Analyzing the first civil war

Question 1

What was the situation like with recruitment?

Answer 1

Both sides soon had to resort to conscription. Conscription squads use harsh tactics, such as burning down houses to force people to join.

Question 2

Why was neutralism so strong?

Answer 2

The threat to life and limb that came from being a soldier, the absence from one’s home. People tended to think far more in local terms then in national ones.

Question 3

What were clubmen?

Answer 3

Organized groups in local areas who pledged to protect their areas from both parliamentarians and royalists. At their largest, some of their groups numbered in their thousands.

Question 4

Give three features of the clubmen

Answer 4

1. They were not pacifists and were prepared to fight to defend their areas. 2. By 1645, associations of clubmen were present in 22 counties. 3. They pledged to prevent both royalists and parliamentarians from disrupting local life.

Question 5

What is the problem with casualty estimates?

Answer 5

They do not differentiate between deaths in battle, deaths post-battle, or deaths from hunger and diseases such as typhoid or malaria.

Question 6

Give the estimated casualties for the three kingdoms

Answer 6

185,000 in England, 60,000 in Scotland and 600,000 in Ireland.

Question 7

How did the length of the war effect the outcome?

Answer 7

Charles’ best hope lay in a short war, as the war lengthened, his enemies were able to gain supremacy and became more willing to distinguish between the sacred personage of the king and Charles as a destructive leader.

Question 8

What early advantage did charles fail to take advantage of?

Answer 8

The ability to use his sacred position and the fear of sacrilege. He also failed to exploit the fact that Essex and Manchester were unwilling to inflict a final defeat upon him.

Question 9

Compare the two sides’ leadership

Answer 9

Chalres never provided inspiring leadership, his military commanders were divided and lacked strategy. Cromwell and Fairfax provided inspired leadership, Cromwell was a military genius and commanded the respect of his men.

Question 10

How did cavalry effect the outcome of the war?

Answer 10

Intialky the royalists had the advantage, as horse-riding men were more likely to be rich and aristocratic, so would support the king. This changed with the new model army, which had 10 mounted regiments of 600 men.

Question 11

What was Charles’ financial position like?

Answer 11

He could initially rely on gifts from rich supporters, but these were one off events. His tax raising method The Contribution was never as successful as parliament’s.

Question 12

What was parliament’s financial position?

Answer 12

They held london, which had all of the banks and finance houses. The method they used to raise money The Assessment was highly effective, despite being despised by localities.

Question 13

Give three advantages of London

Answer 13

1. London had its own army in the form of the well organized london trained bands. 2. It was where radical pamphlets were printed, giving parliament a propaganda source. 3. Parliament’s possession of it helped to weaken royalist morale.

Question 14

What were four more advantages of London?

Answer 14

1. It gave them control of the navy who had been stationed there when war broke out. 2. 80% of the factories that produced arms and clothing were in London. 3. They had control of customs and supplies coming in from Europe. 4. It was an unmatched source of food, weapons and transport.

Question 15

Give two parliamentary weaknesses

Answer 15

1. The reluctance of their early commanders to inflict a total defeat on the king weakened them. 2. As the war progressed parliament and the army became increasingly divided.

Question 16

Give three parliamentary strengths

Answer 16

1. Their supporters were better geographically placed. 2. They had control of key ports such as hull and london. 3. They had control of the navy, which helped them in terms of supply.

Question 17

Give three more parliamentary strength

Answer 17

1. The military genius of Cromwell. 2. They were better at harnessing the religious passions of the time. 3. Their forces were disciplined and were strengthened by the Scots.

Question 18

What were three royalist strengths?

Answer 18

1. The sacred personage of the king gave them a moral advantage. 2. They had more cavalrymen at the start of the war. 3. Charles received large donations from rich supporters.

Question 19

Give three weaknesses of the royalists

Answer 19

1. Their supporters were too widespread to enable them to coordinate their forces at key areas. 2. Sympathy for Charles did not translate into support. 3. They were constantly outnumbered.

Question 20

What were four royalist weaknesses?

Answer 20

1. They did not hold key ports such as London and hull, making it harder for the king to get supplies. 2. Rupert was impulsive and had poor relations with his fellow commanders. 3. The fact that charles was trying to enlist foreign help made him seem untrustworthy. 4. They were unable to match parliament in terms of raising money.