The English Civil War (1640–1646)

The English Civil War was the most traumatic event in early modern English history — a conflict that saw king and Parliament take up arms against each other, divided communities and families, and culminated in the unprecedented execution of a reigning monarch. This lesson examines the Long Parliament, the outbreak of war, the military campaigns, and the New Model Army — while engaging with the historiographical debates about the causes and nature of the conflict.

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The Long Parliament (November 1640 onwards)

The Long Parliament, summoned by Charles out of financial desperation, rapidly dismantled the machinery of the Personal Rule:

The Reforming Phase (1640–1641)