Bullet Point 2: The Civil Wars

Question 1

Time Line of the Main Battles

Answer 1

1642 - Battle of Edgehill
1643 - Royalist three pronged attack on London and South East. Battle of Newbury
1644 - Battle of Marston Moor
1645 - Battle of Naseby

Question 2

Was the outcome inevitable?

Answer 2

The war was close fought for a long period of time, Parliament’s victory could not be foreseen in 1642 - if Royalists had won at either Edgehill, Marsten Moor or Naseby, they would have won the war

Question 3

The Battle of Edgehill

Answer 3

1642

Inconclusive, the closest Royalists got to London

Question 4

The Siege of Gloucester

Answer 4

1643

Royalist siege relived by the London militia

Why was it significant?
- It would have created an unbroken Royalist power bloc from Shrewsbury to Bristol, and from Wales to Oxford

• Became a turning point in the civil war - Charles criticized for not attacking London, or taking Gloucester by storm rather than a long siege

Question 5

The Battle of Newbury

Answer 5

1643

Inconclusive

Question 6

The Battle of Marston Moor

Answer 6

1644

Parliamentary victory in the north

Question 7

The Battle of Naseby

Answer 7

1645

Royalist defeated, war peters out

Question 8

Why Parliament won the civil war

Answer 8

• Parliaments superior allies
• Control of London and the South East
• The Nature of Warfare
• The control of most seaports and the Navy
• Parliaments war effort
• The New model army
• The Self-denying Ordinance
• Prince Rupert’s failures
• Charles’ tactical mistake
• Religious Idealism

Question 9

Parliaments superior Allies

Answer 9

Parliaments Allies:

1643 - Parliament signed a solemn league and covenant with the Scots

1644 - Scots covenanter army of 20,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry arrived - most english armies were 10 - 15,000 - in 8 months Scots had captured 1/3 of Royalist land in the north

Also played an important role in the Battle of Marston Moor + tied up Royalists in the north, were well trained, many had been mercenaries in the 30 years war

1646 - Charles surrendered to the Scots as Newark

Royalist Allies:

• Scottish royalist army in north under Montrose, its victories came after Marston Moor though and was destroyed by returning coventer army in 1645
• Charles’ military aid came from Ireland - 6000 infantry, half of which destroyed at Battle of Nantwich
• Gave parliament a propaganda victory by playing on popish conspiracy

Question 10

The Control of London and the South East

Answer 10

Meant Charles had to capture London in order to win the war - proved beyond his military capacity.

London and SE + East Anglia meant Parliament held wealthier areas and had the financial capacity to maintain war effort over a long period - Parliament controlled areas of commerce and credit - could raise money from London merchants

Access to more printing presses - 6 to Royalists 2

London had most effective militia in the country, saved London at Turnham green 1642

Charles had to rely on less well off areas and the use of assets from wealthy supporters - exhausted in the long term

Question 11

The Nature of Warfare

Answer 11

War became a series of regional conflicts, based on sieges, storming of towns and small scale, indecisive battles

Front line was very long, as a result troops dispersed to guard towns and territories - Charles could not focus on taking london or winning one decisive battle

Royalists advances on capital slow - especially after failure of the three pronged attack in 1643 - this all favoured parliaments long term financial stability

Question 12

Control of most Seaports and the Navy

Answer 12

Could keep trade going - benefit from taxes and trade and keep London supplied

Kept out potential aid from France to the royalists, although France’s involvement in the 30 years war made this redundant

Control of navy meant parliamentary heartlands in the south East could not be attacked by sea - could afford to be lightly garrisoned

Parliamentary ports in Royalist areas - liverpool and Lyme - could tie down Royalist troops

Question 13

Parliaments war effort

Answer 13

Superior Taxation:

Weekly assessments enforced - essentially a tax on land
1643 - introduced Excise ordinance - sales tax to raise money

Ruthless pragmatism:

Parliament quick to confiscate lands and goods of ‘delinquents’
Tried civilians by martial law - showed they were prepared to sacrifice ideals of government to win the war

Royalist war effort less severe as King stressed traditional laws and constitution

Question 14

The New Model Army

Answer 14

Created late on in 1645 - a large, mobile, coherent army at a time when King’s forces were still regional and being worn down

Strength of the NMA derived from its regular pay rather than its religious zeal - Kishlasnky

Meritocratic system of promotion - contrasted with royalist force

Won the decisive battle of Naseby in 1645 - despite Rupert destroying 1/3 of Parliaments forces in his initial cavalry charge
After Naseby NMA able to mop up remaining Royalists army/ regions - Charles was unable to raise fresh troops so surrendered

Question 15

The Self-denying Ordinance

Answer 15

1645

Took military command away from aristocrats and gave them to the professional soldiers

Allowed parliament to get rid of commanders such as the Earls of Essex and Manchester who seemed unwilling or unable to inflict a decisive defeat upon the King

Question 16

Prince Rupert’s Failures

Answer 16

Though a brilliant cavalry commander - Rupert on several occasions failed to convert Royalist supremacy at the start of the battle into victory - Edgehill and Marston Moor

At Naseby he charged uphill into a parliamentary army twice the size of the royalist forces - no reserve cavalry to follow up his successful attacks

Question 17

Charles’ Tactical Mistake

Answer 17

Charles divided his army in two, therefore faced Fairfax and the NMA with a smaller force at Naseby

Question 18

Religious Idealism

Answer 18

Used to be thought that radical Puritanism inspired Parliament and its army so it had greater ideological resolve than royalists

Hard to measure, certainly helped parliament to keep going gin bad times and inspired acts of bravery

Question 19

The Second Civil War

Answer 19

1648

Charles helped spark off the Second Civil War by negotiating with the Scots and playing his enemies against each other- but their ‘Engager’ army defeated by Cromwell at Preston - led to Royalist stirs elsewhere

Despite the resumption of the war parliament voted to restart negotiations with the King - Looked as though Charles would get better terms, the moderates in Parliament were desperate to make a settlement and destroy the growing power of the army

Led to Pride’s Purge

Question 20

Pride’s Purge

Answer 20

December 1648

Colonel Pride purged parliament - soldiers only allowed MPs who were prepared to put Charles on trial

King was executed January 1649