ABSTRACT
On 29 April 1648, senior officers and agitators met in Windsor Castle for three days of prayer and discussion as they faced the start of a new war. On the third day, 1 May, as news of hostilities was confirmed, the meeting came to the conclusion that if God once again gave the army victory, they should bring the king to justice as a ‘man of blood’. The concept of blood-guilt that cried out for justice was derived from the Old Testament. The extract below is from the account of William Allen (fl. 1642–67), one of the agitators present at the meeting, which was published in 1659.
