the country wanted the king back. They feared the Parliamentarians
and they feared the dangerous behaviour of the army. But some army commanders
were determined to get rid of the king. These men were Puritans who believed
they could build God's kingdom in England.
