Analyze the causes of the English civil war, and why restoration ultimately resolved stability in England.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. The conflict between the Parliament and the absolutist kings was the root cause of the English civil war. There was a long-standing tension between Charles I and Parliament over a number of issues: his avoidance of calling it, his disbanding of it, and not adhering to the demands posed by the nobility, such as those contained in the Magna Carta. In the 1630s, Charles tried to maintain a war with Scotland and needed the support of Parliament to finance it, but because he had dismissed it in 1629 and did not recall it for eleven years, and only when it was obvious that he had no more financial resources, Parliament imposed a number of demands on him, including a guarantee that he would not disband it or seek revenge against his political opponents. At the same time, a massacre of Protestants occurred in Ireland, and Charles demanded money from Parliament to finance a war against Catholics there. When Parliament refused his request and began to form its own army, Charles declared war on it. This civil war lasted a number of years, with Parliament challenging not only the authority of the king, but also his lack of religious reforms. Many in Parliament were staunch conservative Puritans who felt that what Charles was doing with the Church of England was nothing more than lightly disguised Catholicism. In 1648, Parliament charged Charles with treason, but he refused to recognize the validity of either the charge or the body instituting it. He was executed in January 1649. Cromwell's Commonwealth followed, continuing the chaos of civil war. Finally by 1660, the English people had had enough of continuous war and factionalism, and after the death of Oliver Cromwell, they were ready to submit to a new monarch, Charles II, who brought about the restoration.