10 - Royalism

Summary

Welsh historical culture and its concomitant conservative political values were vital in persuading the North-East Welsh gentry to support the king militarily from 1642. They continued to be extremely influential after the royalist defeat in 1647. These values, particularly loyalty to the king and the Church, inspired the North-East Welsh gentry to resist the Commonwealth and Protectorate, and to support the policies of the restored Charles II from 1660. Throughout the period 1642 to 1660 the ideas and behaviour of the majority of the North-East Welsh gentry were those of ‘extremists’ or ‘ultra-royalists’. They were quick to show their sympathy for the king’s side during arguments of the early 1640s and responded when called in 1642. Although there was only a limited visible reaction to the crises of the latter years of Charles II’s reign, there are no signs that North-East Welsh loyalty was strongly tested until James II decided to promote and then impose religious toleration. It is almost impossible to meaningfully untangle the political and religious features of seventeenth-century life and beliefs. As a consequence, while the two are discussed separately in Parts 2 and 3 of this book, the interactions between them are recognised as crucial, continuous, and extremely complex. Chapter 10 demonstrates how the loyalty discussed in terms of words and objects in Chapter 9 manifested itself in action in the period 1640 to 1660. It begins by examining the development of royalism from 1640 to the royalist defeat in the First Civil War, before exploring the political culture of royalism in the Interregnum, including the image and behaviour of royalists, ways of demonstrating dissent, and more outright involvement in plotting and rebellion.

The development of seventeenth-century Welsh royalism, 1640–47

While some historians view Welsh royalism as a commonplace, there has been no detailed exploration of where Welsh royalism came from historically or intellectually, what Welsh royalists believed, or royalism’s impact on events in Wales in the seventeenth century. As discussed in the Introduction and Chapter 1, the ideas of the North-East Welsh gentry were not necessarily original. Nevertheless, even the conventional aspects to Welsh royalist writings are useful in determining the construction of their allegiance to the Crown.