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Paige Watson

Mr. Pimentel

Honors Western Civilizations

1​st​ May 2018

The English Civil War: Its Effects on England Forever

Part I

The English Civil War took place during the 17th century, and it was one of the first

“revolutions” of this kind. Unlike many tried revolutions before it, it was successful. Even

though the English Civil War was the first, and achieved peace faster, it is often overlooked by

historians, while the French Revolution is often emphasized in European history (Van Gelderen,

2002). The English Civil War occurred between the years 1642-1651 (Wanklyn, 2006), and its

effects are permanent in England. The causes known are religion, the change of powers, disliking

the new monarchy line, and many more (Lawrence, 2015). England was facing a breaking point

between the people and the monarchy’s power. This breaking point has changed the face of

England forever because of its dramatic governmental change. The English Civil War had a huge

impact on European history; it was one of the first revolts against a government body that still

has an impact to this day. England would likely be in pieces if it were not for this war, and it

turned England in a whole new direction. The English Civil War shaped the face of England by

political, religious, and economic change.

Part II

The English Civil War occurred from 1642 to 1651 (Wanklyn, 2006). It is often divided

into 3 different wars: the Great Civil War, the Second Civil War, and the North of England
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Theatre of War (Wanklyn, 2006). All of these wars occur in the timeline mentioned above, and

in that order. These wars helped secure the fate of England. These wars were mainly between

the monarchy, the Stuart line, and the parliament. On the parliament’s side, they had the support

of the people. Most of the people of England were against the king/monarchy, specifically King

Charles I, for many reasons, such as religious tensions, the dissolving of the parliament, and the

dictatorship he tried to create.

The people used to have someone fighting for them, the parliament. Although the

parliament didn’t have any true power to overrule what the king want, they did have a say in the

king’s decision making. King Charles I wanted to create a true absolute monarchy; he wanted all

the power to be under his belt and no one else's. He decided to dissolve the government which

removed any other higher up leaders in England at that point. The king had too much power for

there to be good acts for the people. This made the people of England furious. They believed that

the power belonged to the people. They wanted change, and they wanted it now. The Parliament

and the people of England collaborated to overthrow the king. This was a battle for the future of

England between the Parliament’s Army and the King’s army. The Parliament’s army was led by

Oliver Cromwell, and the King’s army was led by the King of England (Huntley, 2018). These

armies both had nicknames for each other. The nickname for the Parliament’s army was the

Roundheads because of the common Englishmen haircut at the time. The Kings Army’s

nickname was the Cavaliers because of their support of King Charles I.

Another major cause of this civil war was the religious shift of powers and economic

problems. The Stuart line that came into power was a Catholic line of power, which had previous

issues with England. But, since it was the only English blood-related line, it was the only choice.
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Since England was a Protestant country it caused numerous problems with the new line of

succession. While the second king from the Stuart line was in power, King Charles I, he married

a Catholic woman. This ultimately did not help his stance in the eyes of the English people. The

state of the economy was another focal point during this time. Money used during the English

Civil War to pay for troops and weapons, weakened the economy even more. England did not

have enough money to fight against the people and keep the country afloat. The people knew

what to do with the money, especially since it was their money that was funding the monarchy.

Peace was what England needed to recover.

There was so much conflict in England at this time, their future was so unsure. Yet, the

people knew exactly what they wanted, and it was a government without a monarch. The two

sides went to war. The people gained more and more followers over time. The king had only so

many resources to pay the troops. If he could not afford to support them, the troops would turn

against him and fight with the people (Lawrence, 2015). Ultimately, the people won. England

went into the Commonwealth led by Oliver Cromwell. Oliver Cromwell was a very powerful

leader who was a puritan and rose through the ranks during the English Civil War (Huntley,

2018). In order to truly end the rule of the monarchy, and start over; they needed to execute the

king.

Part III

While the English Civil War was just the beginning of everything, the domino effect it

had changed the course of England. This civil war is often not admired and analyzed in the way

it should be. The English Civil War is often ignored by historians because of the more

well-known French Revolution (Van Gelderen, 2002). Not only was this civil war successful, but
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it was one of the first of its kind. This was the beginning of successful revolutions for the people

under absolute monarchies. The beginning of people taking control of their countries and their

futures. If the people had not fought for themselves, England would be in ruins. Possibly the

country would not even be in existence today.

The monarchy did what they wanted with no regard to what others thought was right or

good for England or the people. Even if the king’s nobility or his/her parliamentary body was

strongly against an idea or a law; the king could override it no matter what. The king/queen only

saw the parliamentary body as a place for suggestions or advice (Worden, 2009). The people

destroyed all the tyranny that the monarchy had over their land. The people ripped apart the

English government and changed it for the better. England went from being an absolute

monarchy to a constitutional monarchy with many steps in between the start and the end goal.

England’s former government is very different from what England has today. An absolute

monarchy is where a king has all the power over the people. Where the people do not have any

power to change anything about the actions of a monarch. A constitutional monarchy is where

the king’s power is restricted, yet, they are still the key source of power in the government. This

change of government is still in effect today, and it will likely be in place for the rest time. This

civil war caused the first major push for change in England. The people wanted change, and they

were going to get it.

The people under the Commonwealth were led by Oliver Cromwell, and they were

experimenting with new ideas of government. The people not only wanted a new government,

they wanted a completely different one at first. They wanted a democracy in their country with

no monarch in sight for their future. All their lives they lived under a king, a king who likely did
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not care much for the common people. They only knew kings that wanted to live their lavish

lifestyles, and have wonderful parties. While the people of England were suffering, a revolution

was brewing within them. The people began to fight back when the English Civil Wars began.

They wanted the king gone and a democracy born. They wanted the people, every single man, to

have a voice and a say in what their country does. Even though the government they wanted

failed, it led to the government England has today.

The Glorious Revolution may not be “considered” the English Civil War, yet, this civil

war is exactly what led to The Glorious Revolution. The people of England were split, some

wanted a monarchy back, while, the others wanted to keep a democracy. Both the people could

agree on one thing, what they should prevent: that a leader or ruler should never have the same

powers that the kings and queens had before. This is where the idea of a constitutional monarchy

comes into play. If it were not for the leaders of the English Civil War, they would not have

discovered what would be best for their country, and they would not be the great power that they

are today. The English Civil War shaped England geographically and politically (Lawrence,

2015). This was the last governmental change England will likely ever see.

Many see the English Civil War as just a political war, but the underlying need for

political change is for religious equality (Bradstock, 2010). While many still believe England fell

because of religious issues (Worden, 2009), it was only a piece of the puzzle. While the desire

for change was more prominent, religion was still a part of it. Not only did they want a new

government for the people; they wanted religious tolerance for all. At this time, a lot of countries

had two major sides to them: Catholic vs Protestant. This causes a lot of unnecessary problems

and fighting within the countries, which is also another problem within the English Civil War.
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England during this time had multiple changes in religion between Catholic and Protestant

within the past about 200 years. With the constant change of monarchs, there was also a constant

change of religion (Morrill, 1984). This constant change never allowed people to connect to their

country’s religion. It caused the people to have a divide because there was no way the people

could connect to the kings or queens view on it, which caused religious tension. Like many other

countries at the time, they were split up by their religion within the country.

Many of the leaders during the English Civil War only cared for religion as a “passing

interest” (Bradstock, 2010). This civil war helped eased the tensions between these two sides. It

helped them see beyond their beliefs, and come together in the name of England (Morrill, 1984).

Even though religion was not a major focus on as an effect of the English Civil War, it ultimately

helped the people to unite together once again (Bradstock, 2010). Religion may not be an easily

agreed upon subject, but in times of need, patriotism is more important than these differences. If

these two sides had not come together, there still could be fighting today. If this civil war had not

occurred, England would likely be split in two because of their differences.

Along with the political and religious changes within England, there was also an effect on

the economic state of England. During this time, England was facing a large number of

economic problems (Bradstock, 2010). England hit a rough patch at this time in history, with

nowhere to turn for stability. Many people saw the ultimate solution for these problems was to

fix the political problems first (Bradstock, 2010). This is the same idea that they had for the

religious aspect of the English Civil War. After the political success the English people had, it

slowly helped the economy. The money during the English Civil War was used to pay for troops

and weapons, which weakened the economy even more. So much money was used against the
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people when it was the people’s money. Once the people had the power they helped create a

better economy, they started spending money more wisely. Without a monarch wasting money

on parties that were not necessary, the money could finally be put to good use (Bradstock, 2010).

England saw significant improvement in their economy since this time. England’s economy even

today is still doing very well all thanks to the English Civil War. If a monarch was a still in

power, England’s economy would be completely defeated, and England would be a broke

country. The English Civil War saved them from that potential economic crisis.

Part IV

The English Civil War may not have been a well-known civil war; but, that does not

renounce its significance. The English Civil War most definitely changed England in ways that

can never be reversed. It changed how the country is run and created a complete overhaul of the

government. England was in a time of need, and the people were ready to help. Peace is what

England needed to recover. England went from an absolute monarchy to what they have to this

day, a constitutional monarchy. It also created a sense of acceptance of other religions while

working together to a common goal. The people created a better economy within their new

government. Englishmen took the misuse of money, and put it all to good use. England was on

the verge of falling apart; yet, this civil war turned the country into a great power. The people

turned England from a decaying old-fashioned country to a new country full of new ideas and

new beginnings. They are the first to inspire these ideas for the people, to help create a better

future for everyone. The English Civil War was the beginning of getting rid of out-of-style

absolute monarchs. The people inspired a need to create a better country for the people, and

created a great example for Europe on how a country should be run. The people of England will
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forever remember to fight for what is best for their country and not what is easy for them. The

English Civil War has changed the face of England forever.

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Works Cited

Huntley, Dana. "HERO of the PEOPLE OR MURDERER of the KING? Oliver Cromwell:

The Prime Puritan." ​British Heritage Travel,​ Jan.-Feb. 2018, p. 32+. ​Academic OneFile,​

Accessed 2 May 2018.

Lawrence, Sandra. “Civil War Comes to Network.” [“British Heritage”]. ​British Heritage,​

vol. 36, no. 5, Oct/Nov 2015, pp. 61-65.

Morrill, John. "The Religious Context of the English Civil War." ​Transactions of the Royal

Historical Society​ 34 (1984): 155-78. Print.

Van Gelderen, Martin, and Quentin Skinner, editors. ​Republicanism: Volume 2, The

Values of Republicanism in Early Modern Europe​. Press Syndicate of the

University of Cambridge, 2002. ​Google​, Press Syndicate of the University of

Cambridge. Accessed 28 Apr. 2018.

Wanklyn, Malcolm. ​Decisive Battles of the English Civil War.​ Pen and Sword, 2006.

Worden, Blair. ​The English Civil Wars: 1640-1660​. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2009.

​ eidenfeld & Nicolson. Accessed 28 Apr. 2018.

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