The English Civil War
The Tudors and the Stuarts1485 to 1714
Charles I believed a king answered to God alone and ruled for years without calling Parliament at all, since he had no need of its money as long as he could raise funds another way. That could not last: he needed cash for an army against a Scottish rebellion, and in 1640 he was forced to recall Parliament to ask for it. Parliament would not grant the money easily, and the standoff between king and Parliament hardened into open conflict.
Fighting broke out in 1642, splitting the country between the king's Cavaliers and Parliament's Roundheads. As the war dragged on, one parliamentary commander, Oliver Cromwell, proved himself the most effective soldier on either side and became the leading figure behind the new republic that eventually replaced the monarchy altogether.
Years later, after his father's execution, Charles II tried to win the throne back by force, leading a Scottish army south into England, only to be defeated and driven abroad by the forces still loyal to the republic.
What to remember
 The start of the English Civil War | 1642 Parliament's Roundheads against the King's Cavaliers. |
|---|---|
| Charles I recalling Parliament to ask for funds | 1640 He needed money and had ruled without Parliament for eleven years. The quarrel that followed became a war. |
| The new republic | Oliver Cromwell Cromwell became head of the Commonwealth after defeating royalist forces. |
|---|---|
| The Scottish invasion of England | Charles II The Scots declared Charles II king; he was crowned king of Scotland and led a Scottish army into England. |
| Believed in the Divine Right of Kings | James I and Charles I The idea that the king was directly appointed by God to rule; both thought he need not seek Parliament's approval. |
|---|---|
| Recalled Parliament in 1640 to ask for funds | Charles I |
Everything in The Tudors and the Stuartsor the whole course, from the beginning