The English Civil War and Interregnum
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What was the English Civil War?
- The English Civil War was a series of civil wars and political struggles between Royalists and Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651.
- It was part of the wider Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1639–1653), which involved England, Scotland and Ireland.
- The struggle is usually divided into the First English Civil War and the Second English Civil War; the Anglo-Scottish war of 1650–1652 is sometimes called the Third English Civil War.
- The wars were not confined to England: Wales, Scotland and Ireland were also affected, which is why some historians prefer the term The British Civil Wars.
- From the Restoration to the 19th century, the conflicts were commonly called "the rebellion" or "the great rebellion".
- Some historians, notably Marxists such as Christopher Hill, favoured the term "English Revolution".
Causes: money, religion and power
- The First English Civil War was fought primarily over the correct balance of power between Parliament and Charles I.
- The vast majority of Parliamentarians went to war in 1642 to assert Parliament's right to participate in government, not to abolish the monarchy.
- Money was a key cause: the king and Parliament clashed over taxation and who had the right to raise it.
- Religion was another major cause: disputes over the Church of England and the influence of Puritan ideas divided the country.
- Power was at the heart of the conflict: Charles I believed in his divine right to rule, while Parliament wanted a greater say in government.
- Charles I's refusal to make concessions led to a stalemate after the first war, making a second war more likely.
Roundheads and Cavaliers
- Royalists were nicknamed Cavaliers; the word comes from the same Latin root as the Spanish×caballero×("knight, horseman") and had been used as an insult implying pro-Spanish sympathies.
- Parliamentarians were nicknamed Roundheads, referring to how some Puritans and London apprentices wore their hair closely cropped around the head.
- Both nicknames originated as pejoratives (insults), though generals on both sides often wore their hair at similar lengths.
- Royalist strongholds included the countryside, the Shires, cathedral cities such as York, Chester, Worcester and Oxford, and the less economically developed areas of northern and western England and Wales.
- Parliament's strengths lay in the industrial centres, ports and economically advanced regions of southern and eastern England.
- Historian Lacey Baldwin Smith wrote that "the words populous, rich, and rebellious seemed to go hand in hand".
Armies, tactics and the New Model Army
- Many officers and veteran soldiers had fought in European wars, notably the Eighty Years' War (from 1568) and the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648).
- The war was of unprecedented scale for England: during campaign seasons, 120,000 to 150,000 soldiers could be in the field.
- The main battle tactic was pike and shot infantry: musketeers in the centre, protected by pikemen.
- Musketeers carried matchlock muskets, inaccurate but lethal up to 300 yards; they assembled three rows deep, the first kneeling, second crouching, third standing.
- Pikemen carried pikes 12 to 18 feet (4–5.5 m) long, mainly to protect musketeers from cavalry charges.
- Cavalry was positioned on each side of the infantry: the right wing led by the lieutenant-general, the left by the commissary general; its aim was to rout the enemy cavalry, then overpower their infantry.
- The New Model Army was a professional Parliamentarian force; concern over the political influence of radicals within it, such as Oliver Cromwell, worried moderate Parliamentarians.
Key battles and the First Civil War
- The First English Civil War ended in June 1646 with Royalist defeat and the king in custody.
- Victory exposed Parliamentarian divisions over the nature of the political settlement.
- Because most Parliamentarians had not wanted to abolish the monarchy, Charles I's refusal to compromise created a stalemate.
- Concern over radicals in the New Model Army led to an alliance between moderate Parliamentarians and Royalists, supported by the Covenanter Scots.
- This alliance contributed to the outbreak of the Second English Civil War in 1648.
The trial and execution of Charles I
- Royalist defeat in the Second English Civil War (1648) resulted in the execution of Charles I in January 1649.
- The execution followed a trial of the king, which was a radical step: it was the first time a reigning English monarch had been publicly tried and executed.
- The king's execution led directly to the establishment of the Commonwealth of England.
- The Commonwealth was a republic, meaning England was governed without a monarch.
Cromwell, the Commonwealth and the Protectorate
- Oliver Cromwell was a leading general in the New Model Army and a key radical figure.
- After the execution of Charles I, England became a Commonwealth (a republic) in 1649.
- In 1650, Charles II was crowned King of Scotland, having agreed to create a Presbyterian church in both England and Scotland.
- The subsequent Anglo-Scottish war ended with a Parliamentarian victory at Worcester on 3 September 1651.
- Ireland and Scotland were incorporated into the Commonwealth, and the British Isles became a unitary state.
- Cromwell later ruled as Lord Protector during the Protectorate, a period of military-backed personal rule.
- This arrangement ultimately proved unpopular and unviable in the long term.
The Restoration of Charles II
- The Commonwealth was dissolved upon the Stuart Restoration in 1660.
- Charles II returned from exile to become king, restoring the monarchy.
- The Restoration ended the Interregnum, the period without a monarch that had begun in 1649.
- The outcome of the civil wars effectively set England and Scotland on course towards a parliamentary monarchy form of government.
- This meant that although the monarchy returned, Parliament's role in government was permanently strengthened.
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1.What nickname was given to supporters of King Charles I during the English Civil War?
Easy- ACavaliers
- BRoundheads
- CCovenanters
- DLevellers
2.What nickname was given to supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War?
Easy- ARoundheads
- BCavaliers
- CJacobites
- DRoyalists
3.In which year did the First English Civil War begin?
Easy- A1642
- B1646
- C1649
- D1651
4.In which year was King Charles I executed?
Easy- A1649
- B1642
- C1646
- D1660
5.Which battle in 1651 ended the Anglo-Scottish war with a Parliamentarian victory?
Medium- AWorcester
- BNaseby
- CMarston Moor
- DEdgehill
6.Which of the following was a Royalist stronghold area during the Civil War?
Medium- AOxford
- BLondon
- CEast Anglia
- DThe ports of southern England
7.Which of the following was a Parliamentarian strength during the Civil War?
Medium- AThe economically advanced regions of southern and eastern England
- BThe less economically developed areas of northern and western England
- CThe cathedral cities of York, Chester and Worcester
- DThe rural Shires
8.Which of the following was a cause of the English Civil War?
Medium- ADisagreement over the balance of power between Parliament and the king
- BThe execution of Charles I
- CThe establishment of the Commonwealth
- DThe Restoration of Charles II
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