Why Did Civil War Break Out in England in 1642?

“upon the King’s return from oxford there appeared nothing, but dejection of mind , discontent, and secret mutiny in the army.” (a historian from the 1800s described the King’s army).

Indeed soon after in 1642, Pym along with four other prominent members of the opposition was charged with treason, showing just how much of a threat Charles saw Pym as. When Charles took it upon himself to arrive at parliament with 300 soldiers to personally arrest the five members it destroyed any final shreds of trust between Parliament and Charles. Members of parliament were representatives of the people and Charles was arresting five of them for

The English Civil War was a complicated, intellectual war between the two most powerful forces in England: Parliament and the King. Conflicts between the two powers began when King Charles I dissolved Parliament in 1625 because they would not give him the money he demanded to fund his war against Spain. Parliament, who was lead by John Pym, felt that the King was showing favouritism towards the Roman Catholics, especially since Charles had recently married the Roman Catholic French Princess. Although Charles recalled Parliament in 1626, he proceeded to dissolve the second Parliament mainly because it attempted to impeach him. John Pym, who had been prevented from being elected to the second Parliament, was

In England, from about 1400 to 1700 there was a constant struggle between Parliament and the ruling monarch. During that time, there were six documents that tried to weaken or challenge the power of the monarch. One of these documents was the Petition of Right. The Petition of Right, although it did not last, challenged Charles I by stating that he could not levy taxes without Parliament’s approval, not declare martial law, not to quarter soldiers in private homes while during peacetime, and could not imprison someone without a valid charge. Another document is the Grand Remonstrance. The Grand Remonstrance was a list of grievances against Charles I. This lead to Parliament asking for control of the army. Although it was brutally denied, it

Parliament’s opinion on the war was split. Many believed that the British colonies and the British citizens were had the same rights

The traditional interpretation of why the Civil War eventuated in England in 1642 is that there was a growing challenge by Parliament, especially the House of Commons

Another vital idea as to what the cause of the Civil war was, is that the growth of parliament was to blame because, firstly, the king was viewed by parliament as a dictator for reasons such as Charles raising the taxes without parliaments consent, as well as using the Court of Star Chamber to reprimand his enemies without a fair trial and he also wanted his chief minister, who was the Earl of Strafford, to use the army to defeat anyone who challenged him. Overall he wanted to rule Parliament because it stopped him from enforcing certain rules as well as them disapproving of him raising the taxes to fund his own luxurious lifestyle. The Long Parliament, led by John Pym, became aware of what Charles was doing and decided to withdraw some of his power by refusing to grant him taxes unless he agreed to remove Strafford from his position, who was then beheaded for high treason, to remove Archbishop Laud,

Oliver Cromwell is – and has always been – one of the most controversial characters in British and Irish history. There are few people in Great Britain and Ireland today who have not yet heard of Oliver Cromwell and either loathe him or see him as a hero. Yet, the world is not black and white and so is the truth about Cromwell. In order to understand his role in both countries as a whole, one has to look at the perspective of both nations, Cromwell’s beliefs and his motives.

The authors Tindall and Shi express how the new king was to be quite a challenge for the people of england, "Charles I, who succeeded his father, James, in 1625, proved to be an even more stubborn defender of absolute royal power. Like the French and Spanish monarchs, King Charles I preferred a highly centralized kingdom specializing in oppression and hierarchy." (Page 34) Further on in the chapter King Charles disbands parliment and raises taxes for defense. "In 1642...a prolonged civil war erupted." (Page 34) With a militant ruler taking over after Charles, England was dealing with some heavy issues concerning their monarchy. After the madness, England was brought some peace "Under the Bill of Rights, drafted in 1689, William and

Charles I grew up in parliament, learning about how it worked and participating in it. Deciding to rule without parliament seems uncharacteristic, especially since Charles spent much of his time learning about and working with it. The switch from working with parliament to dissolving several parliaments between 1625 and 1629 can be attributed to Charles’s heightened sense of responsibility and the notion that parliament was not upholding its own responsibility to govern the people. Charles attempted to break from parliament for a time in order to stabilize a country weakened by war by establishing an absolute monarchy, and failed to maintain the break because of a lack of money. In order to succeed in preserving his personal rule, Charles would

The King also disabled Parliament; the House of Common/House of Lords, leaving no room for Puritans to engage in politics. King Charles sent his Arch Bishop to arrest Puritans for practicing faith that opposed the beliefs of the Monarch. The Puritans were fed up and embarked on what was the biggest migration to the Colonies in the history of Colonial America. There the Puritans would have the freedom to

This attack in the form of the Grand Remonstrance fueled the animosity between the Protestants and Catholics, and absolutists and constitutionalists in England and divided the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Remonstrance contained 204 complaints to King Charles I and

Charles I of England, the king tried for treason and beheaded in 1649, was constantly in some type of conflict with Parliament. During his entire reign there never was a time of peace in England. Though Charles I did inherit some of his troubles from England’s prior monarchs, the mass of his problems came from his actions and disposition towards Parliament. Through an examination of Charles I’s reign, one can see the choices Charles had and made, and how he could have prevented the English Civil War.

This paper discusses the causes of the First Jacobite Rising in 1715 by focusing on the individuals involved in the process and role that they played in having revolutionaries rise up against their leaders. James Francis Edward Stuart is one of the foremost individuals responsible for the rebellion and in spite of his determination to achieve victory he encountered serious resistance and realized that he had mistakenly believed that the English people were willing to abandon their monarch in favor of serving a Roman Catholic exiled Prince.

Long Parliament was called upon by Charles I, but technically Long Parliament created itself by imposing an act that would only allow parliament to be dissolved by a parliamentary vote. Long Parliament was being led by John Pym whose primary goal was to correct troubles in the kingdom, especially acts of treason because of the recent Bishops’ War. When considering potential acts of treason, it was speculated that Lord Strafford, who was a member of the King’s Privy Council, had treasonous intentions. After investigating the situation, Pym’s accusations fell through, but it did come to light that the King’s Privy Council was encouraging Charles I to act without parliament. Specifically, Lord Strafford told the king “Sir, you have now done your duty, and your subjects have failed theirs; and therefore, you are absolved from the rules of government… you have an army in Ireland, with which you may reduce this kingdom.” Charles I was being encouraged to use Irish forces to remove parliament, in order to restore his power. This began the dispute between Long Parliament and Charles I, over who controlled the military, that began the English Civil war. Long Parliament implemented the Militia Ordinance, which declared that parliament was responsible for appointing new officers instead of the king.