The English Civil War

Question 1

1642 October - battle of edge hill

Answer 1

First major battle of war. Evenly matched, 15000 each. An inconclusive battle

Question 2

1643 Feb-Apr - Oxford treaty

Answer 2

Scared of the prospect of fighting a long war, parliament opened peace negotiations with the King. This didn’t lead to a settlement.

Question 3

1643 August - siege of Gloucester by the royalists

Answer 3

The survival of Gloucester was not a major victory for parliament but it was seen as the turning point in war.

Question 4

1643 September - signing of the solemn league and covenant

Answer 4

Parliament make Scotland their ally. Why they survived the siege of Gloucester

Question 5

1643 September - First battle of Newbury

Answer 5

The earl of Essex (in charge of parliaments army) fights his way back to London.

Question 6

1644 January - royalists meet parliament at Oxford

Answer 6

This was proposed during the first year of war as a means of challenging the Westminster parliament

Question 7

1644 January - the Scottish invasion

Answer 7

The army of the covenant enter England

Question 8

1644 July - battle of Marston Moore

Answer 8

First decisive victory for parliament, virtually destroying royalist power in north England

Question 9

1644 October - Second battle of Newbury

Answer 9

Mutual recriminations exposed the growing political rift among parliaments officers. This lead to the self-denying ordinance

Question 10

1645 April - self-denying ordinance

Answer 10

Forces members of parliament to resign their military commands and gave power to the soldiers

Question 11

1645 February - parliaments new model ordinance

Answer 11

All armies joined together to make an army of 22,000 men

Question 12

1645 June - battle of Naseby

Answer 12

Parliament has joined it’s armies together and it was commanded by professional soldiers.

charles decided to stay and fight as Naseby, which was a terrible idea, they were massively outnumbered.

Parliaments victory was decisive

Question 13

1645 July - battle of Langport

Answer 13

Only royalist force that could challenge new model army was the western army under Lord goring

Goring was uncooperative

Royalists lost

Question 14

Resources

Answer 14

Parliament had more resources and so could survive a longer war. They had more cloth, iron works, coal and leather. They also had the three places with the highest populations in England.
They also had London, which mean that they had the navy, banks (tax records, can tax their soldiers based on how rich they are) and communication systems.

However Charles had an early advantage because he was King, people would automatically join his side.

Question 15

Bundling armies - the King

Answer 15

Because Charles was King, loans and gifts poured in. As he gradually done worse in the war, people switched sides and he would struggle for finance

Commissions of array- ordered local gentlemen to fight for the King

1643 - King divided areas under royalist control into 6 military zones, each under the command of a grandee.
1644- he replaces grandees with “outside” soldiers, meaning they were riddled with personal rivalries.

Charles armies were divided and fragmented across the country

Question 16

Building armies - parliament

Answer 16

A series of ordinances in 1463 provides parliament with an accurate, regular substantial supply of money. It was regular, unlike Charles’

Formed it’s county militias into association armies such as the eastern association

Introduction of the new model army. It won at Naseby. Other parliamentary armies still existed. It also meant you were promoted based on how good you were, not how rich you were.

Question 17

Alliances.

Answer 17

Charles made an alliance with Ireland. Couldn’t make an alliance with France (even though he wife was there)

Parliament made alliance with Scotland (solemn league and the covenant).
June 1644 cavendish army was besieged at York by the Scots.
Scots helped defeat prince Rupert at battle of Marston Moore.

Question 18

King raises standard at Nottingham- August 1642

Answer 18

War starts!