The English Civil War: Catalysts, Conflict, and Consequences

Introduction

In this essay, I will be talking about the English Civil War and the events leading up to the war, the events that happened during the war, and the events that happened after the war. This is important to our world history because it shows how we were involved in the war. The war had ended the notion of the divine right of kings and laid the groundwork for the modern UK parliament and monarchy. This is gonna be the bulk of my essay and what I will be talking about in this paper.

The Precursors to Conflict

This is what happened when Charles started to steal money from people. And yet, in 1642, we went to war with ourselves. Pitting brother against brother and father against son, the English Civil War is a blot on our history. The war was making people turn on everyone, even their own family, at some point, and they would even hurt or kill their own family. This also shows how fast people will turn on each other for someone that they don’t even know. This is important because it shows how everything started, like making people turn on each other and fight each other, how the war took a turn for the worst, and how a lot of people started to lose their lives.

This shows how the war was good for the British, how there was the execution of a king, and how the war was brutal and tore the country. This is going to show the two unique events that happened, “The turbulent civil wars of the early seventeenth century would culminate in two events unique to British history: the public execution of a king and the creation of a republic. Schama tells of the brutal war that tore the country in half and created a new Britain – divided by politics and religion and dominated by the first truly modern army, fighting for ideology, not individual leaders.” (“A History of Britain (TV Series). This means that the war helped and destroyed British history, how it was so bad for the British, and how it tore the country in half, forcing them to create a new one. This is important because it shows how the war affected other countries and how it affected them so badly that they had to start over, and they needed to make a new one.

This shows how Scotland and England had a really bad relationship. It made them not work together, but then they dropped everything, and then they planned a future, and the new Britain was in it for the money. This shows the relationship between Scotland and England, “As the new century dawned, relations between Scotland and England had never been worse. Yet half a century later, the two countries would be making a future together based on profit and interest. The new Britain was based on money, not God.” (“A History of Britain (TV Series). This means that the war made countries have bad relationships with others, and they turned on each other. This is important because it shows what kind of problems the war caused for other countries, how they were turning on each other, and how the war made a lot of people turn on each other.

The Unraveling of Society

One of the events that happened was Charles extended the tax on people because he needed money because he went bankrupt, and that’s how things started. This shows how Charles raised the taxes, and it made people upset, “Charles’s decision to extend a year-round Ship Tax to all counties in England provided around £150,000 to £200,000 annually between 1634 and 1638..” (Victoria Masson). This event shows how Charles went bankrupt, and so he needed money to get the money. He raised taxes on people, and that money went to him so he could pay off his debts. This is important because it shows how the people started to turn on others, and that is how the war started.

One of the events that happened was that the people were requesting that the MP (military police) be arrested, and that was too much for Charles to bear. “By June 1642, these were too much for Charles to bear. His bullish response in barging into the House of Commons and attempting to arrest five MPs lost him the last remnants of support among undecided MPs. The sides were crystallized, and the battle lines were drawn. Charles I raised his standard on 22nd August 1642 in Nottingham: the Civil War had begun.” (Victoria Masson). This event showed how people wanted justice for what they were doing, and they got people arrested for what they did. This is important because it shows the last thing that happened before the war.

One of the events that happened was a lot of people died, and they lost friends and family, and a lot of people lost their lives for a stupid reason. This shows how many people lost their lives, “The English conflict left some 34,000 Parliamentarians and 50,000 Royalists dead, while at least 100,000 men and women died from war-related diseases, bringing the total death toll caused by the three civil wars in England to almost 200,000. More died in Scotland, and far more in Ireland.” (History.com Editors). This event shows how people lost their lives in this war, and they died in Scotland and Ireland. This is important because it shows how many people lost their lives.

Charles 1 and Charles ll were put on trial for their actions and how many people were killed. This shows the trial for Charles 1 and Charles 11: “Moreover, the trial and execution of an anointed sovereign and the presence of a standing army throughout the 1650s, combined with the proliferation of radical religious sects, shook the very foundations of British society and ultimately facilitated the restoration of Charles II in 1660.” (History.com Editors).

This event shows how there was a trial for Charles 1 and 11, and they were punished for what they did and for starting a war that killed a lot of people. This is important because it shows that they are being punished for what they did to people and the war.

The biggest ideas of my paper were how the English Revolution started, how it was during the war, how the war ended, and how life was after that. Then, my paper shows the most important events that happened during the war and how they might have affected the war. My paper shows how Charles started and how he impacted the war and made the war how we know it to be today. My paper shows how there were some countries that didn’t get along after or during the war, and then they made a future together based on profit and interest. The new Britain was based on money, not God.

Conclusion

My topic was the English Civil War and how it was a turning point in our history. The effects were the things that happened to start the war, what happened during the war, and how it impacted the other countries after the war. This event matters because it shows how the English Civil War was a turning point for our country and what happened for this to be a turning point. Now I leave you with this: Do you think this is a good turning point, and is it something that we should learn about?

References

1. “The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland 1638-1660” by John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer
2. “The English Civil War at First Hand” edited by Tristram Hunt
3. “Rebels and Revolutionaries in Northamptonshire, 1600-1660” by Stephen Hindle
4. “The English Civil War: A Military History” by Peter Young and Richard Holmes