Editing Henry Vane the Younger (section)

===Early years===
{{main article|First English Civil War}}
In the first six months of 1642, relations between the king and Parliament broke down completely, and factions supporting both sides took up arms. Parliament returned Vane to his post as Treasurer of the Navy, where he used connections to bring significant naval support to the Parliamentary side after Charles attempted to arrest five [[Member of Parliament|MPs]] on charges of high treason in December 1641.<ref>Adamson and Folland, pp. 169–176</ref><ref>Ireland, p. 173</ref> In June 1642, Charles rejected the [[Nineteen Propositions]], the last substantive set of demands made by Parliament prior to the outbreak of the [[First English Civil War]]. After hostilities began that June with the [[Siege of Hull (1642)|siege of Hull]], Vane was given a seat on the [[English Committee of Safety|Committee of Safety]], which oversaw Parliamentary military activities.<ref>Adamson and Folland, pp. 173, 177</ref>

[[Image:Assertion of Liberty of Conscience by the Independents of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, 1644.jpg|thumb|left|19th century depiction of the [[Westminster Assembly of Divines]]]]
After the failure of the Root and Branch Bill, Parliament in 1643 called together the [[Westminster Assembly of Divines]], a body of lay politicians, lords, and clergy whose purpose was to reform church governance.<ref>Moore, pg. 323</ref> Vane sat on this body, which met periodically until 1648, as one of the lay representatives of the [[Independent (religion)|Independent]] faction.<ref>Shaw, pp. 145–365</ref><ref>Hosmer (1888), pg. 172</ref> Not long after its first meeting in July, Vane was sent at the head of a Parliamentary commission seeking military assistance from the Scots.<ref>Adamson and Folland, pg. 193</ref> The Scots, who had been opposed to Charles in the [[Bishop's Wars]] (1639–40) over religious issues,<ref>Adamson and Folland, pp. 134–140</ref> were willing to assist the English Parliament if the latter were willing to allow the extension of the [[Presbyterian polity|Presbyterian]] system of [[church polity]] to England.<ref>Hosmer (1888), pg. 177</ref> Vane was opposed to both Presbyterianism and Episcopalianism, but found a way to finesse an agreement.<ref>Adamson and Folland, pg. 196</ref> He proposed that the agreement, which covered a combination of religious and political topics, be called the ''[[Solemn League and Covenant]]'', and he introduced slippery language into the agreement concerning "the example of the best Reformed churches". This language permitted the Scots to believe that their ideas would be adopted, while the English could interpret it to mean that English (i.e. Independent) practices could be adopted. The league and covenant were eventually approved by authorities in Scotland, England, and Ireland, and paved the way for Scottish entry into the war.<ref>Adamson and Folland, pp. 197–199</ref>

Following Vane's success in negotiating the Scottish agreement, the death of John Pym at the end of 1643 propelled Vane into the leadership of Parliament, along with Oliver St John, [[Henry Marten (regicide)|Henry Marten]], and Arthur Heselrige.<ref>Adamson and Folland, pp. 202–209</ref> He promoted, and became a chief member of, the [[Committee of Both Kingdoms]], established in February 1644 as a point were English and Scottish authorities could coordinate war activities.<ref>Adamson and Folland, pg. 214</ref> Vane was then sent to [[York]] in June 1644, then [[Siege of York|besieged]] by three Parliament armies, to urge Sir [[Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron|Thomas Fairfax]] and the [[Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester|Earl of Manchester]] to divert some of those forces to face [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine]], who had recently taken [[Liverpool]] and was pillaging properties of Parliamentary supporters in [[Lancashire]].<ref>Ireland, pp. 226–227</ref><ref>Adamson and Folland, pg. 216</ref> While there he also proposed to the generals the establishment of a government which would depose Charles I and crown the Prince to make him King. This idea was roundly rejected by the old guard generals who believed Charles could still be accommodated, but found support with the rising star of [[Oliver Cromwell]].<ref>Ireland, pg. 226</ref><ref>Adamson and Folland, pg. 217</ref>

On 13 September 1644 Vane acted with St John and Cromwell in the Commons to set up a "Grand Committee for the Accommodation", designed to find a compromise on religious issues dividing the [[Westminster Assembly]]. He sought in its debate to identify loopholes for religious tolerance on behalf of the Independents.<ref>Cliffe, pp. 109–110</ref>  This exposed Vane's opposition to Presbyterianism, and created a rift between the pro-war Independents, led by Vane and Cromwell, and the pro-peace Scots and other supporters of Presbyterianism.<ref>Adamson and Folland, pp. 222–223</ref>  The latter included the [[Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex|Earl of Essex]], whose failures in the west of England reduced popular support for his cause, even as the military success of Cromwell at [[Battle of Marston Moor|Marston Moor]] raised his profile.<ref>Ireland, pp. 236–237</ref><ref>Adamson and Folland, pg. 220</ref>

[[Robert Baillie]], on the realisation that the Parliamentary Independents, despite previous claims of support by Vane, were not on the side of the Scots, wrote "Sir Henry Vane and The Solicitor [St John]... without any regard for us, who have saved their nation and brought their two persons to the height of power now they enjoy and use to our prejudice".<ref>Adamson and Folland, pg. 223</ref>