Pride's Purge

Pride's Purge occurred in 1648 when Colonel Thomas Pride, acting under orders from Lord Protector Cromwell, physically barred a Presbyterian majority of the Long Parliament from taking their seats. The reason for this was that Parliament was wavering on how to deal with King Charles I, who had been defeated in the English Civil War and was accused of treason. Pride was appointed to remove those thought to be in favour of a compromise by which the king would escape punishment. Over a hundred members were excluded, leaving only about eightey. In the wake of the ejections, the remnant, the Rump Parliament, tried the king and condemned him to death, leading to the creation of the Commonwealth of England (1649).