Civil War
The English Civil War or the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (also called English Revolution or Great Rebellion) was a series of three connected civil wars, covering roughly the decade from 1642-1651. The two warring parties were Royalists (supporting King Charles I, and later his son Charles II) and Parliamentarians (fighting for a greater independence of parliament from the king, later for the abolition of the monarchy). The Civil War led to the execution of Charles I, the exile of Charles II and the foundation of the Commonwealth.
Background to the Civil War
Context
The early 17th century saw great social changes. For the first time, a literate lower middle class appeared, but also rich property owners, professionals and merchants became increasingly influential on an economic level, though politically the aristocracy and the King still concentrated more or less all power in their hands. However, King Charles I was widely seen as untrustworthy, stubborn and bad at communicating his ideas, his insecurities, paired with a strong understanding of Kingship (Divine Right of Kings) On the religious
Events leading up to the war
First Civil War (1642-1646)
Second Civil War (1648-1649)
Third Civil War (1649-1651)
Outcomes
References
- Russell, Conrad. The Causes of the English Civil War. Oxford: OUP, 1990.
- Stone, Lawrence. The Causes of the English Revolution 1529-1642. London: Routledge, 1994.
- Ashton, Robert. The English Civil War. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1978.
- Carpenter, Stanled (ed). The English Civil War. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007.
- Carlton, Charles. The Experience of the British Civil Wars. London: Routledge, 1992.
- Coward, Barry. A companion to Stuart Britain. Oxford: Blackwell, 2003.