history essay on the english civil war

English Civil War Essay

Essay on The English Civil War

The English Civil War The English Civil War was a complicated, intellectual war between the two most powerful forces in England: Parliament and the King. Conflicts between the two powers began when King Charles I dissolved Parliament in 1625 because they would not give him the money he demanded to fund his war against Spain. Parliament, who was lead by John Pym, felt that the King was showing favouritism towards the Roman Catholics, especially since Charles had recently married the Roman Catholic

Cause Of The English Civil War

Benjamin Christ HIST 324, Exam 2, Questions 5 & 3 Causes of the English Civil War in 1642 The cause of the first English civil war should not be thought about in terms of any single event. The increasing tension between the King and Parliament over a series of issues led to both sides losing faith in each other. The war would come to involve not only England, but Scotland and Ireland as well. The outbreak of the civil war was due to a series of conflicts involving the personal behavior, decision

Main Causes Of The English Civil War

The English Civil War were multiple events of armed battles and political machinations between Parliamentarians(Roundheads) and Royalists(Cavaliers) over the English government. There were multiple battles in the English Civil war, also at different times. The war went on from August 22 1642 to September 3 1651. Some of the main battles were Edgehill, Marston Moor, and the battle of Naseby.America was involved in this war and it is one of their only Civil Wars ever. There were a lot of casualties

The English Civil War: A War Between 1642-1649

The English Civil War was a war between Charles I and the Parliament, it took place between the years 1642 - 1649. The nobility and supporters of the king called themselves Cavaliers, and the Parliament and their supporters called themselves Roundheads. The Roundheads were for Puritan domination, otherwise known as the pilgrims. They built up their forces and then met for their first battle called Edge Hill in 1642. The result of that battle was undefined for both parties claimed they had won. They

Political Issues In The English Civil War

The English Civil War, a conflict between those who supported the King, and those who supported Parliament was the result of a series of smaller events that eventually blew up into all out war. Religion, and the issues that went along with it did play a factor into starting the war, but political issues like Personal Rule, unfair methods of collecting money, and distrust between Parliament and King Charles I are what made the choice of war the only viable option. The first political issue that helped

Charles 1 English Civil War Essay

War did start between King Charles I and Parliament due to the countless times Parliament trying to negotiate with Charles but him just turning them down. Parliament ended up winning with the help of Oliver Cromwell, a military general. Parliament only wanted to try again to offer Charles options where he could still be king but that he needed to agree to their terms and when Charles did not accept, he was eventually brought to court. In court Carles I was marked guilty and in the first time in England

How English Civil War Changed Families

Overview Numerous heartbreaking things occurred during the English Civil War, it changed families and manipulated respect. Along with the conflict that plagued the country, people were shocked to find something new every single day. The Fighting The battles that were faced in the war were horrible. If you died, your body would be looted and stripped of supplies and resources. This information would have indeed shocked numerous people. This is because of the respect that is usually carried out

What Are The Economic Causes Of The English Civil War

The English Civil War was one of the most radical wars of its time It sparked rebellions similar to Spain and France It had economic components, religious components, territory components and government/policies components. I am going to talk about the economic components which I think had a major play. There was a chain of events that led to the English Civil War. Most of the war took place between two parties the royalist and parliamentary forces in 1642. The financial burden that helped lead

Compare And Contrast The Strategy And Tactics Of The English Civil War

Strategy and tactics[edit] Many of the officers and veteran soldiers of the English Civil War studied and implemented war strategies that had been learned and perfected in other wars across Europe, namely by the Spanish and the Dutch during the Dutch war for independence which began in 1568.[7] The main battle tactic came to be known as pike and shot infantry, in which the two sides would line up, facing each other, with infantry brigades of musketeers in the centre, carrying matchlock muskets;

To What Extent Was Charles Responsible For The English Civil War

Between parliament and king Charles, Charles was the most responsible for the English civil war. This was for many reasons, but mainly because Parliament and King Charles disagreed over money, power and religion. The main disagreement between parliament and King Charles was over money. Charles was extravagant and spent money on luxuries and had to sell valuable land to get money. Parliament decided to limit the amount of money they gave Charles because they did not trust him. They gave him taxes

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English Civil War Essays

The english civil war.

The English Civil War The English Civil War was a complicated, intellectual war between the two most powerful forces in England: Parliament and the King. Conflicts between the two powers began when King Charles I dissolved Parliament in 1625 because they would not give him the money he demanded to fund his war against Spain. Parliament, who was lead by John Pym, felt that the King was showing favouritism towards the Roman Catholics, especially since Charles had recently married the Roman Catholic

The Causes Of The English Civil War

The English Civil War was a concatenation of events within England, between the Royalists and Parliamentarians. Beginning in 1642 under the rule of Charles I, the Civil War perennated nearly three decades in a kingdom reeling with theological disputes, the political strife over the doctrine of legitimacy and a monarch’s lapse into gross debt at the batten of parliament. It goes without saying that the English Civil War domiciliated, through the New Model Army and reforms and schedules, including

The English Revolution: Causes Of The English Civil War

The English Revolution was a struggle between Charles I and parliament for ultimate authority over the country. The French Revolution was directed against the absolute monarchy of Louis XVI. It began with the government’s concern to reform the tax system to save the country from bankruptcy. One common factor of these revolutions was a financial issue, in particular, taxation. Both monarchs ruled under the idea of Divine Right. Divine Right is the belief that God has chosen the king and as a result

The English Civil Wars and Quaker Persecution

The English Civil Wars and Quaker Persecution The English Civil Wars began originally as a dispute over financial matters between the King of England (Charles I) and Parliament, but the underlying issue of this time, concerned the religion of the nation, which at the time included Scotland, Ireland, and part of North America. The Parliament consisted mostly of Protestant middle-class gentries and merchants. They did not believe in the King’s proposal of religious standardization that he tried

Historical Accounts of the English Civil War

Historical Accounts of the English Civil War After our study of many accounts of the English Civil War and Charles I’s trial and execution, it is clear that discovering historical truth and writing a satisfying history are two very separate, difficult tasks, and that finding among many accounts a single “best” story is complex, if not impossible. In order to compare the job each historian did in explaining what’s important about this conflict, the following criteria can be helpful for identifying

Political Causes Of The English Civil War

The main political and religious causes of the English Civil wars was due to the citizens being angry against with James II government, and William Prince of Orange declaration influenced many people to support him in his quest to invade England. Through James II losing most of his officer corps and John Churchill along with his own daughter to William Prince of Orange he was forced to retreat thus allowing the townspeople to throw out the military leaders. Due to James II retreat a negotiated settlement

Codes And Conduct In The English Civil War Summary

The academic journal Codes and Conduct in The English Civil War was written by Barbara Donagan. In this essay, I will be summarizing and analyzing all things beings read from the journal. The English Civil Wars refer to the battle that engaged the supporters of the monarchy of Charles I and Charles II (his successor and son) together with the opposing set in each Kingdom in the British Isles. These wars are also referred to as Great Rebellion and are considered to have originated from England in

The English Civil war was partially a religious conflict, which brought Church and State against Parliament. Under the reign of James I, England saw the rise in Protestants dissenters. Groups like Barrowists, Puritans, Fifth Monarchists, Quakers, and many more demanded for more religious reform. They felt that the Church of England’s liturgy was too Catholic for a Protestant church. James VI and I accepted the more moderated Puritans and other dissenters, and he was able to keep his kingdom in peace

Religion's Role In The English Civil War

These two opposing religions had their differences be known be the other side and would fight for their ideas to be the ones all to follow. Conrad Russel states in his book The Causes of the English Civil War, that England “was a society with several religions, while still remaining a society with a code of values and a political system which were only designed to be workable with one”. Inside the Church of England was essentially two churches, Protestant

The English Civil War: The Industrial Revolution

Nicholas Brown Beshwate History 104 Feb 28 2017 Question 1 The English civil war was a battle for power over taxes and laws and the religious state of the people in the country. The monarchy was trying to rule without the consent of parliament as an absolute monarch with divine rights. Parliament was just trying to hold their power and keep the traditional government and uphold the rights of the people they rule.the battle was between the royalist and the parliament.charles the first tries

Differences Between The French Revolution And The English Civil War

The French Revolution and the English Civil War were arguably two of the biggest events in English and French history. The English Civil War spanned from 1642 to 1651, while the French Revolution occurred from 1789 to 1799. During these times monarchies were running on thin ice as the people began to lose faith in their rulers. The monarchies lack of social reliance was a cause of both of these events to occur. Both of these events occurred due to multiple political and economic problems in each

Similarities Between The English Civil War And The Glorious Revolution

Both the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution were representative of a time when the people rose up against an authoritarian hobbesian government. The people's drive to overthrow the type of government was fueled by a king/government placing greater emphasis on a government having stricter power over its people to provide order. This disagreement with this new type of ruling caused an uprising amongst the people and brought about an uprising in the war and the shift in power dynamic. This

Why Did The Royalists Lose The First English Civil War

lost the first English civil war as a result of their inherent weaknesses.” The Royalists had lost the first English civil war as a result of their inherent weaknesses but also because of the new model army which had contained professionally trained soldiers and the strengths parliament had against the Royalists. With these factors there could be a chance that it could not have been entirely the Royalists fault with their inherent weaknesses. When Charles decided to start a civil war against his

To What Extent Was Parliament To Blame For The English Civil War

1. To what extent was Parliament to blame for the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642? The eventual breakdown of severing relations between Charles I and Parliament gave way to a brutal and bloody English Civil War. However, the extent that Parliament was to blame for the collapse of cooperation between them and ultimately war, was arguably only to a moderate extent. This is because Parliament merely acted in defiance of King Charles I’s harsh personal rule, by implementing controlling legislation

Glorious Revolution Essay

the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution in Europe. These events began when there was a split between the Parliament and King Charles I. Both sides had many arguments, and were not willing to back down over the principles that they had about the manner of the government, and how all those problems could be solved. The country then split into two sides, one was people who supported the Parliament, and then theres people who supported the Royalists, and both sides had fought many wars over

Why Civil War Broke Out in England in 1642

Nottingham, marking the beginning of the English Civil War. The next ten years saw the Cavaliers (supporters of the King) and the Roundheads (supporters of the parliament) engaged in a vicious battle for their respective leaders with the Roundheads ultimately victorious. This essay will attempt to explain why civil war broke out in England while summarizing the story behind the antagonism of the two parties. One of the key factors that led to the civil war was the contrasting beliefs of King Charles

Failure of the Presbyterian Experiment of the 1640’s and 1650’s

undergone’[1]. With the ending of the civil war, institutions of State collapsed with leading figures put on trial and executed. The 1640’s was a time of immense political upheaval and saw the emergence of a myriad of independent or semi- independent sects. The Presbyterian movement gained its strength from a union between the laity and the church of those who believed that Presbyterian Puritanism was the only way to guarantee religious stability. With the price of War having been exacted in human

religious policies of England and France from 1603 to 1715

through the years to get a full understanding of the word “stubbornness.” During the early years, the English church was dividing into a conservative camp that wanted to retain the religious ceremonies and the hierarchy of the church and a radical, Calvinist camp called Puritans who wanted to "purify" the church of everything not contained in the Old and New Testaments. The Puritans demanded that the English church abandon the elaborate ceremonies and flatten the hierarchy of the church into something more

absolutism in europe

Absolutism affected the power + status of the European nobility depending on the country in which they lived. In England the power of the nobility increases due to a victory in the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution of 1658. However, in France, Louis XIV¡¯s absolutist regime decreased the powers of the noble but heightened their material status. In Russia and in Prussia, the absolutist leaders of those countries modernized their nations + the nobility underwent a change, but it retained

The Causes of the Civil War

The Causes of the Civil War In 1642, Civil War broke out in England, Parliament against the King. Civil War is said to be the worst kind of war because it is when a country fights against itself and unfortunately, this was the case in England. Many family's were torn apart and many people were killed but how had this happened? How had a great country gone so low that they would have to fight themselves? How had England gone into Civil War? This is what we are going to find out. King Charles

The English Civil War: The Major Cause

Introduction, other factors.

Bibliography

When studying the factors that might have led to the English Civil Wars, it is essential to consider that the conflicts did not begin as a revolution. The individuals who were actively involved did not wish for replacement of the Monarchy. Conflicting attitudes towards the royal power as well as religion resulted in a series of occurrences, which escalated into armed war. Charles the 1 st trusted that his rule was divine and acquired by the will of God. This meant that he believed his decisions should not be questioned or opposed. There is a fraction of individuals who believed that the royal power should have a limit and therefore were against the ideology. The Parliament and the people desired a voice in the nation’s governance. In addition to this, there was a debate on religion matters and the church. In the arguments over the two issues, there was a great division on the religious practices, worship forms as well as organizational structure of the church. This paper looks at whether religion was responsible for the English Civil War.

Religion was a major factor in the start of the English Civil War. The war was just a part of the greater conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Europe. King Charles the 1 st had married a French Catholic at the beginning of his reign. During the marriage, it was agreed upon by the two parties that the bride would be allowed to practice religion without restrictions. This was also given as a condition of the agreement that the king should remove restrictions against recusants. These were individuals who refrained from attending Anglican Church services. At the time of the marriage, the Roman Catholics were feared and distrusted which made the union unpopular among many.

Many people in the English saw the arrival of Queen Mary the 1 st as a possible crisis to the lives of Protestants. Some of the past events that had led to the distrust include the England invasion by Phillip the 2 nd of Spain in 1588 as well as the gunpowder plot to blow up James in 1605 in Parliament. It is noteworthy to remember that at this time, there was a continuing struggle between Catholics and Protestants whereby the former attempted to finish all the latter from the continent. The king preferred the Anglican Church services, its ways of worship using rituals as well as excessive ornamentation. He thought the hierarchy of priests and bishops was essential. This raised questions as it seemed that he was leaning towards the Roman Catholic traditions.

The Puritans doubted every move the king made concerning religion and the changes he tried to enforce. They wished for a purer way of worship without images, icons or rituals. They believed that they had an individual and close association with God plus did not require bishops. In 1633, the king appointed and declared William Laud the archbishop of Canterbury. Despite being a Protestant, Laud viewed the Puritans as being too extreme. Like the royal authority over England, he also preferred the Anglican way of worship that involved images, expensive ornamentation and rituals. He based his decision on imposing uniformity among worshippers in The Book of Common Prayer . He also viewed bishops as essential in the running of the church.

The new archbishop in England Laud wanted to rearrange how worship was carried out in the kingdom. To start his work, the target was bringing back the rituals and ceremonies that existed before which included reintroduction of statues as well as stained-glass windows. It became a requirement for a priest to wear a vestment as an indicator of the status of a clergy member. Instead of viewing this as beauty of holiness as the archbishop, the Puritans saw it as a plot to wipe away the Protestantism. The religious changes met a lot of criticism as well as opposition. Since the newly appointed archbishop viewed the opposition as a threat to the church, he opted for the courts.

The justice system in the kingdom wished to set example on criticism of the new policies by archbishop. In 1637, John Bastwick, William Prynne and Henry Burton were convicted for their critics of the new policies and guidelines. As a form of punishment, their cheeks were branded and ears cropped. The same year, Laud alongside the king imposed on the Scottish people another Prayer Book. The new book was a revised version of the English version one which led to riots breaking out in Edinburg. Presbyterians from Scotland believed that the book had much similarity to Roman Catholic’s prayer book which was directly attacking the Protestants and their freedom to choose their ways of worship.

The Scottish people believed that they had the right to choose how they wished to worship. Scotland had its own government, legislation as well as The Kirk which was an established church in Scotland. The king’s response was to stress on a complete execution of the new policies which included a new prayer book as well as punishment for anyone who did not abide as he viewed the refusal as questioning his power. The people of Scotland in 1638 signed an agreement that consisted of their promise to defend as well as preserve the true religion. One year later, the king attempting to enforce the new prayer book, sent an army to Scotland.

The last resort the king had after receiving opposition from Scotland on his new proposed forms of worship was war. By sending the army, he was declaring war against fellow Protestants in his own kingdom. In what came to be known as the First Bishops’ War, the English army was defeated with ease. In the following war called the Second Bishops’ War, the king was yet again defeated. Consequently, the king was pushed to sign the Ripon Treaty that ensured the Covenanter troops receive eight hundred and fifty pounds daily in maintenance while still occupying northern England.

Another factor that led to the civil war was King Charles the 1 st and his worrying financial situation. His father before him had lived a lavish lifestyle that had left the royal treasury with little finances. The finance needed to run the king’s household was much which added to the problem. The king was an arts patron and consumed more than enough money on musicians to entertain him as well as some money was spent on purchasing art works. In 1625, the House of Parliament had granted him tonnage as well as poundage for one year instead of for a lifetime as was the norm which meant he needed to call the house again to ask for more.

The Parliament during the reign of Charles the 1 st had the power to choose whether or not to grant the king finances for war campaigns. However, the House refused his wish as he had planned to use some money on military wars against France and Spain. After being denied, he opted for a forced loan as a method of raising money he needed. A forced loan referred to the money obtained from taxes without the Parliament’s consent. Refusal to pay back forced loan led to imprisonment without need of a trial and this resulted in much disgruntlement. In 1628, a petition was filed which neither stipulated that the king could not without the Parliament’s permission ask for taxes from the subjects nor imprison anyone illogically. Even though the king at first consented to the petition, it was never implemented correctly as law.

Without the Parliament’s authorization, the king lacked any other means of getting finances. One year later after filing of the petition, he dismissed the Parliament and started what he termed as Personal Rule while opposition called it Eleven Years Tyranny. Because to obtain money, he had to go through the representatives, he decided to look for other ways. He exploited the royal prerogative as well as imposed knighthood charges on property owners of about forty pounds annually. Monopolies were sold to the rich traders although it was a prohibited act by the representatives. The forest territories were re-established to their early limits, so that he could levy forest fines on individuals who were found within the new territories.

The king engaged in wrong and ill-advised activities to raise finances for his campaigns. In 1635, he demanded ship money from every English county. A member of parliament found himself in the court for failing to pay ship money as he claimed that the king had no right according to law to collect the money. Most of the royal supporters started becoming unimpressed by the king as his popularity dwindled. After defeat in the first war campaign against Scotland, he summoned the representatives to raise money for a second campaign. For failure of being called in eleven years, they had an opportunity to present their issues and they also refused his wish.

Frustrations of defeat resulted in the king’s decision on dissolving the Parliament. After one month, the king dissolved the House of Representatives. After second defeat in the hands of the Scottish and being asked to pay a daily amount of eight hundred and fifty pounds to the Covenanter troops, he summoned the Parliament again. His financial status meant that only the representatives would be able to get him out of his huge debts. It also meant that they were the only ones who would help him pay the troops the money owed after failing twice in his campaigns against Scotland. This gave them a chance to relay their issues and push their agendas as well as reforms.

In the paper, it is clear that despite being other factors that led to the English civil war, religion was a major determinant. Before the start of the war, there had been an on-going battle between the Roman Catholics and Protestants in the European continent. For a long time, it was believed that individuals affiliated with Catholicism wished to eradicate those affiliated with Protestantism. The issue that started the war was after Charles I married a French woman who was a catholic. Many in the kingdom saw this as an ill-advised move and it proved so as later the king adopted religious forms that were similar to those of the Catholics. After appointing a new archbishop, he established a new prayer book that did not sit well with many. He even went ahead and issued a new prayer book to the Scottish who refused to use it. Since he was determined to enforce the book, the paper shows that he sent the English army to Scotland. This also proved to be a wrong move as the Scottish army defeated him twice.

Downs, J. S. (2021). Civil war London: Mobilizing for parliament, 1641–5. In Civil war London . Manchester University Press. Web.

His Majesties Declaration to the Ministers…of York . (n.d.). Lukehistory. Web.

May, B., Critchley, R., Carr, D., Peare, A., & Dowen, K. (2020). Ballistic protective properties of material representative of English civil war buff-coats and clothing. International journal of legal medicine , 134 (5), 1949-1956. Web.

Petition of Right 1628 < 1600-1650 < Documents < American History from Revolution to Reconstruction and Beyond . (2012). American History from Revolution to Reconstruction and Beyond. Web.

Prior, C. W. (2013). Religion, political thought and the English civil war. History Compass , 11 (1), 24-42. Web.

Stoyle, M. (2021). ‘Extreme trials of fidelity’? Captain Bartholomew Gidley and royalist memories of the English Civil War. In Remembering the English Civil Wars (pp. 81-100). Routledge. Web.

Taipale, A. (2021). Religion and the battlefield in the first English Civil War (1642-1646): Instructing Soldiers and Dehumanising Enemies. Web.

• 1 Prior, C. W. (2013). Religion, political thought and the English civil war. History Compass , 11 (1), 24-42. 
• 2 Prior, C. W. (2013). Religion, political thought and the English civil war. History Compass , 11 (1), 24-42.
• 3 Taipale, A. (2021). Religion and the battlefield in the first English Civil War (1642-1646): Instructing Soldiers and Dehumanising Enemies.
• 4 Taipale, A. (2021). Religion and the battlefield in the first English Civil War (1642-1646): Instructing Soldiers and Dehumanising Enemies.
• 5 May, B., Critchley, R., Carr, D., Peare, A., & Dowen, K. (2020). Ballistic protective properties of material representative of English civil war buff-coats and clothing. International journal of legal medicine , 134 (5), 1949-1956.
• 6 Prior, C. W. (2013). Religion, political thought and the English civil war. History Compass , 11 (1), 24-42.
• 7 May, B., Critchley, R., Carr, D., Peare, A., & Dowen, K. (2020). Ballistic protective properties of material representative of English civil war buff-coats and clothing. International journal of legal medicine , 134 (5), 1949-1956.
• 8 Taipale, A. (2021). Religion and the battlefield in the first English Civil War (1642-1646): Instructing Soldiers and Dehumanising Enemies.
• 9 Taipale, A. (2021). Religion and the battlefield in the first English Civil War (1642-1646): Instructing Soldiers and Dehumanising Enemies.
• 10 Stoyle, M. (2021). ‘Extreme trials of fidelity’? Captain Bartholomew Gidley and royalist memories of the English Civil War. In Remembering the English Civil Wars (pp. 81-100). Routledge.
• 11 His Majesties Declaration to the Ministers…of York . (n.d.). Lukehistory.
• 12 Taipale, A. (2021). Religion and the battlefield in the first English Civil War (1642-1646): Instructing Soldiers and Dehumanising Enemies.
• 13 Petition of Right 1628 < 1600-1650 < Documents < American History from Revolution to Reconstruction and Beyond . (2012). American History from Revolution to Reconstruction and Beyond.
• 14 Taipale, A. (2021). Religion and the battlefield in the first English Civil War (1642-1646): Instructing Soldiers and Dehumanising Enemies.
• 15 May, B., Critchley, R., Carr, D., Peare, A., & Dowen, K. (2020). Ballistic protective properties of material representative of English civil war buff-coats and clothing. International journal of legal medicine , 134 (5), 1949-1956.
• 16 Downs, J. S. (2021). Civil war London: Mobilizing for parliament, 1641–5. In Civil war London . Manchester University Press.

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The causes of the English civil war.

Melroy Satkunarajah

The causes of the English civil war

In this essay I am going to explain why the civil war broke out in 1642. The English civil war broke out on 22 nd  August 1642. It caused many deaths and divided some families. There were many reasons for this, including religious arguments, financial arguments, the actions of Charles himself, all the causes were linked together, (Parliamentarian and Royalist) some of the events of 1642 and the demands made by parliaments for more power and also I am going to explain the long – term causes and the short – term causes also know as the triggers.

There are many different reasons for the causes of the English civil war but first I will start with the religious disputes over archbishops Laud’s reforms of the church. Reforms were introduced that made churches more decorated (like catholic churches) Charles I collected customs duties without parliaments permission, he married a French catholic who was unpopular with his people. The Bishops' Wars were fought between the Scots and English forces led by . These conflicts paved the way for the uprising of Parliament that began the English civil wars.

Charles I was attempting to enforce Anglican reforms onto the Scottish church. However the Scots were opposed to this, and even wanted to destroy the control that bishops had over the church. To this end, Charles' reforms were rejected by the Scottish Assembly at Glasgow in 1638.

Charles was furious that the Scots had rejected his proposals, and hastily formed an English force with which to march on Scotland in 1639. He did not have the funds for such a military expedition, nor confidence in his troops, so he was forced to leave Scotland without fighting a battle.

The unrest continued in Scotland, and when Charles discovered that they had been plotting with the French he again decided to mount a military expedition. This time, Charles called Parliament in order to get funds (1640).

This is a preview of the whole essay

The second cause was the financial quarrels between the king and parliament. When parliament formed, they immediately wanted to discuss grievances against the government, and were generally opposed to any military operation. This angered Charles and he dismissed parliament again, hence the name "Short Parliament" that it is commonly given.

Charles went ahead with his military operation without Parliament's support, and was beaten by the Scots. The Scots, taking advantage of this, went on to seize Northumberland and Durham.

Charles found himself in a desperate position, and was forced to call parliament again in November, 1640. This parliament is known as the "Long Parliament".

The third cause was the demands made by parliament for greater share government. The tension between Charles and Parliament was still great, since none of the issues raised by the Short Parliament had been resolved. This tension was brought to a head on January 4th, 1642 when Charles attempted to arrest five members of parliament. This attempt failed, since they were spirited away before the king's troops arrived.

Charles left London and both he and parliament began to stockpile military resources and recruit troops.

Charles officially began the war by raising his standard at Nottingham in August, 1642. At this stage of the wars, parliament had no wish to kill the king. It was hoped that Charles could be reinstated as ruler, but with a more constructive attitude to parliament. Parliaments were supported by the richer South and East, including London. Parliament also held most of the ports, since the merchants that ran them saw more profit in a parliament-lead country.

Parliament definitely had access to more resources than the king, and could collect taxes. Charles had to depend on donations from his supporters to fund his armies.

The fourth cause was that Charles I ruled without parliament. Charles I dissolved parliament because of all the disputes and ruled without it for 11 years. King did not like the wealth, power or ideas of parliament. He began making the decisions about taxes without parliament.

The fifth cause was that the ship money argument. Without parliament, Charles had to think up new pays of raising money, e.g. ship money which was paid in times of war by people living the coast, now had to pay by all people even though there was no war.

The sixth cause was that the parliament was recalled and demanded reforms. King Charles I wanted money, so he reopened the parliament to get money but they demanded the reforms e.g. never to be shut down again.

These are called the long – term cases.

Some M.P.S demanded more reforms from the king in a new list called ‘the grand remonstrance’ other M.P.S stick up for the king because he has already greed to some reforms.

A rebellion starts in Ireland where Catholics murdered 200,000 Protestants.

The England wondered if Charles supported the Catholics.

Charles I try to arrest five M.P.S while parliament is in session, but they had escaped before hand. This lost the king a lot of respect and showed he wanted to control parliament after all. Parliament and the king argued over who control the Army.   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  could not be avoided.

By 1642, relations between Parliament and  had become very bad. Charles had to do as Parliament wished as they had the ability to raise the money that Charles needed. However, as a firm believer in the "divine right of kings", such a relationship was unacceptable to Charles.

 These are called the short – term causes.

From the beginning of his reign, King Charles quarrelled with parliament about power.

King Charles dismissed parliament in 1629 and ruled without it for 11 years.

In 1635, King Charles made everyone pay the ship money tax.

The Scots rebelled against the new prayer book which the king and archbishop laud introduced in Scotland.

In 1638, the Scots invaded England.

King Charles asked parliament for money to raise an army.

Parliament made King Charles agree to reforms in 1641.

King Charles and archbishop laud made changes of the Church of England which were unpopular.

The puritans were angry about the king’s Catholic sympathies.

These are shot – term causes and long – term causes, they are linked together between causes and how they lead to civil war.        

I think there were almost as many reasons for people to fight the civil war as there were people fighting. Briefly, however, the main reason for the war was the king Charles I and his various parliaments did not agree about anything – religion, how the country should be run, how England should behave towards other countries and so on. This was made worse by the fact that Charles I, believing that kings got their power from god and so could rule as they chose, made no attempt to keep his parliament happy. He spent eleven years ruling without parliament at all. When the long parliament, called in 1640, tried to make him change his ways and he refused, war broke out. (Some important things may not have set off the war, without the small triggers).        

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• Level AS and A Level
• Subject History

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