"The Bloody Man"

[SenatorChickpea]

OK, so that last vignette was simply superb. Really taut writing.



Poor Charles. What's the phrase for the cavaliers? "Wrong but romantic."

[Ares96]

I was going to respond with a fitting Revelation quote, but I couldn't find one, so here's an actually rather fitting passage from the Book of G'Quan:


"The future is all around us, waiting in moments of transition, to be born in moments of revelation. No one knows the shape of that future, or where it will take us. We know only that it is always born in pain."

It's not quite as 'bibley' as Jael and Sisera, or Revelation for that matter, but I think it rather nicely encapsulates TTL's Civil Wars.

[stevep]

EdT

Good display on the disorder and uncertainty. The question is now will Charles's death prompt new violence or remove a major barrier to a [relatively] peaceful settlement of matters. There's definitely going to be a game of pass the blame as assorted people seek to pass responsibility onto anyone else for the killing. Poor Alice is likely to die, probably very unpleasantly.

In one way it makes matters worse for the radicals. While Charles was king and in Scots hands at least the matter was to some degree controllable. Now he's dead the new king is totally outside their influence and his age and absence will be the biggest boost the royalists can have. Unless they can sort themselves out and get stable government very quickly a revival of royalist feeling is bound to be dangerously powerful.

Steve

[Jape]

I had suspected something of the sort due to the motif of Jael and Sisera cropping up along the way but the writing made it all the greater. Lovely. Though Alice will no doubt suffer a gruesome fate for what is arguably a valuable act (sin-eating as you put it for Blackwood).

So to the outside world of 1648 we have the King assassinated while under the guard of the Covenanters, so anti-Scottish sentiment will explode, particularly in occupied Northumberland I imagine. Then you have the Resolutionists marching at the same time, who will probably blame the Remonstrants.

Key question, is the Scots army in England beholden to either faction in particular?

I have an image in my head of the New Model Army marching to do judgement onto the Scots only to arrive at their camp where a massive skirmish has broken out between the two groups.

I think I know how the Revolution will be resolved now but I wouldn't want to bust my flush... more importantly even if I'm right I wouldn't want to ruin the excitement of finding out.

Originally Posted by stevep

In one way it makes matters worse for the radicals. While Charles was king and in Scots hands at least the matter was to some degree controllable. Now he's dead the new king is totally outside their influence and his age and absence will be the biggest boost the royalists can have. Unless they can sort themselves out and get stable government very quickly a revival of royalist feeling is bound to be dangerously powerful.

Question though is what the Duke of York will do - he is only three years from reaching 'maturity'. And also the Agitators aren't republicans or regicides, its hardly the point of no return Cromwell faced IOTL.

[Faeelin]

Originally Posted by EdT

Sexby untied his horse’s reins and began to walk away, ignoring Chandos’ increasingly desperate pleas. As he went, he looked over his shoulder, the sight of the cavalier’s hands stretched out in supplication making his lips curl into something like a smile. “I will not sully myself with your gold,” he said, forcefully. “They say death is the great leveller. Well sir, you are levelled. And as you are levelled, so is the kingdom. “

I know that as good students of the past the hereditary despotism which gave rise to bumbling jerks like Charles is a far better system of government than Leveller thought, whose naive ideas of a society based upon equal rights and universal suffrage are clearly no way to run a state, but I really hope these guys win.

First you take London...

I'm having a hard time feeling sorry for the guy responsible for the French and Dutch troops running around England.

[Thande]

Great update. Charles ends up with quite a Marat-esque death, I don't know if that was a deliberate allusion.

One minor correction, as before:

On December 14th 1647, the inhabitants of Barton, a North Yorkshire hamlet on the Great North Road a few miles south of Darlington

Of course in the 1640s Barton was in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Though as you say it was very close to the border with County Durham, as you can see on this map.

[Lord Roem]

Wonderful update Ed, sad to see that Charles won't really be offered martyrisation as in OTL. I assume that his reputation as a fundamentally pious and devout may may be somewhat reduced towards a more Edward II style folk-memory.

[Massa Chief]

Originally Posted by Lord Roem

Charles won't really be offered martyrisation as in OTL.

I wouldn't rule it out- he died as Marat did, and they turned Marat, a man with no positive quality, into a saint of the French Revolution.

[Mumby]

Originally Posted by Lord Roem

Wonderful update Ed, sad to see that Charles won't really be offered martyrisation as in OTL. I assume that his reputation as a fundamentally pious and devout may may be somewhat reduced towards a more Edward II style folk-memory.

Thats a good point. Everybody knows what happened to Edward II.

[StevenAttewell]

I may be having reading comprehension problems today, but I've completely lost track of where most of Parliament has gotten to after they fled London during the Fire, despite having read through this TL several times yesterday. Did they go over to the King? I can't imagine many of them would have felt safe doing so.

[Lord Roem]

Originally Posted by Massa Chief

I wouldn't rule it out- he died as Marat did, and they turned Marat, a man with no positive quality, into a saint of the French Revolution.

Oh quite true, but we don't seem to treat people's death as seriously in the UK as they do in Europe.

[ed_montague]

Ah. That was expected.

So...the assassination was ordered by the Royalists? It was something of a shame to see Charles go, but he lasted for a creditable amount of time, given what happened to him IOTL. Also, poor Alice. She's not in a very good position.

[Jape]

Originally Posted by Lord Roem

Oh quite true, but we don't seem to treat people's death as seriously in the UK as they do in Europe.

Princess Diana.

The other argument is the French Revolution, four years in, was much more strapped for martyrs than 1800 years of international Christendom.

[Lord Roem]

Originally Posted by Jape

Princess Diana.

The other argument is the French Revolution, four years in, was much more strapped for martyrs than 1800 years of international Christendom.

Yes, but clearly that was due to decades of corruption by the priggish and pinkish romanticism by Europe.

[Thande]

Originally Posted by Jape

Princess Diana.

That was so notable precisely because it was such an exception. The only comparable one I can think of is Lord Nelson.

[frozenpredator]

wow the king died to an assassin?

awesome. this will change matters a bit.

[B_Munro]

Load the excrement projector! Turn the fan to "high!"

Great stuff, EdT. Are we going to have a look soon as to what's going on in New England?

Bruce

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

You know, if i were a leader as hated as charles, and a female attendant started babbling about jael and sisera, id sure not let her shave me!!

[Kaiphranos]

Originally Posted by Dathi THorfinnsson

You know, if i were a leader as hated as charles, and a female attendant started babbling about jael and sisera, id sure not let her shave me!!

That thought had crossed my mind as well... Anyway, I'll be interested to see where things go from here!

[Beedok]

Remind me to avoid 17th century Britain. I'd get killed by someone quoting a various obvious part of the bible thanks to having no idea what they're refering to.