English Civil Wars

The eruption of the English Civil War in 1642 was the culminating result of political conflict coupled with nationalistic resentment of the English Crown and Parliament towards each other and the various powers each exercised. The English Revolution was initiated by King Charles I with the calling of Long Parliament and proceeded through two civil wars, the trial and execution of a king, the republican experiments of Oliver Cromwell, and eventually the restoration of King Charles …

…use of military force, then the violent overthrow of the government, experiments with new institutions, the rule of a virtual dictator, and finally, a restoration that embodied some new practices within the older tradition. It was important because it generated new political and religious ideas and because it extended the English tradition that the government’s power should be limited. Works Cited Carlin, Norah. The Causes of the English Civil War. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, UK, 1999.