Fought 1642-1651, the English Civil War saw King Charles I battle with

Parliament for control of the English government. The war began as a result of a
conflict over the power of the monarchy and the rights of Parliament. During the
early phases of the war, the Parliamentarians expected to retain Charles as king,
but with expanded powers for Parliament. Though the Royalists won early
victories, the Parliamentarians ultimately triumphed. As the conflict progressed,
Charles was executed and a republic formed. Known as the the Commonwealth of
England, this state later became the Protectorate under the leadership of Oliver
Cromwell. Though Charles II was invited to take the throne in 1660, Parliament's
victory established the precedent that the monarch could not rule without the
consent of Parliament and placed the nation on the path towards a formal
parliamentary monarchy.

Causes

The three kingdoms of England, Ireland and Scotland faced many problems in
the early 17th century. Financial problems made government problematic.
Religious differences and change threatened the very fabric of society. These
issues were complex. Additionally there was, in King Charles I, a monarch who
shunned Parliament, believed in his Divine Right to rule by Royal Prerogative
and who aroused suspicion through his marriage to a French Roman Catholic,
Henrietta Maria.

• Ascending to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1625, Charles

I believed in the divine right of kings which stated that his right to rule came
from God rather than any earthly authority. This led him to frequently clash
with Parliament as their approval was needed for raising funds. Dissolving
Parliament on several occasions, he was angered by its attacks on his
ministers and reluctance to provide him with money.
• In May 1626 Parliament called for the dismissal of the Duke of
Buckingham. Buckingham was King Charles’ chief minister. He had failed
in military operations at Cadiz and was rumoured to be supporting the
French in their brutal campaign to put down the Huguenots. Charles took
exception and instead of dismissing Buckingham, dismissed Parliament. It
was the start of clashes with Members of Parliament that would continue
until the outbreak of war. .
• In 1629, Charles elected to stop calling Parliaments and began funding his
rule through outdated taxes such as ship money and various fines. This
approach angered the population and nobles. In the 1630’s Charles ruled
without reference to his Parliament. This period became known as the
personal rule of Charles I as well as the Eleven Years' Tyranny.
• In 1635 Charles ordered that everyone in the country should pay Ship
Money. This was historically a tax paid by coastal towns and villages to pay
for the upkeep of the navy. The logic was that coastal areas most benefited
from the navy’s protection. Charles decided that everyone in the kingdom
benefited from the navy’s protection and that everyone should pay.
• Consistently short of funds, the king found that policy was frequently
determined by the state of the nation's finances. 1638, Charles
encountered difficulty when he attempted to impose a new Book of Prayer
on the Church of Scotland. This action touched off the Bishops' Wars and
led the Scots to document their grievances in the National Covenant.
• Charles also clashed with the Church of Scotland . He ordered that they
should use a new prayer book for their church services. This angered the
Scots so much that they invaded England in 1639. As Charles was short of
money to fight the Scots, he had to recall Parliament in 1640 as only they
had the necessary money needed to fight a war and the required authority to
 collect extra money. The Parliament called in 1640 came to be known as
Long Parliament, technically it remained I session until 1660. The Long
Parliament enacted a number of Laws which made Royal Tyranny
impossible in future. The Parliament also forced him to abolish the Ship
Money. An Act was also passed which forbade the King from dissolving the
Parliament without its own consent.
• By 1642, relations between Parliament and Charles had become very bad
• In 1642, he went to Parliament with 300 soldiers to arrest his five biggest
critics. Someone close to the king had already tipped off Parliament that
these men were about to be arrested and they had already fled to the safety
of the city of London where they could easily hide from the king. However,
Charles had shown his true side. Members of Parliament represented the
people. Here was Charles attempting to arrest five Members of Parliament
simply because they dared to criticise him. If Charles was prepared to arrest
five Members of Parliament, how many others were not safe? Even Charles
realised that things had broken down between him and Parliament. Only six
days after trying to arrest the five Members of Parliament, Charles left
London to head for Oxford to raise an army to fight Parliament for control of
England. A civil war could not be avoided.

The Civil War includes three wars that were fought in the kingdoms of Scotland,
Ireland and England during the years 1642-1651. These wars transformed England's
political and cultural landscape. The first was fought from 1642-1646; the second,
which began in 1648, resulted in the trial and execution of Charles I; and the third,
1649-1651, was an attempt by Charles's eldest son to regain the throne and resulted
in a defeat by the Royalist forces at the battle of Worcester.
Pride’s Purge occurred on 6th December 1648 When the New Model Army
loyal to Oliver Cromwell and led by Colonel Thomas Pride seized control of
Parliament and ousted the MPs not loyal to either the independent Puritans or the
Military Grandees. The coup resulted in the establishment of the Pro-Cromwell
Rump Parliament.

The Rump Parliament was the name given to Parliament until 1660 of the English
Parliament that followed the Long Parliament, after Pride's Purge of December 6 1648 had
removed those Members of Parliament that were against the plan to try King Charles
I for high treason. The Rump Parliament was the English Parliament after Colonel Thomas
Pride purged the Long Parliament, on 6 December 1648, of those members hostile to
the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason. The Rump Parliament was the
remnant of the Long Parliament which met from 6th December 1648 to 21 February 1660
following Pride’s Purge and the expulsion of the presbytarians and moderate MPs from
Parliament by the New Model Army.( New model Army was army of the Commonwealth
of England from 1645 to 1660. Parliament formed the New Model Army in 1645 to
centralize its forces. It was to be a disciplined army with uniform, regular pay and reliable
supply system. Its first commander, Thomas Fair fax, ensured that its officers were appointed
on merit. Oliver Cromwell appointed Second-in- Command had responsibility for the
Cavalry)

• Found guilty, Charles was beheaded on January 30, 1649.

• The Commonwealth was the period when England, later along with Ireland and
Scotland, was ruled as a republic following the end of the Second English Civil War and
the trial and execution of Charles I (1649). The republic’s existence was declared by the
Rump Parliament on May 19, 1649. Power in the early Commonwealth was vested
primarily in the Parliament and a Council of State. During this period, fighting continued,
particularly in Ireland and Scotland, between the parliamentary forces and those opposed
to them, as part of what is now referred to as the Third English Civil War.
 • With the final defeat of Royalist forces in 1651, power passed to the
republican government of the Commonwealth of England.
• This remained in place until 1653, when Cromwell assumed power as
Lord Protector. In 1653, after the forcible dissolution of the Rump
Parliament, Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector of a united
Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland under the terms of the
Instrument of Government, inaugurating the period now usually known as
the Protectorate Effectively ruling as a dictator until his death in 1658, he
was replaced by his son Richard. Lacking the support of the army, his rule
was brief and the Commonwealth returned in 1659 with the re-installation of
the Rump Parliament.
• End of the Civil War

In the end, Cromwell’s troops defeat Charles’ army – Charles I is captured and tried for treason
In 1649 Charles I is executed – His family flees to France

Consequences

• During the English Civil War, which lasted nine years, a huge number of people died and the
English government was changed forever. It was the start of the end of power for
the monarchy, the king and queen, and the beginning of power for Parliament, their elected
government.

• The immediate consequence of the English Civil Wars and the wars of the
three kingdoms was that there was no monarchy. It was replaced at first
by a Commonwealth government based on the Rump Parliament and
then by the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell.
• Following Charles I’s death, Cromwell becomes England’s new ruler – Rules from 1649
until his death in 1658 n Declared England a “republic”, but ruled as a military &
religious dictator.
• . The Protectorate passed to Cromwell’s son following Oliver’s death. He
was a far less capable or willing politician. In 1660 the monarchy was
restored
• The Civil Wars also had consequences socially and economically. Any
conflict that results in the loss of so many lives will impact upon the nations
ability to perform well economically. The damage that was caused by the
wars took some time to recover in places.
• The Architectural appearance of some towns and cities changed as a result
of the English Civil Wars. For centuries some towns had been dominated by
castles. Parliament ‘slighted’ many of these. This was an act of reducing the
height of the defensive walls. It rendered them useless in any future conflict.
This has a benefit of minimising the chances of disgruntled Royalists taking
up the cause but also runs the risk of giving any invader or raider an easier
advance.
• English Civil War was an important event in the history of British. Besides the
political consequence, it had a great effect on the development of the military

and the economy. During the English Civil War, Cromwell established
advanced army. It improved the strength of the English army. The new

nobles and bourgeoisies took the power of the nation. They could make
policies that stood for the benefits of bourgeoisies. It promoted the

development of capitalism.

• In addition, the victory of English Civil War encouraged the revolutions of other
countries.