English Civil War Flashcards
When did Charles the 1st become King
1625
What is the “Divine Right”
The belief that the right to rule came from God
What did Parliament and Charles argue about that led to the 11 year tyranny
Religion, Money, Limiting the power of Parliament and Foreign Policy
What happened in 1629
Charles ruled without Parliament from 1629-1640. This was called the ‘11 year tyranny’
What was Ship Tax
A tax collected from coastal towns to pay for the Navy. In 1635 Charles made inland counties pay it too
What made Charles recall Parliament
He tried to get the Scots to use the English prayer book, and the Scots refused. So, he declared war but needed money. This war was known as the “Bishop’s War”
What was the Grand Remonstrance
Instead of granting Charles money for the war against Scotland, Parliament sent Charles the Grand Remonstrance in 1641. This was a list of 204 complaints about the way he was running the country.
What started on Nov. 1st 1641
On November 1st, 1641, a rebellion started in Ireland. Catholics had rebelled and rumours spread quickly that over 200,000 Protestants had been murdered. People blamed the King for plotting it. This caused tension between the King and Parliament (Parliament = Protestant, Charles I = Catholic)
What were the Nineteen Propositions
The Nineteen Propositions were a set of demands made on King Charles I of England by the English Parliament on 1 June 1642. They were designed to limit the powers of the King.
What happened in January 1642
In 1642, he went to Parliament with 300 soldiers to arrest his five biggest critics. Someone close to the king had already tipped off Parliament that these men were about to be arrested and they had already fled to the safety of the city of London where they could easily hide from the king.
What was the main long term causes of the Civil War
- Charles’s father, James I was a firm believer in the Divine Right, so he expected Parliament to agree with all of his decisions
- Clashes over custom duties (goes into my first point)
- James suspended Parliament for 10 years and his friends ruled in this time. This causes great offence to Parliament
- Charles considered marrying a Spanish Princess (before his crowning). Parliament were worried his children would be brought up as Catholics. The marriage never took place.
When was Civil War declared
22nd August 1642
Who were the two forces fighting in the Civil War
Cavaliers vs Roundheads
Who were the Cavaliers
Cavaliers were made up of people from the Northern and Western areas of England. They supported the King. Charles also used soldiers from Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Most of the Royalists were conservative Protestants or Catholic.
Who were the Roundheads
Roundheads were the merchants and traders of the south-east and London and supported Parliament. This gave Parliament much more money than the King. Parliament also controlled the navy. Many of the supporters were also Puritan.
Timeline of the war - 1642
The battle of Edgehill - a draw.
Timeline of the war - 1643
Charles tried another attack on London, but he was defeated at the Battle of Newbury.
Timeline of the war - 1644
Parliament made an alliance with the Scottish ‘Covenanters’ (Protestants), and Oliver Cromwell and his ‘Ironsides’ joined the Parliamentary cavalry. Cromwell defeated a Royalist army at Marston Moor by attacking them at teatime
Timeline of the war - 1645
Parliament reorganised its armies into the ‘New Model Army’ led by Cromwell. Charles was decisively defeated at Naseby
Timeline of the war - 1646
Charles surrendered
Timeline of the war - 1647
In 1647, the army drew up the ‘Heads of the Proposals’, a list of suggestions for a settlement with Charles.
Timeline of the war - 1648
In May 1648 Charles made a deal with the Scots and started a second civil war. After Cromwell had defeated Charles a second time – at the Battle of Preston in August 1648 – Parliament put him on trial for treason.
Timeline of the war - 1649
Charles was executed on January 30th 1649
Who won the English Civil War
Roundheads (the Parliamentarians)
Why did Parliament win the Civil War?
- better resources and financial support
- the New Model Army (led by Oliver Cromwell), had a trained and disciplined army led by war veterans due to the Self Denying Ordnance (which meant MP’s could not lead an army, unlike Charles’s army, which was lead by people who were not experienced in war)
- the army charged immeadiately after their first charge which made their tactics much more effective than the Cavalier’s army
- Parliament controlled the seas so Charles couldn’t receive military support from the continent
- support from the Scots, which meant they had a much larger force than the the Cavaliers
What happened after Charles was executed
England became a republic (called the Commonwealth)
What did Charles do to raise money during the 11 year tyranny
Rich men were persuaded to buy titles. If they refused to do so, they were fined the same sum of money it would have cost for a title anyway.
What did John Hampden do
He refused to pay the new tax as Parliament had not agreed to it. Hampden was put on trial and found guilty. However, he had become a hero for standing up to the king.
What happened 6 days after trying to arrest 5 MP’s
Only six days after trying to arrest the five Members of Parliament, Charles left London to head for Oxford to raise an army to fight Parliament for control of England. The English Civil War had begun.
How did religion cause the 11 Year Tyranny?
Charles married a French Catholic, he believed in the Divine Right of Kings and Puritans thought the country would become Catholic again
How did money cause the 11 Year Tyranny?
Parliament refused to give Charles a regular supply of money
How did limiting the power of Parliament cause the 11 Year Tyranny?
Charles refused to read important law changes
How did foreign policy cause the 11 Year Tyranny?
Wars were lost in Spain (1625) and in France (1627)
