ABSTRACT
Scottish help for the King had been substantial but dilatory and, in the event, badly commanded. The surrender of Colchester in Essex on 27 August 1648, followed by the wanton execution of its two royalist commanders, marked the end of the abortive uprising. The Commons had already concluded that the seizure of the King had been an act of great ‘insolency’ and on the evening of the 5th had gone so far as to issue a stern rebuke to the army by voting to continue negotiations. All further talks with the King were now abandoned, and on 23 December a Commons committee was set up to plan the King’s trial. The Council of State, which ruled the country after the abolition of monarchy, appointed Cromwell on 15 March 1649 to command an expeditionary force to be sent into Ireland to break the resistance of the royalist/nationalist armies there.
