Nineteen Propositions

views updated

Nineteen Propositions. In the summer of 1642, Charles I withdrew from London and prepared for war. On 1 June, Parliament sent to him at York nineteen propositions, which were more of a manifesto than a negotiating draft. They demanded complete political and military control. The king's answer, drafted by Colepeper and Falkland, was a skilful exposition of the case for a balanced constitution. The propositions would ‘destroy all rights and properties, all distinctions of families and merit, and by this means this splendid and excellently distinguished form of government [would] end in a dark, equal chaos of confusion’. Though mainly a tactical manœuvre for the middle ground, the answer was not forgotten and was much discussed as the basis for some form of limited or constitutional monarchy.

J. A. Cannon

More From encyclopedia.com

About this article

Nineteen Propositions

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article

You Might Also Like

    NEARBY TERMS

    Nineteen Propositions