Why Was England's Ordeal A Civil War?
“England’s Ordeal” lasted for nearly 20 years, starting in 1642 and ended in 1660. At the time it was treated as, and is still called, a civil war because there was no better way to describe the circumstances occurring in England at the time. The very distinct characteristic of this war was that the motivations were not between classes but rather within them. Religion was the fulcrum of this war with parliament and the crown as the counterweights. England was divided into two groups: the roundheads and the cavaliers. Roundheads, given their named for their short-cropped hairstyle, sided with parliament. The term Cavalier, was used as an insult to describe men willing “to commit all manner of Outrage and Violence" (Webster), and consisted of those loyal to the king. Parliament desired a constitutional monarchy, which fell because King Charles did not want
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At the time Kings were thought to be anointed by god and practice divine right, therefore parliament was not only defying King Charles I but also god himself. Parliament was trying to build on an unconstitutional foundation and they had to convince the people that God and justice were on their side. Since, the old military was loyal the king, parliament attempted to gather local militia, but failed because the leaders were trying to keep this as un-revolutionary as possible. There was a large debate on whether or not a war would be necessary. Originally, there was no objective to dismantle the monarchy but over time it was obvious war had to take place. October 23rd 1642, King Charles I and his army were traveling from Shrewsbury to London when he discovered the Parliamentary army was just a few miles away. The Kings army took the high ground at Edgehill and it was there that the first major battle of the civil war took place. Though the war ended in a draw, it gave the King the advantage because he was able to reach
At the time Kings were thought to be anointed by god and practice divine right, therefore parliament was not only defying King Charles I but also god himself. Parliament was trying to build on an unconstitutional foundation and they had to convince the people that God and justice were on their side. Since, the old military was loyal the king, parliament attempted to gather local militia, but failed because the leaders were trying to keep this as un-revolutionary as possible. There was a large debate on whether or not a war would be necessary. Originally, there was no objective to dismantle the monarchy but over time it was obvious war had to take place. October 23rd 1642, King Charles I and his army were traveling from Shrewsbury to London when he discovered the Parliamentary army was just a few miles away. The Kings army took the high ground at Edgehill and it was there that the first major battle of the civil war took place. Though the war ended in a draw, it gave the King the advantage because he was able to reach