The English Civil War began in September 1640, when King Charles I was forced to recall parliament into session due to lack of funding to attack the Scots after a failed attempt to suppress a rebellion and a failed attempt to negotiate with the Short Parliament just a few months earlier. The new (Long) Parliament, being fiercely opposed to Charles’ unilateral eleven-year reign, passed a series reforms including one law that required Parliament to meet once every three years regardless of the King’s consent and another that stated that the King could no longer dissolve Parliament without its consent.1 In November 1641, political friction between parliament and the crown grew and they argued about who should lead the army to defeat a rebellion that was happening in Ireland.2 The tension reached a breaking point when, in January 1642, Charles, accompanied by 400 soldiers, attempted to arrest five members3—John Pym, John Hampden, Arthur Haselrigg, Denzel Hollis, William Strode, and Lord Manderville4—on a charge of treason. This action was especially unpopular among the members because “the king could not enter [Parliament] unless he was invited.”5 After this massive blunder, Charles, in fear for his safety, fled north.

After months of failed negotiations, both sides raised militaries. In March 1642 Parliament approved an ordinance that militias would be controlled by Parliament and by early June “they voted to raise an army of 10,000 volunteers.”6 Parliament appointed Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, to be the commanding officer of the army three days later and instructed him to capture the King.7 In June, Charles issued the Commissions of Array, ordering the local militias to fight for him, and by August he raised his army in Nottingham.8 In October 1642, the two armies met at Edgehill, the first battle of the first Civil War. The King’s forces claimed victory in the first battle, but it was quite small and seemingly insignificant. For the next few months both forces gained in size, but neither side made much progress. July 1644 was a turning point for the Parliamentarians when they defeated Charles at the Battle of Marston Moor.9 This victory laid the groundwork for important reforms by Parliament such as the creation of the New Model Army in 1645.10 The New Model Army had a series of victories in the last half of 1645 and by May 1646, Charles was forced to surrender to the Scottish Covenanters, who were loyal to Parliament, effectively marking the end of the first Civil War.11

The Scots handed Charles over to the English Parliament and he was imprisoned. With Charles imprisoned, a power struggle emerged between the New Model Army, those loyal to Charles, and the Presbyterians in Parliament. Charles, attempting to find an ally, signed an agreement with the Scots in December 1647.12 In return for their loyalty, Charles promised to establish Presbyterianism in England for three years.13 With Charles now on their side, the Scots invaded England in July 1648 and by August the New Model Army defeated the Scots.14 The English Parliament, in December 1648, voted to continue negotiations with Charles, however, Oliver Cromwell, now commander of the New Model Army, executed the Pride’s Purge, which purged any members of Parliament that were neutral or loyal to the King, installing the so-called Rump Parliament.15 Shortly thereafter, Charles was tried for treason against England and swiftly executed in January 1649.16

Parliament abolished the House of Lords and the Office of the King in March 1649, making England a commonwealth and marking the beginning of the Puritan Revolution.17 The execution of Charles I drove the Scottish and the Irish to put aside their differences and galvanize their support for Charles II, the son of Charles I.18 In a show of support for the crown, Charles II was crowned king of Scotland two years after his father’s execution.19 In 1650, Oliver Cromwell marched the New Model Army into Scotland and by September 1651, quelled the rebellion, marking the end of the third Civil War.20 After Cromwell defeated the rebellions in Scotland, Charles II fled to France effectively handing complete control to Oliver Cromwell and ending the wars in England, Scotland, and Ireland.21 Between 1651 and 1653, the Rump Parliament fought amongst themselves; in April 1653, Cromwell grew increasingly frustrated and dismissed Parliament by force.22 Later that same year, John Lambert, proposed a new constitution that made Cromwell Lord Protector and in December 1653, Oliver Cromwell assumed his new office.23

Oliver Cromwell remained Lord Protector for five years until his death in 1658. During his reign he had two key objectives “…‘healing and settling’ the nation after the chaos of the civil wars…” and to “…restore liberty of conscience and promote both outward and inward godliness throughout England.”24 After Oliver’s death his son, Richard Cromwell, assumed the office of Lord Protector, but he had little support in the Army and in Parliament and was forced to resign in May 1659.25 With no executive authority, the Army and Parliament struggled for power. In April 1660, General George Monck marched from Scotland to London and declared Charles II King of England.26Monck proceeded to restore Long Parliament which voted in favor of making adjustments to the constitution that restored the monarchy and made Charles II king of England, Scotland, and Ireland. On 29 May 1660, the English monarchy was officially restored ending the Puritan Revolution.27 Many of the revolutionaries were granted amnesty, however, 50 people were not, including Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell’s body was posthumously executed in January 1661, exactly twelve years after the execution of Charles I.28 

 

 

 

 

Notes

1.  Wikipedia Contributors, “English Civil War,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, September 12, 2019), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War.

 

2.  “The National Archives | Civil War | Why Did People Go to War in 1642? | 1640-42 | Source 6,” www.nationalarchives.gov.uk, accessed February 3, 2021, https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/civilwar/g3/cs2/s6/g3cs2s6c.htm.

 

3.  Wikipedia Contributors, “English Civil War,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, September 12, 2019), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War.

 

4.  “The National Archives | Civil War | Why Did People Go to War in 1642? | 1640-42 | Source 6,” www.nationalarchives.gov.uk, accessed February 3, 2021, https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/civilwar/g3/cs2/s6/g3cs2s6c.htm.

 

5.  National Archives UK, “The National Archives | Civil War | Why Did People Go to War in 1642? | 1640-42 | Source 6,”

 

6.  Keith Lindley, The English Civil War and Revolution: A Sourcebook (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 1998), 99; Wikipedia Contributors, “English Civil War,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, September 12, 2019), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War.

 

7.  Wikipedia Contributors, “English Civil War,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, September 12, 2019), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War.

 

8.  Brian Cox, “King Charles I and His Parliaments: The Road to Civil War,” The John Hampden Society, March 17, 2016, http://www.johnhampden.org/charles-i-and-his-parliaments-the-road-to-civil-war/; “The National Archives | Civil War | Why Did People Go to War in 1642? | 1640-42 | Source 9,” www.nationalarchives.gov.uk, accessed February 1, 2021, https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/civilwar/g3/cs2/s9/.

 

9.  Jane Ohlmeyer, “English Civil Wars - the First English Civil War (1642–46),” in Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/English-Civil-Wars/The-first-English-Civil-War-1642-46.

 

10.  Ibid.

 

11.  Wikipedia Contributors, “English Civil War,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, September 12, 2019), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War.

 

12.  Jane Ohlmeyer, “English Civil Wars - the First English Civil War (1642–46),” in Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/English-Civil-Wars/The-first-English-Civil-War-1642-46.

 

13.  Ibid.

 

14.  Ibid.

 

15.  Wikipedia Contributors, “Charles I of England,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, February 6, 2019), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England; Edmund Wright and Oxford University Press, Dictionary of World History, 3rd ed. (2000; repr., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015), 211, 536.

 

16.  Wikipedia Contributors, “Charles I of England,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, February 6, 2019), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England.

 

17.  Keith Lindley, The English Civil War and Revolution: A Sourcebook (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 1998), 169-171.

 

18.  Jane Ohlmeyer, “English Civil Wars - the First English Civil War (1642–46),” in Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/English-Civil-Wars/The-first-English-Civil-War-1642-46.

 

19.  Ibid.

 

20.  Ibid.

 

21.  Ibid.

 

22.  Wikipedia Contributors, “Oliver Cromwell,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, February 3,2021), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell#Return_to_England_and_ dissolution_of_the_Rump_Parliament: 1651.

 

23.  Ibid.

 

24.  Ibid.

 

25.  Ibid.

 

26.  Ibid.

 

27.  Wikipedia Contributors, “Oliver Cromwell,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, February 3,2021), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell#Return_to_England_and_ dissolution_of_the_Rump_Parliament: _1651; Wikipedia Contributors, “Charles II of England,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, October 28, 2019), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Charles_II_of_England.

 

28.  “Cromwell’s Execution,” Oliver Cromwell (olivercromwell.net, 2018), https://olivercromwell.net/execution/.

 

 

 

Bibliography

Cox, Brian. “King Charles I and His Parliaments: The Road to Civil War.” The John Hampden Society, March 17, 2016. http://www.johnhampden.org/charles-i-and-his-parliaments-the-road-to-civil-war/.

 

“Cromwell’s Execution.” Oliver Cromwell. olivercromwell.net, 2018. https://olivercromwell.net/execution/.

 

Lindley, Keith. The English Civil War and Revolution: A Sourcebook. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 1998.

 

Ohlmeyer, Jane. “English Civil Wars - the First English Civil War (1642–46).” In Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/event/English-Civil-Wars/The-first-English-Civil-War-1642-46.

 

“The National Archives | Civil War | Why Did People Go to War in 1642? | 1640-42 | Source 6.” www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Accessed February 1, 2021. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/civilwar/g3/cs2/s6/g3cs2s6c.htm.

 

“The National Archives | Civil War | Why Did People Go to War in 1642? | 1640-42 | Source 9.” www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Accessed February 1, 2021. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/civilwar/g3/cs2/s9/.

 

Wikipedia Contributors. “Charles I of England.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, February 6, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England.

 

———. “Charles II of England.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 28, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II_of_England.

 

———. “English Civil War.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, September 12, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War.

 

———. “Oliver Cromwell.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, February 3, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell#Return_to_England_and_dissolution_of_the_Rump_Parliament:_1651.

 

Wright, Edmund, and Oxford University Press. Dictionary of World History. 3rd ed. 2000. Reprint, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.

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