In the winter of 1941-42, King Charles I’s calamitous relationship with Parliament was pushed to breaking point. He was convinced, and not without good reason, that five members of Parliament had encouraged rebels in Scotland to invade England during the recent Bishops War. Charles’ troubles were exacerbated when rumours reached him that these men were now planning to impeach his wife, on trumped up charges of Catholic conspiracy. Fearing that they would soon succeed in turning the London mob against him, Charles publicly accused them of treason and called for their surrender. When they didn’t, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
On the afternoon of 4 January 1642, Charles arrived at The Houses of Parliament with an armed guard of 400 soldiers. In an act violating all parliamentary privilege, he entered the Commons chamber while it was in session, ensuring the door remained open behind him, so that the astonished MPs could see the armed soldiers outside, fingering their weapons threateningly. Charles, smirking all the while, waved lazily, as he strode past the assembled peers and sat in the Speaker's Chair. He let the silence hang heavy, finally breaking it to call out the names of the five traitors, expecting them to reveal themselves and surrender. There was no response. The King asked the kneeling speaker where they were, but he responded, "I have neither eyes to see, nor tongue to speak in this place, but as this house is pleased to direct me." It was the first time any Speaker had ever sided with Parliament over the monarchy. The King looked around stunned, carefully studying each member one at a time, fury rising up inside him, finally conceding, "all my birds have flown". His blood boiling, Charles stormed out, to shouts of “Privilege!” from the cackling crowd.
‘The Five Members’, as they have become known to history, had been expecting him. At 3pm that afternoon, they had received word that the King was on his way and had escaped onto a barge, kept in the vicinity of Parliament for just such occasions. From there they had trundled up the river and into the City, out of the King’s grasp.
Charles, embarrassed and outraged in equal measure, ordered the City to surrender the fugitives, but, to his horror, City officers sided with the politicians, sending the Capital into meltdown. Six thousand citizens gathered on the border between the City and Westminster, building barricades and setting up cannons, to repel any attack that came from the King.
One week later, under the cover of darkness, Charles travelled North with his wife. The King had lost London. Civil war was now inevitable. When he eventually returned, seven years later, it would be as a prisoner.
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