First Civil War (1642-1646)

Question 1

What was the first battle and the date

Answer 1

Battle of Edgehill, 23rd October 1642

Question 2

How did the battle of Edgehill occur

Answer 2

In the late summer, both sides wanted a decisive battle to bring the war to a speedy end

The king needed a quick victory before parliament could mobilise its resources

The king ordered his army to deploy on Edgehill, a high ridge

Question 3

What happened at Edgehill

Answer 3

Despite the king being on the upper ground, he ordered his men to move and meet parliament on a flat plain

Both sides - evenly matched 15,000 men each

Royalist Calvery commanded by Prince Rupert chased the Parliamentarian cavalry leaving the royalist infantry exposed in the centre with parliament having the only effective cavalry left on the battlefield

Question 4

What was the result of Edgehill

Answer 4

The following day, neither army was in a fit state to continue the battle with 3,000 men dead

The king resumed his march towards London, establishing his HQ in Oxford

Both sides ended the year consolidating their HQ’s and reflecting on their first experiences of battle

Question 5

What was the Oxford Treaty 1643

Answer 5

Parliament’s lacklustre permanence at Edgehill, together with the general revulsion of the outbreak of war, led to renewed attempts at a negotiated peace

Parliament’s terms were essentially a mild version of the 19 propositions with additional clauses against papists

Charles’ reply to the approach made Pym’s task much easier, Parliament had spent weeks drawing up new proposals, so Lords and MP’s alike were incensed when the king declared that whoever had drawn them up only wanted ‘to make things worse and worse’.

Negotiations dragged on until late spring but had little chance of success

Question 6

Throughout the civil war, the royalists faced the problem of……………….and…………………….as these were men of widely differing views

Answer 6

Internal divisions

Political arguments

Question 7

Give the two groups within the royalists and the significance of it

Answer 7

Cavaliers - wanted a complete military victory

Moderates - wanted to negotiate peace treaties

Charles tried to hold these groups together but tended to side with the cavaliers

These divisions within the royalists were significant as it made them appear weaker and less cohesive

Question 8

Give some members of the Cavaliers (war party) and what they encouraged

Answer 8

Henrietta Maria, Lord Digby and Earl of Newcastle

• After the Battle of Edgehill, the king decided to march to London instead of offering terms for negotiation
• The king rejected Parliament’s terms during the Oxford treaty (March 1643)
• The king decided to negotiate with the Irish Catholics leading to the Cessation treaty

Question 9

Give some influences that the Moderates had over the king

Answer 9

The king’s replies to the grand remonstrance and the 19 propositions were masterpieces of moderation, designed to split Pym and his supporters

1644, Hyde persuaded the king to open the Oxford parliament, to show that the king wanted to work hand in hand with a loyal parliament once the war was over

August 1643, the moderates persuaded the king to lay siege over Gloucester rather than take it by assault

Question 10

What did Pym achieve in the early years of the war

Answer 10

Parliamentary divisions didn’t cripple the efficiency of the armies due to his skilful political ability

Managed to maintain the Earl of Essex in his role despite pressure from the war group to replace hum and pressure from the peace group to negotiate a settlement

By retaining Essex, Pym smoothed relations with the House L and reassured the county gentry that the war would not tip into absolute chaos

Therefore, political turmoil did little to influence the outcome of the Civil War in the early years due to Pym’s ability to unite parliament

Question 11

When did Pym die

Answer 11

1643, coupled with John Hampden and Lord Brooke, both leading members of the Puritan networks, shaking the foundations of parliament and creating deep divisions

Question 12

Give some reasons for disunity amongst the parliamentarians (4)

Answer 12

Military Setbacks - Earl of Essex was finding it difficult to win and began aligning himself with the peace party to make a settlement

Religious - religious debate caused by the Covenant, coupled with an upsurge of radical religious pamphlets triggered by the collapse of censorship caused problems within Westminster and beyond, Major Crowford attempted to remove soldiers he deemed too radical

Fear of Disorder - a new element of social tension was introduced as ordinary soldiers began to be promoted into positions traditionally reserved for the higher social classes

Anxiety About the Future - As the enormity of what Parliament had undertaken in fighting the king had sunk in, some began to fear that there was little prospect of a good ending

Question 13

What did Cromwell hope to achieve from the Self-denying Ordinance

Answer 13

A decisive attempt to regain the political initiative fro the war party

Question 14

What was the men and money situation for the royalists

Answer 14

Typically better equipped than the parliamentarians as a result of the commander’s individual wealth

Earl of Worcester donated over £900,000 to the war effort

Question 15

Give a financial weakness of the Royalists during the first civil War?

Answer 15

As the war progressed Royalist financial difficulties grew.

This was largely due to the fact that loyal supporters who had given so generously initially, were no longer at home managing their estates and thus could not provide any more loans.

Taxation provided lass than that which parliament received.

Question 16

How was command and leadership managed by the royalists

Answer 16

King was at the top of the military command structure, becoming commander in chief

No one challenged his authority

Charles started to make appointments based on social and political status rather than competence and ability - Prince Rupert. (Nepotism as opposed to Parliament’s Meritocratic system - Cromwell)

Question 17

What was finance and funding like for Parliament during the first civil war?

Answer 17

In the early months, Parliament aimed to create adequate funding

June 1642, an ordinance securing £100,000 to be lent to Parliament

August 1642, an ordinance for raising money in London

November, Ordinance for the better provision of food and other necessities for the army

Question 18

What was the problem of the county Militia for parliament

Answer 18

Unwilling to fight outside their county as they saw their role as primarily defensive

Fixed this by fussing counties together into associations, still did not create meaningful military units though

Question 19

What was the Battle of Marston Moor

Answer 19

One of the largest ever fought on English soil and took place on 2nd July 1644

First real parliamentary victory after only two hours

Parliament + Scotland combined force of 22,000 men

The victory for Parliament resulted in them taking control of York and the North - established Cromwell’s reputation as a great commander

Question 20

When was the Battle of Naseby

Answer 20

14th June, 1645

Question 21

What was the Battle of Naseby

Answer 21

One of the most significant

Proved a decisive victory for Parliament and marked the beginning of the end for the royalists

Royalists outnumbered 2:1 yet Charles initiated the attack anyway

Upon defeat, Charles’ private papers were captured and revealed the king’s association with Irish and European Catholics. parliament published these papers which boosted support for the case that the king was a catholic sympathiser and increased his opposition

Question 22

What is the name for parliament’s proposed alliance with the Scotts

Answer 22

The Solemn League and Covenant

Question 23

When was the SLC signed

Answer 23

23rd September, 1643 - after news reached Parliament that the king had signed a Cessestion treaty woth the Irish rebels

Question 24

Why did Parliament look for help from the Scots

Answer 24

Spurred on by the cessation treaty and feared that Irish rebels + soldiers would be brought over, needed to counter the threat

Parliament consumed by heavy defeats

Question 25

What did the SLC entail

Answer 25

Scots would end over 22,000 men to help the Paarlimenterian cause, in return for parliament swearing to the SLC.

This committed England to have a Presbyterian settlement in England and Ireland

The Scots were keen to make sure that the king didn’t reverse any of the gains they had made in 1638-40 if he won the war

Question 26

Why was the SLC so controversial for England

Answer 26

The notion of the Presbyterian system was very problematic, with some members of the English parliament feeling like they should have the right to negotiate the English Church settlement, not be dictated to by the Scottish

The peace party were worried that the king would never be brought to a settlement if the Covenant was signed

Question 27

How did Pym solve the SLC disputes

Answer 27

Split the religious component out from the rest of the Covenant terms and recommended that is should be sent to a ‘Joint Assembly of DIvines’ made up of representatives from both England and Scotland

This would naturally slow the process of decision making down as there would be little prospect of a swift agreement relating to religion

Question 28

When was the Cessation Treaty

Answer 28

13th September 1643 - a ceasefire with the Irish rebels

Question 29

What was the impact of the Cessation Treaty

Answer 29

Looked very much like he was bringing the fighting in Ireland to an end in order to send Irish troops over to fight the parliamentarians

This caused the hasty signing of the SLC a few weeks later

Parliament was right, to some extent to have feared - Irish troops began to appear in England in 1644 although not nearly as many of them as there were Scottish/Parlienterain troops

Question 30

The full military effects of the SLC were seen at the Battle of………………followed by the seizure of York

Answer 30

Marston Moor 2nd July 1644

The combined armies of Fairfax, Manchester and Scotland effectively destroyed the royalist army in the north

Question 31

What two groups began to emerge in 1644 in Parliament’s polarisation and why

Answer 31

Presbyterians - Peace party (saw the Scottish involvement as a way to bring the war to a swift end, preventing further upheaval and spread of religious radicalism)

Independents - War party (Confident the war could be won without the SCots and that the Presbyterian settlement was a threat to religious liberty)

The pre-existing divisions were pushed into being by the death of Pym and Hampden (no effective mediators) and the involvement of the Scottish

Question 32

What religious issues were faced by Cromwell

Answer 32

Scots accused Cromwell of promoting Independents over Preysbeterians

To begin with, Cromwell and the Earl of Manchester agreed that religion was secondary to talent when it came to promotion.
However, things began to change after Marston Moor.

Newcastle described the success of parliament due to the value of the Scots as part of the army, whilst Cromwell thought the success was down to the godly men under his command

Many of these godly men, in Cromwell’s view, were those who followed incompatible religious ideas to those of the Scottish Presbyterians

Question 33

Cromwells reputation……………..enormously from Marston Moor

Answer 33

benefited

Question 34

Cromwell became more……..of the………army and its intolerance, as well as parliament’s willingness to…………..the religious freedom of its soldiers to please the…….

Answer 34

Critical
Scottish
Sacrifice
Scots

Question 35

When did Cromwell and Manchester clash and why

Answer 35

2nd Battle of Newbury, parliament failed to defeat a Royalist force half its size

Cromwell accused Manchester of having deliberately avoiding confrontation with the king, whilst Manchester said that the commanders must share collective responsibility for the failure

Question 36

Why and when was the New Model Army created

Answer 36

February 1645, Debates had been going on about the need to make the armed forces more efficient

Question 37

What did the New Model Army entail

Answer 37

Individual armies were merged into a united fighting force under a single command

NMA would be more disciplined and fewer soldiers would desert with the promise of regular pay

Army not linked to its locality, since the soldiers were no longer tied to a particular area, they were able to search and destroy the king’s armies wherever they were found

Question 38

What was the financial impact of the NMA

Answer 38

More secure access to money since it was financed by Parliamentary assets (Parliament had control of London and therefore Westminster)

The fact that finances of the army were managed by a centralised point was crucial in making the NMA into a proper, more professional army

Question 39

What was the military impact of the NMA

Answer 39

The battle of Naseby, June 1645, signified the tide turning against the king

His force of 7,500 (his entire strength) was defeated by an enormous army of 14,000 (only 200 parliamentarians killed)

He chose to attack because he was aware of the political divisions within parliament and that a victory for the royalists would deepen these divisions even further

Question 40

What did the Self Denying Ordinance state

Answer 40

No one could be both an MP and a professional soldier/commander

Due to the fact that military leadership was carried out by men who were also MP’s, the political disunity was beginning to affect military matters

They even managed to adapt this in order to allow Cromwell to become Lieutenant General of the Horses in June 1645 despite him being an MP.

Question 41

What was Cromwell’s motive for introducing the SDO

Answer 41

Help the war party regain the upper hand. By professionalising the army yet further, Cromwell hoped that he would be able to bring a military victory against the king

Question 42

What was one of the SDO’s terms

Answer 42

An acknowledgement that parliament had become divided and needed to unite

Question 43

When was the SDO passed

Answer 43

3rd April, 1645

Question 44

Why was the SDO so appealing

Answer 44

Appealed to the godly because it seemed like self-denial, much like fasting or prayer, denying oneself of something desirable such as an office was seen as humble and righteous

Appealed to the practical-minded because it would create a more professional body of military commanders, getting rid of the more aristocratic ones who had been n charge of the armies since 1642

Question 45

Give a weakness of the NMA

Answer 45

Controversial - most of this was as a result of the perceived religious radicalism within the force. It was a largely Puritan force that was beginning to develop its own ideas of radicalism

Baxter - Presbyterian minister - concerned about the development of zealotry in the NMA which had developed into a largely unified Puritan force.

Increased fears that the NMA was an extremely radical and dangerous force.

Question 46

The NMA was now a unified, largely………….force, who was pushing for further………….

Answer 46

Puritan

Radicalism

Question 47

What two causes were the NMA soldiers seen to be fighting for

Answer 47

To bring about a settlement between King and Parliament

As part of an apocalyptic struggle between the soldiers of truth christ (NMA) and the Antichrist (Papacy)

Question 48

What was the religious issue with Cromwell

Answer 48

Oliver Cromwell was also a radical
Because of his military successes, he found himself at the head of this religious fighting force.

His religious zeal and military talent combined to give him military power

Question 49

What exception was there in the SDO

Answer 49

Lead up to the battle of Naseby no one was suitable to fulfil the post of leadership of the cavalry

Cromwell would be a perfect choice but was barred so due to the SDO

Fairfax managed to secure Parliamentary approval for Cromwell to be both an MP and military commander.

Cromwell initially brought forward the SDO originally, eas this his plan all along to get rid of more conservative commanders (Essex)

Question 50

Give a limitation of the NMA

Answer 50

Army pay soon fell into arrears

Question 51

What was the impact of both the SDO and NMA for the future

Answer 51

Now scope for negotiation over pay and conditions for soldiers, with some increasingly radicalised soldiers with a keen awareness for their rights and a strong sense of what’s ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in religious terms, this resulting in serious disagreement between Westminster and a newly radicalised and politicised army

Question 52

Give a Parliamentary adaption with regards to finance

Answer 52

Assessment ordinance of February 1643- after a weekly assessment a specific sum of money would be collected from each county

This was improved with the New model ordinance. These weekly assessments were made monthly and were able to raise £53,000 a month from them.

Question 53

Give a counterpoint that Charles adapted effectively

Answer 53

Opened the ‘Oxford parliament’ in order to show that after the war he would be willing to work with a loyal parliament.

Drew the support of 175 MP’s and seemed to achieve some success at a time where many parliamentarians were having second thoughts about the war.

However, only significant concession - tend to side too much with the Cavaliers

Question 54

How did Pym adapt the SLC to make it effective

Answer 54

Split the religious component of the alliance from the military aspect.

This meant that the church settlement was to be dealt with by an ‘Assembly of Divines’ and ensured parliament was able to capitalise on the military assisantace without immediately conforming to a religious settlement

Question 55

Give a weakness of the SLC

Answer 55

Not all of these troops were actually focused in England as a result of the Montrose rebellion - troops had to be diverted back up to Scotland until September 1645

Perhaps the most significant reason for the split in parliament between Presbyterian and Independents.

Question 56

Give a reason why the royalists failed at treaties (Cessation)

Answer 56

Reinforced belief in the Catholic conspiracy - desertification

After the Battle of Naseby letters were discovered showing how if Ireland provided him with troops he would allow them to have a Catholic Lord lieutenant.

Led to parliament completing the Solemn league and covenant.

Very few Irish troops actually made it to England because parliament controlled the navy. In January 1644 those who did make it over were captured or killed at Nantwich in Cheshire.

Question 57

Give Parliaments most significant weakness by 1643

Answer 57

Many of the officers were in fact politicians who were not always the most gifted soldiers and were more likely to get tied down in the politics of the war.

Parliament clearly lacked a clear objective; was it to achieve total military victory or to hold on long enough to achieve successful peace negotiations.

However, adapted into a meritocratic system through the SDO