Despite victory in the
First English Civil War, Parliament was struggling with the economic cost of the war, a poor 1646 harvest, and a recurrence of the plague. The Presbyterian faction which formed a majority of
MPs had the support of the London
Trained Bands, the Army of the Western Association, leaders like
Rowland Laugharne in Wales, and elements of the
Royal Navy. By March 1647, the New Model was owed more than £3 million in unpaid wages; Parliament ordered it to Ireland, stating only those who agreed would be paid. , who argued the Grandees position at the
Putney Debates In response, each regiment elected two representatives, or
Agitators; along with senior officers like Sir
Thomas Fairfax, known as the '
Grandees', these representatives formed the Army Council. After a meeting near
Newmarket, Suffolk on Friday 4 June 1647, they issued "
A Solemne Engagement of the Army, under the Command of his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax". Presented to Parliament on 8 June, it set out their grievances and explained the constitution of the Council, to make it clear these demands had wide-ranging support. Parliament responded by ordering the New Model to disband. Concerned Parliament intended to restore Charles without preconditions, on 4 June the Council
had him removed from his Parliamentary guards, and taken to
Thriplow. He was now presented with
The Heads of the Proposals, a set of conditions prepared by Cromwell and other senior officers; in many ways, they were more lenient than the Newcastle Propositions, particularly in their religious provisions. This not only created a rift between Parliament and the New Model but also between its senior officers and the rank and file, who viewed them as being far too moderate. Seeing an opportunity to divide his opponents, Charles rejected them; on 26 July, pro-Presbyterian rioters burst into Parliament, demanding he be invited to London. In early August, Fairfax and the New Model took control of the city, which re-established command authority over the rank and file. However, with the majority of the New Model now based in or around London, the influence of the Levellers was strengthened; with their support, the Agitators prepared a revolutionary new constitution called the
Agreement of the People. This contained demands for almost universal male suffrage, reform of electoral boundaries, supreme power to rest with the Parliament, religious freedom and an end to imprisonment for debt. At the
Putney Debates in late October and early November, Agitators discussed adoption of the 'Agreement' and the 'Proposals', with Cromwell's son-in-law
Henry Ireton representing the Army Council. The Levellers pushed for a single meeting of the entire army, which would vote on which proposal to accept but were out manoeuvred by the Council, which insisted on three separate meetings. They used the delay to ensure adoption of the 'Proposals' by demanding every soldier sign a declaration of loyalty, to Fairfax and the Army Council, with signature signifying acceptance of the 'Proposals'. In return, they were promised their pay arrears in full; it was suggested divisions within the New Model could enable Parliament to delay or even refuse payment. At the first meeting on 15 November, a minority refused, leading to the
Corkbush Field mutiny, which was quickly suppressed; Private Richard Arnold was tried for mutiny and shot on the spot as an example. At the two other meetings at
Ruislip and
Kingston, the other regiments complied with orders to show support for Fairfax. The net result was the Army Council now became a political power, separate from either king or Parliament. ==Council of Officers==