| Act of attainder | an act which allowed Parliament to vote an accused person innocent or guilty, rather than giving them a proper trial |
| Barebones Parliament | Parliament that sat from April to December 1653 whose members were not elected but were chosen by the army commanders |
| battery | one or more heavy artillery pieces (cannons) |
| bishops | senior churchmen responsible for appointing church ministers and making sure church rules were followed, and who often took on jobs in government as well |
| bulwark | strong defensive barrier |
| Commonwealth | term meaning the good of the people (the common good); also used to describe the system which ruled England from 1649-53 |
| confinement | the state of being locked up or in prison |
| County Committees | organisations set up by Parliament in the Civil War to control areas of the country, collect taxes and carry out orders of Parliament |
| constitution | a system of basic laws and principles that outlines the nature and limits of a government or another institution |
| coup | takeover or revolt |
| court | the gathering of people around the monarch, which usually included the royal family, important officials, and members of important families |
| covenant | agreement or contract |
| dragoon | soldier who travelled on horseback but fought on foot |
| forced loan | type of tax where people were made to loan money to the king but had little or no chance of getting it back |
| godly | showing great respect to God in one’s life, which in this period often meant the kind of behaviour which hard-line Protestants liked, e.g. plain churches and simple church services, avoiding drink and rowdy entertainment |
| Grand Remonstrance | document published by Parliament in 1641 which criticised Charles I and his officials |
| grievance | complaint |
| impeach | to charge a public official with bad behaviour in office, e.g. a legal process against an official in Parliament |
| Justice | common term for a local magistrate or judge |
| Levellers | radical political group led by John Lilburne which became politically important in 1646-49 |
| Lieutenant | official representing the king, an important position of power |
| Lord Protector | title of Oliver Cromwell from 1653-58, when he ruled Britain |
| martial law | rule by the army |
| moderate | one who holds moderate (middle-of-the-road) views or opinions, especially in politics or religion |
| monarch | king or queen |
| monopoly | control of a particular business or trade by one individual or organisation |
| ordinance | law passed by Parliament without the agreement of the king |
| political nation | the important people of the country, such as the nobles, smaller landowners and wealthy merchants in the towns |
| predestination | Presbyterian belief that everything that happens is God’s will |
| Presbyterians | believed that the power of the church was a group responsibility. Assemblies of elected Elders or Presbyters controlled their congregations. Presbyterianism was very strong in Scotland and it was based on the teaching of John Calvin (1509-64) which emphasised predestination |
| prelate | important type of churchman such as a bishop or archbishop |
| Pride’s Purge | event in 1648 when Colonel Thomas Pride stopped MPs from entering Parliament if they were still in favour of negotiating with Charles I and were not prepared to put him on trial for treason |
| Privy Council | the closest advisers to the ruler |
| proclamation | law issued by the monarch; announcement |
| Protectorate | system of government in Britain from 1653-58, led by Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector |
| Protestants | members of a Christian church that began in the 16th century as a break-away from the Roman Catholic Church |
| Puritans | a group of English Protestants who believed in strict religious discipline, plain church ceremonies and a simple godly life |
| Putney Debates | discussions between army leaders and junior officers in 1647 about how the country should be run |
| radical | one who wants big or revolutionary changes in current conditions or institutions, e.g. in politics or religion |
| redoubt / redout | defensive position with a ditch and walls |
| regiment | unit within an army |
| remonstrance | document protesting or complaining about an issue |
| republic | system of government with no monarch |
| Rump Parliament | Parliament made up of the MPs left after Pride’s Purge in December 1648 which ruled the country until 1653 |
| Sabbath | Sunday |
| sermon | part of the Christian church service where the priest or minister preaches to the people |
| sovereign | one who rules and has top authority e.g. king or Parliament or other kind of ruler who is in charge |
| tallage | type of land tax, usually on crown lands and royal towns |
| warrant | an official order, e.g. an order to arrest a person, or an order to pay money |
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