Some notes on a not so ‘Civil War’

The English Civil War : 1642-1651
The Outbreak of War

The Civil War in England broke out in in August 1642. On one side stood King Charles I, and his supporters and on the other, men like Oliver Cromwell who believed that the king was a tyrant. War spread to Scotland, Ireland and Wales and lasted nearly nine years. Families and friends found themselves on opposite sides but were prepared to fight each other to the death.

Historians still disagree about why war broke out but the following certainly played a part:

Government – Charles I believed that God had made him a king and that he had no need to consult Parliament so he ruled without it from 1629 to 1640. This led to a power struggle between him and the Members of Parliament.

Religion – England was a Protestant country but Charles I introduced ceremonials and rituals that teemed very Roman Catholic to a lot of people. Those that feared this, fought against the king.

Cromwell’s War

Oliver Cromwell

King Charles raised his standard on 22nd August 1642, declaring war, Oliver Cromwell was made a captain and spent the autumn raising a troop of about sixty horsemen from this area then in October they joined the main army of Parliament. In 1643, Cromwell was made a colonel and put at the head of a cavalry regiment within the Eastern Association, Parliament’s army in East Anglia. For much of the war, he was engaged in almost continuous military service and was hardly ever at home in Ely, He became extremely successful and played a crucial part in some of Parliament’s most important victories.

The New Model Army

At the start of the war both the King and Parliament relied on private armies being raised by wealthy men to fight in their local area as Cromwell had done in East Anglia. This situation changed in 1645 when Parliament realised that it needed a more organised national army if it was going to defeat the king. The New Model Army, the forerunner of today’s professional army was created with Sir Thomas Fairfax in command. Parliament also voted that Members of Parliament, including Oliver Cromwell, should cease to be soldiers and leave the command of the army to professionals. Fairfax, recognising Cromwell’s military genius asked him to be his second- in-command and from that point on Parliament kept on extending his commission so that Cromwell could fight. In 1646 the New Model Army shattered the king’s forces at the Battle of Naseby, a defeat from which he never recovered.

The Execution of the King and The Commonwealth

King Charles’ army had suffered a total defeat but once captured, he refused to negotiate. Parliament’s frustration with him grew when he escaped and arranged a deal with the Scots who gave him an Army to invade England with. It was defeated quickly and the king was put on trial for treason. He was found guilty and beheaded at Whitehall in London in January 1649.

England was now a Commonwealth, ruled by Parliament alone. What was left of the Parliament elected in 1640 ran the country but in April 1653 Cromwell and the Army dismissed this Rump Parliament for being ineffective. A Nominated Assembly was set up in its place but this soon became locked in a stale-mate because its members couldn’t agree. In December the majority signed its powers back to Cromwell. He seemed to be the only authority left so on December 16th 1653 Oliver Cromwell was made Lord Protector, the Head of State.

Oliver Cromwell – Hero or Villain?

So was Oliver Cromwell a champion of liberty or a tyrant who wanted power for himself? Here are some of the things that he did – you decide!

Head of State as part of a written constitution voted by Parliament
One of the people who signed the death warrant of King Charles I
Allowed the Jews back into England
Brought back the state censorship that Charles I had operated
Imprisoned and exiled his opponents without trial as previous monarchs had
Advocated freedom of belief for all Protestants, regardless of their sect
Put down rebellions in Ireland with great severity
Led a strong and respected foreign policy
Led a peaceful regime that began to heal the wounds of the war and unite very different opinions