Charles - Chapter 4 Flashcards
how could we define a constitutional royalist?
A person who supported Charles during the civil war despite being opposed to his personal rule (e.g ship money and forced loans). Their royalist allegiance was born out of a distaste for the unconstitutional actions of parliament.
They wanted a monarchy but didn’t really approve of Charles being the monarch.
what factors gave the royalists the upper hand at the start of the war?
- royalist cavalry was very strong and experienced
- followers of Charles often raised troops at their own expense and the nobility and gentry were often able horsemen.
- roundheads relied on trained bands (local militias) who had little experience in the absence of a war in England for 150 years.
what was the issue with roundhead leadership at the start of the war?
They were reluctant to commit to an all-out war against the king.
name some parliamentary generals
Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.
Sir William Waller.
Why did charles attempts to recruit troops from Europe fail?
His European counterparts saw Charles as an unreliable ally and were preoccupied with the thirty years war.
Why were the roundheads able to accrue more revenue?
They controlled the wealth South and East of England as well as London so could collect more taxes to support their army.
The royalists controlled the North and West.
What were the advantages of controlling London?
- collection of customs duties
- borrow money from the City of London
- use the lines of the communication from London.
What was the primary aim of the royalist forces at the start of the war?
- to regain control of London.
- how did control of the Navy benefit the roundheads?
It allowed them to control trade into England and the customs duties associated with it.
Name the three strategic arms depots in England?
Hull
London
Portsmouth
What gave the roundheads an advantage at the beginning of the war?
They controlled the large arms depots at Hull and London, giving them superior numbers of resources to the royalists.
What happened to Portsmouth between August and September 1642?
It had originally declared for the royalist but fell to roundhead besiegers in early September. This gave the roundheads control of the navy.
What were the negatives of Prince Rupert’s leadership?
He routinely overstretched his forces and his confusion and inefficency created rivalries within the leadership.
Who was Prince Rupert?
Charles’ nephew.
How did the upper classes respond in the English Civil War?
Many didn’t get involved at all. Around half of them declared no allegiance.
How did Provincialism damage both sides?
Provincial rivalries made it challenging to create a national fighting force and many groups simply used to civil war as a backdrop to play out conflicts they otherwise wouldnt have been able to.
Parliament dissolved the Scottish parliament in 1640.
How did the Scots react?
they continued to sit in the parliament even though it had been prorogued by Charles.
What was the problem with Charles’ army in the first bishops war?
soldiers had shown too much sympathy to the scots and too many had defected to the scots for Charles to rest easy.
Why wouldn’t parliament grant Charles money to engage the Scottish army?
They didn’t trust him not to dispense with parliament once he had received money. Parliament had learned from the personal rule.
How did Charles’ upset protestants in the war against the Scots?
Charles tried to recruit Spanish troops and officers to fight against the Scots. He allowed the Spanish to land an army in southern England to attack the united provinces.
When did the Short Parliament first meet?
13th April 1640
