After refusing to “call Parliament into session” until 1640, the divide between Puritans, who controlled Parliament and Charles I grew (The Making of the West 514). The Puritans feared the reinstatement of Catholicism.
Although Parliament and the army were divided between Presbyterians and Independents, the Independents were able to forcefully create a Rump Parliament and proceeded to give Charles I the death sentence.
After Oliver Cromwell’s death, the newest threats