It was a dramatic scene by design. On the fateful day in January 1642 that King Charles I swept into Parliament expecting to arrest his enemies, he was embarrassed by their absence. Instead of the more famous John Pym, Denzil Holles, John Hampden, Arthur Haselrig, and William Strode, Charles found an older and even more dedicated opponent waiting for him. According to Samuel Butler, it was Alderman John Fowke, newly elected to the common council of London, who met the king and responded to his inquiry about the missing men with a “saucy, insolent speech.” - Apologies for my mispronunciations of Denzil Holles.

Polemology Positions

The Walls of John Fowke

It was a dramatic scene by design. On the fateful day in January 1642 that King Charles I swept into Parliament expecting to arrest his enemies, he was embarrassed by their absence. Instead of the more famous John Pym, Denzil Holles, John Hampden, Arthur Haselrig, and William Strode, Charles found an older and even more dedicated op…

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10 months ago · Matt Osborne