22nd August 2018
Today in 1642, Charles I raised his standard at Nottingham and began mustering his army for a war against his own people. A result of years of tension, the first English Civil War would last four years. Charles had clashed with Parliament since he inherited the throne from his father, James VI of Scotland and I of England. His religious views sparked fears among the more extreme Protestants, who became known as the Puritans, that he was leaning towards Catholicism – not helped by the fact that his wife, Henrietta Maria, was a Catholic.
The Parliamentarians had also been mobilising their own forces into what became known as the New Model Army. The first encounter between the two sides happened a month later at the Battle at Powick Bridge. The Royalists won this first fight, but the Parliamentarians would go on to win the more important and decisive battles, and ultimately the war itself.
The first Civil War ended in 1646 with the capture of Charles I, but it was a brief respite. Fighting broke out in 1648 with the start of the second Civil War, in which Charles was defeated again. This time, Parliament felt he should be held accountable for the bloodshed he had caused. Instead of just being imprisoned, Charles was brought to trial. He was found guilty of treason and was executed.
Image: Charles I (1600-1649) at his trial, by Edward Bower, c.1650, via Wikimedia Commons.
