First Civil War

• Date: AUGUST 1642 - 1646
• ATTEMPTED ARM COUP

  JAN 1642
• When the king tried to arrest five leaders of the parliament (Pym, Hampden, Haselrig, Holles, Strode and Montagu) he was frustrated by popular demonstratives. However, they had been warned beforehand and had already fled.
• A majority of the House of Lords withdraw from Westminster out of sympathy. There were popular demonstrations against Charles which compelled him to take his family to Hampden Court for safety.
• Both the king and members who remained in parliament raised armed forced to try deter the other from resorting to violence
• Charles entered the House of Commons to arrest the Five Members only to find they had already left


  JAN 1642
• The king escaped from London and set up a new court in York

  JAN 1642
• Parliament issues the Militia Ordinance which proclaimed Parliament could work independently from the king in the interest of the nation

  MAR 1642
• The King tried to seize munitions at Hull, acting against the constitutional royalist propaganda.

  APRIL 1642
• Most people remained neutral
• The political nation was split – royalists, neutrals and parliamentarians
• While most lower classes were neutral, parliament had support from traders and apprentices
• EXCLUSUION BILL

  FEB 1642
• At the end of 1641, a petition to remove bishops had 30,000 signatures
• The lords accepted the bill due to pressure from London, lessening influence Charles had on parliament.
• NINETEEN PROPOSITIONS

  JUNE 1642
• Charles issued the first Commission of Array
• Propositions included all privy councillors were to be approved by parliament, five impeached MPs were to be pardoned. Charles had to accept the Militia Ordinance and parliament would reform the church
• The king rejected all the propositions and ordered it be displayed in churches
• Royal Navy declared allegiance to parliament

  JULY 1642
• Parliament appointed a commission between Westminster and Parliament's armies in the field

  JULY 1642
• This was seen as the turning point between the king and parliament, it was a determining factor in the war
• National events made an impact on moderates like Hyde who were concerned about Presbyterianism of the Scots. This led to social riots
• Pym encouraged iconoclasm against popish images.
• OXFORD TREATY NEGOTIATIONS

  FEB – APR 1643
• In October 1642, the Lords proposed that negotiations be opened with the king and commons
• This resulted of Parliament's bad performance at Edgehill
• The negations were peace petitions and neutrality pacts to try stop war. The collapse of it marked the end of the first phase in war
• BATTLE OF EDGEWELL

  23RD OCT 1642
• The king decided to march to London to confront the Parliament's main army
• Both armies found themselves close to each other, the royalists army came from Edgehill to force battle
• Both armies were inexperienced, many men fled
• After the battle, the king continued his march to London but was not strong enough to overcome the defence there
• The battle was inconclusive
• The Scottish rebellion in 1637 began the start of the British Civil Wars as it allowed reactions in Ireland and England
• The Solemn League and Covenant, a military alliance formed in 1643 between the English parliament and covenanters alienated some of the Scottish nobles to the point where some come to the support of Charles.
• One Scottish noble, the earl of Montrose, led royalist forces to the north of the border against covenanters. His army won victories between 1644-45. The little support from Charles for these victories saw the forces leave the army to return to their homeland.
• A Covenanter army of 6000 returned from England and crush Montrose' remaining forces in September 1645 ending Charles' military hopes in Scotland.
• With the outbreak of the Irish rebellion the civil war began in Ireland.
• Many Gaelic Irish and old English joined the rebellion and formed a confederation in May 1642, their opponents were protestants.