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The Civil War

2. Context

What was the British Civil War?

The two sides

Broadly speaking, there were two parties in the War: the Royalists and the Parliamentarians. However, both parties had disputes amongst themselves, especially the Parliamentarians. It was not as simple as 'them' versus 'us'.

The Royalists (also known as the 'Cavaliers')
Leader	Charles I
Causes	Charles I wanted to strengthen the Church. He believed strongly in the 'Divine Right' of Kings, and thought the Church should have a rigid structure with the King as its head. He was willing to use force to make the Churches of Ireland and Scotland the same as the one in England.
Aims	To prevent the Parliamentarians from achieving their aims; to maintain the authority of the King over Church and state.
Religion	Anglicanism, a less extreme form of Puritanism. Charles I had a Catholic wife, which made him even more unpopular with Puritans.

The Parliamentarians (also called the 'Roundheads')
Leader	Oliver Cromwell
Causes	Members of Parliament (MPs) felt undervalued, as if they were only needed when the King wanted to raise money. This was especially true when he attempted to impose the Anglican religion onto Scotland. He tried to use force to do this, and wanted the army to be paid for by Parliament.
Aims	To make parliament a regular institution with more control over the running of the state.
Religion	Mainly Puritan. They wanted a Church free from the control of a rigid authority, such as having a King as its head.

Dates

In terms of battles, the British Civil War had three military phases. These were:

The First Civil War, from 1642-1646
The Second Civil War, 1648
The Third Civil War, 1649-1651

However, the origins of the War can be traced to the start of Charles I's reign in 1625. Its effects were felt long afterwards, arguably only drawing to some kind of close with the return of Charles II to London in 1660.

What was the 'Civil War'?

A conventional war is fought between two or more countries. The victor is the one who gains the most land and resources, forcing the opposition to submit. A 'civil war' is slightly different - it is when people in a country fight amongst themselves. Generally, neither side wants completely to destroy the others who are, after all, their countrymen.

The Civil War was not all about battles and who owned what. In the Civil War, people fought as much for their beliefs as for land. This meant that people living in the same area - next door to each other, or even in the same family - could support different sides. Even when a region was 'captured' by one side, this did not mean the people who lived there were immediately converted or crushed. The 'hearts and minds' of people were not won, even when territory was taken.

This was why, although the Royalists lost successive battles, a clear end to the war would be difficult to achieve. However, after much debating amongst themselves, the Parliamentarians decided to put the King on trial to try to end the conflict.

England in 1649

On 30th January 1649, Charles I was executed. England had been a monarchy (a country ruled by a King or Queen) but now the people had committed regicide, killing their ruler. Who would lead now? In May 1649, Oliver Cromwell established a commonwealth, with himself as the political leader.

But outside of England, the seeds of the Third Civil War were being sown. Charles II was the son of Charles I. After his father was executed, Charles II escaped to France but soon he was proclaimed King of Scotland. The Royalists in England had a new figurehead in the north. In 1649, although the Royalist armies had been crushed, the idea of England being ruled by a monarch was still alive. It was still dangerous to be a Parliamentarian in territory where support for the monarchy was still strong.

This, then, was the state of England when James Smith wanted to travel from Chester to Bristol.

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Page created March 2004 and last updated 30 July 2007

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