English Civil War

The term English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between 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) was between supporters of Charles II and supporters of the Rump Parliament. The third war ended with the Parliamentary victory at the Battle of Worcester on September 3, 1651.

Aftermath

It is estimated that around 10 percent of the three kingdoms' population may have died during the civil wars. As was usual in wars of this era, more deaths were caused by disease than by combat.

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The wars left England, Ireland and Scotland as three of the few countries in Europe without a monarch. In the wake of victory, many of the ideals, and many of the idealists, were set aside. England, and later all of Scotland and Ireland, were ruled by the republican government of the Commonwealth of England during 1649–1653 and 1659–1660. Between the two periods, and due to infighting amongst various factions in parliament, Oliver Cromwell ruled over The Protectorate as Lord Protector, effectively a military dictator, until his death.

Related Topics:
Commonwealth of England - 1649 - 1653 - 1659 - 1660 - Oliver Cromwell - The Protectorate - Lord Protector - Dictator

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Upon his death, Oliver Cromwell's son, Richard, became Lord Protector. Richard's main weakness was that the Army had little confidence in him. After seven months the Army removed Richard and in May 1659 it reinstalled the Rump. However, this too was dissolved shortly afterwards, since it acted as though nothing had changed since 1653 and so it could treat the Army how it liked. After the Rump was dissolved in October, there was a real prospect of a total descent into anarchy as the Army's pretence of unity finally dissolved into factions.

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It was into this atmosphere that General George Monck, governor of Scotland under the Cromwells, marched south with his army from Scotland. On April 4 1660, in the Declaration of Breda Charles II made known the conditions of his acceptance of the crown of England. Monck organised the Convention Parliament, which met for the first time on April 25. On May 8 it declared that King Charles II had been the lawful monarch since the execution of Charles I in January 1649. Charles returned from exile on May 23. Later in London, on May 29, he was acclaimed king. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661. These events became known as the English Restoration.

Related Topics:
April 4 - Declaration of Breda - Charles II - Convention Parliament - April 25 - May 8 - May 23 - May 29 - 23 April - English Restoration

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With the monarchy restored with the consent of Parliament, the civil wars effectively set England and Scotland on course to become a parliamentary democracy. This system would ensure that the United Kingdom created under the acts of union would avoid the later European republican movements that followed the Jacobin revolution in 18th century France and the later success of Napoleon. Specifically, future monarchs became wary of pushing Parliament too hard, and Parliament effectively chose the line of succession in 1688 with the Glorious Revolution and the 1701 Act of Settlement. After the Restoration, Parliament's factions became political parties (later becoming the Tories and Whigs) with competing views and the ability to influence decisions of the monarch.

Related Topics:
Parliamentary democracy - United Kingdom - Acts of union - Jacobin - 18th century - Napoleon - 1688 - Glorious Revolution - 1701 - Act of Settlement - Restoration - Political parties - Tories - Whigs

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