Civil War

Question 1

WHO WAS CHARLES I

Answer 1

Born in 1600
•Second son of James I of England (his older brother died in 1612)
•He too had not been a well child.
•He loved painting especially Italian and Belgian art.
•He came to the throne in 1625 and believed he had been appointed by God to rule and only had to answer to God (Divine Right)
•Deeply religious – favouring Catholicism

Question 2

HIS MARRIAGE – AN EARLY INDICATION OF TROUBLE TO COME?

Answer 2

•In 1625, the same year he ascended to the throne Charles married Henrietta Maria.

•Henrietta was a French Princess and therefore Roman Catholic.

•Parliament feared this was a sign that he sympathised with Catholics and that she would influence his religious policy

Question 3

What was Charles seen as

Answer 3

Charles I is seen as the man who lost the English monarchy in a civil war.

Question 4

Why did the relationship between king and parliament break Down

Answer 4

The relationship between the King and Parliament broke down for a number of reasons. These can be largely divided into three categories…
1.Religion
2.Political turmoil
3.Economics (moneym

Question 5

Religion

Answer 5

At the time the Catholic faith was feared by the crown. (Gunpowder Plot 1605)
•Charles I’s worrying marriage.
•The majority of MPs were Protestants and many were strict Puritans. They thought Charles wanted to make England Catholic again.
•Charles believed in the Divine Right of Kings and so believed that Parliament had a less important role in government. In contrast, Protestants believed in a relationship between the ruler and the ruled.

Question 6

The puritans

Answer 6

Puritan = “Against pleasure”
•Group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries.
•The Puritans were very conservative.
•They did not want to be part of the Church of England as they believed it had not been full reformed and still had too many links with Catholicism.
•They favoured a simple church services and a ‘religious life’.i

Question 7

Political turmoil

Answer 7

People came to believe that Charles was undermining their freedoms or rights.
•Charles used a private ‘Court of the Star Chamber’ to try and punish his opponents.
•When Parliament complained in 1629, he dismissed them. Until 1640, Charles ruled without a Parliament, a period known as the ‘Eleven Years Tyranny’
•The Scots attack England because they do not like the religious changes introduced by Laud, this put Charles in a tricky political situation.

Question 8

Money

Answer 8

Failed and costly wars
•A attack on Spain in 1625 failed.
•In 1627, Charles sent a military force to France to support Hugenots which failed.
•Charles I has to call Parliament to ask for money to fight the Scots.

Question 9

What does Tyranny mean?

Answer 9

Unreasonable, oppressive and often cruel rule

Question 10

Who were the Puritans?

Answer 10

Very conservative Protestants who thought the Church of England was too similar to Catholicism

Question 11

which year did Charles I become King?

Answer 11

1625

Question 12

Charles I’s wife was from which European nation?

Answer 12

France

Question 13

The ‘Established Church’ is another name for..

Answer 13

The Church of England

Question 14

Which MP was taken to court for refusing to cooperate with Charles’ money making schemes?

Answer 14

John hampden

Question 15

In what period did Charles suspend parliament?

Answer 15

1629-40

Question 16

FINAL STEPS TO CIVIL WAR….

Answer 16

1.An attempt to make the Scottish church more like the Church of England caused a rebellion called the Bishops’ War
2. Charles was forced to call the ‘Long Parliament’, because he needed money after the Bishops’ War with Scotland
3. Instead of granting Charles money, Parliament sent him the Grand Remonstrance – a list of 204 complaints about the way he was running the country.
4. Charles tried to arrest the five leading MPs who led the rebellion in Parliament. He failed, and they escaped
5. Charlies declared war on Parliament

Question 17

The Two sides

Answer 17

ROYALIST AKA CAVALIERS

The Church of England (Established Church) as well as many Roman Catholics.

Many supporters were from the nobility.

Areas of support included North and West England, Wales, some country areas and many in Ireland

PARLIAMENTARIANS AKA ROUNDHEADS

Puritans and Scottish Presbyterians

Merchants

Many members of Parliament

Areas of support included South and East England, London and other larger towns and ports.

Question 18

Key events and persons

Answer 18

Key People:
ROYALISTS
PARLIAMENTARIANS
King Charles I:

Born in Scotland in 1600 King Charles was the son of James I. He believed in the Divine Right of Kings. He was the leader of the Royalist Army. He would be executed after the Civil war in London on 30th January 1649 following a trial for treason.

Prince Rupert:

Born in Prague in 1619 Prince Rupert was a relative of Charles I and the leader of the Royalist Cavalry. He died in London in 1682 during the reign of Charles II.

Thomas Fairfax:

General Thomas Fairfax was born in 1612 and became the commander of Parliament’s army during the Civil War. He died in 1672. He refused to take part in the trial and later execution of Charles I.

Oliver Cromwell:

Oliver Cromwell was born in 1599 and had been a Member of Parliament before the war. He was a devote Puritan and would come to lead England after the execution of Charles I. He was the commander of the ‘Ironsides’ during the war. He also came to Ireland to seek vengeance for atrocities against Protestants by the native Irish in the 1641 rebellion. He died in 1658.

Some of the Key Events:
The Battle of Edgehill 23rd October 1642
• First major battle of the Civil War and the Cavaliers had the advantage as much of the army were made up of professional soldiers who had fought for the King in previous wars.
• Prince Rupert started the battle by charging the Roundheads
• The Roundhead cavalry panicked and ran away and then four infantry regiments then followed them in a rout (fleeing away from the battle).
• Both sides fought on for a long time but neither gained the upper hand. Prince Rupert became a Cavalier hero.

The Battle of Marston Moor 2nd July 1644
• The cavaliers were badly beaten at the Battle of Marston Moor.
• The Roundheads a new ‘Ironside’ Cavalry.
• Prince Rupert had to hide from the Roundheads during the Battle.
• The City of York surrendered to Parliament.
• The Roundheads now controlled the North of England.
• The two armies were now evenly matched and it would be the Battle of Naseby, fought on the 14th June 1645 that a final decisive battle would take place between the cavaliers and Parliament’s ‘New Model Army’.
Extension Activity: Can you find out why parliamentarians were called Roundheads?
Tasks:
In your jotter under the heading ‘Key People and Events of the Civil War’ copy the table on the two sides and answer the questions

Question 19

Arguments for and against to chopping the kings head kff

Answer 19

The King is a man of blood, he started both wars
The people do not want to kill their King
Some of Parliament want to put the King back in power:
England needs a King •
England cannot survive without a King
There is no court that can try a King
He was chosen by God to be King he. cannot be killed
The King was to blame for the war he . should die.
The victories of
Cromwell’s armies show that God was on his side
If the king’s head is cut off with the crown upon it…what Will happen? The country will be lost without its King.
He fought against
Parliament and his own people, the King must die,
As long as Charles is alive there is a chance of another war.

Question 20

The Execution of Charles &
Rise of Cromwell

Answer 20

The Civil War had been re-opened in 1648 but Charles had been decisively beaten.
•Although many MPs in Parliament urged caution, the army was determined to execute Charles.
•Jan 1649: House of Commons sets up a court to try the king.

•Charles refused to respond to the charges against him and was sentenced to death on 27th January 1649. He was executed three days later.
•Charles’ final words as he stood on the scaffold were
“I go from a corruptible to an uncorruptible crown, where no disturbance can be, no disturbance in the world.”
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•Cromwell had emerged as the leading figure for Parliament during the Civil War.
•1640: Became MP
•1646: Successful general in the New Model Army
•Cromwell was the ideal link between the army and Parliament.
•1653: Takes title of Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England.
•Dies in 1658.

•Religious: tried to introduce Puritan values in everyday life in England.
•He believed he was fighting God’s battles.
•Many associate his rule with cruelty (we will look at this more later!)
•After 1648, Parliament was reduced to 60 members and in 1653 Cromwell became Lord Protector dissolving Parliament.
•Being Lord Protector gave Cromwell extra powers

•Cromwell gave a lot of power to Puritans. Among the things he did were:
•Closing theatres
•Banning dancing round May Poles
•Closed inns
•Nobody could work on Sundays
•Christmas day was made a day of fasting.