The term English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between English Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651. The first (1642–1645) and the second (1648–1649) civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third (1649–1651) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II and supporters of the Rump Parliament. The third war ended with the Parliamentary victory...
The wars inextricably mingled with and formed part of a linked series of conflicts and civil wars between 1639 and 1651 in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, which at that time shared a monarch but formed distinct countries with otherwise separate political structures...
At the accession of Charles I, England and Scotland had both experienced relative peace... Charles hoped to unite the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland into a new single kingdom, fulfilling the dream of his father, James I of England (James VI of Scotland). Many English Parliamentarians feared that setting up a new kingdom might destroy the old English traditions which had bound the English monarchy. As Charles shared his father's position on the power of the crown (James had described kings as "little Gods on Earth", chosen by God to rule in accordance with a doctrine called the "Divine Right of Kings"), the suspicions of the Parliamentarians had some justification...
Before the War, the Parliament of England was not a permanent feature of English government, instead functioning as a temporary advisory committee...and subject to dissolution by the monarch at any time...
A...troublesome issue was Charles' insistence on joining the wars raging in Europe, which he saw as something of a crusade. Charles had placed his own "favourite", George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, in command. After a disastrous raid on France, Parliament dismissed Buckingham in 1626, and Charles, furious at what he considered insolence... dismissed the Parliament.
Having dissolved Parliament, and being unable to raise money without it, the king assembled a new one in 1628. The new Parliament drew up the Petition of Right in 1628...[which] referred to the Magna Carta and said that a citizen should have freedom from:
* arbitrary arrest and imprisonment,
* non-parliamentary taxation,
* the enforced billeting of troops, and
* martial law.
...Charles' use of the Court of Star Chamber in this issue also angered many, as the court had always been seen as the citizenry's last appeal against the monarch's power, and was now apparently being used against them.
Charles I managed to avoid calling a Parliament for a decade. Depending upon one's political affiliation, this time was known either as the "Eleven Years' Tyranny" or "Charles' Personal Rule".
In the summer of 1642, these national troubles helped to polarize opinion, ending indecision about which side to support or what action to take. The King was regarded by many as worse than insensitive...
Charles ... was forced to seek money from a recalled Parliament in 1640. Parliament took this as an opportunity to discuss grievances against the Crown; moreover, they were opposed to the military option. Charles took exception to this lèse-majesté and dismissed the Parliament.
In desperate straits, Charles was obliged to summon Parliament in November 1640; this was the "Long Parliament"...a law was passed which stated that Parliament should be reformed every three years, and removed the king's right to dissolve the Long Parliament without Parliament's consent.
.png)
