Why Civil War Broke Out in England in 1642

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In 1642, King Charles raised his royal standard in Nottingham, marking the beginning of the English Civil War. The next ten years saw the Cavaliers (supporters of the King) and the Roundheads (supporters of the parliament) engaged in a vicious battle for their respective leaders with the Roundheads ultimately victorious. This essay will attempt to explain why civil war broke out in England while summarizing the story behind the antagonism of the two parties. One of the key factors that led to the civil war was the contrasting beliefs of King Charles and the parliament. The monarchy believed in the divine rights of kings, explained by Fisher (1994, p335) as a biblically-based belief that the king or queen's authority comes directly from God and that he is not subjected to the demands of the people. On the other hand, the parliament had a strong democratic stance and though they respected and recognized the king's authority, they were constantly desiring and fighting for more rights to power. Although climaxing at the reign of King Charles, their antagonism stretched for centuries long before his birth and much of the power that once belonged to the monarchy had shifted over to the parliament by the time he came into power. Customarily, whenever a new monarch came into power, the parliament would vote the amount of tonnage and poundage (the allowance of the king or queen) to give him or her for their entire lifetime. However, they only voted for a year's allowance for King Charles. Cust (2005, p. 45) suggests that the reason behind the parliament's action was because of their disagreement with King Charles concerning England's involvement in the Thirty Year War. As this was his main source of income, King Charles was e... ... middle of paper ... ... reconciliation between the King and parliament proved futile. The relationship of the King and the parliament had reached its breaking point. With both parties refusing to yield, civil war was imminent. Rather than one main reason for the outbreak of English civil war in 1642, it was several key problems and disagreements between the parliament and King Charles that amounted together and evolved into a long running rivalry. Slowly but gradually, the rivalry grew, with both sides guilty of provoking the other. Ultimately, their differences could not be solved, and the rash actions of King Charles sparked of the civil war. Works Cited Cust, Richard (2005), Charles I: A Political Life, Harlow: Pearson Education Fisher, David A. (1994), World History for Christian Schools Second Edition Russell, Conrad (1991), The Fall of the British Monarchies 1637–1642

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