Introduction to Great Rebellion
Great Rebellion, or English Civil War, a war fought in Great Britain, 1642–1652. In the first phase of the conflict, 1642–46, the forces of the English Parliament, aided by Scottish Presbyterians, defeated the Royalist army. In the second, 1648–52, Royalists and Presbyterian Puritans were defeated by the Independent Puritan forces of Oliver Cromwell. Charles I was beheaded and a new government, the Commonwealth, was created. The monarchy was restored in 1660, but royal authority was never again as strong as before the Great Rebellion.
Background
From 1629 to 1640 Charles I ruled without calling Parliament into session, fearing it would attempt to reduce his powers. When William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury and an important adviser to the king, tried to impose on Scotland the religious practices of the Church of England, the Scots revolted in 1639. (The subsequent conflict came to be known as the Bishops' Wars.) Charles called Parliament into session to raise money to fight the Scots. The parliament that met in 1640 did not disband until 1660. (
Instead of voting funds to put down the Scottish rebellion, Parliament sought to establish itself supreme over the king. It abolished several royal administrative and judicial bodies and reaffirmed the Petition of Right, a statute limiting the monarch's powers. ( The Earl of Strafford, a powerful supporter of the king's authority, was put to death in 1641 on a questionable charge of high treason. Laud was jailed, also on a charge of treason.
By a narrow margin, the House of Commons voted approval of the Grand Remonstrance, a list of grievances against the king and of demands for governmental and church reforms. Charles then appeared in Parliament at the head of a company of soldiers. He intended to arrest John Pym, John Hampden, and three other leaders of the Commons, but found that they had already fled. Charles left London to raise an army against Parliament. On August 22, 1642, in an act comparable to a declaration of war, he called on the English people to rally to his side.
1642–46
Parliamentary forces controlled the south and east of England, and most of the ports and cities, including London. Parliament had the support of the English navy and of the merchants, and had a great advantage in money and supplies. The Royalists held the north and west, which was largely rural and poorer and less populated than the south and east. Their main advantage was the presence of Charles because many rural people were strongly devoted to the king.
The Royalist soldiers were called Cavaliers. They called the Parliamentary soldiers Roundheads, because many of them wore their hair short. Neither side entered the war with anything resembling an army or with experienced commanders. Militiamen often refused to serve outside their counties. Neither side had many soldiers, and neither side evoked much popular enthusiasm. All important battles were won by the cavalry.
The Cavaliers found a dashing leader in Charles's nephew, Prince Rupert. The king's army marched on London in 1642, but found the city too formidable to take; in 1643, however, the Cavaliers made important gains in southwest England and in Yorkshire. In late 1643, however, Parliament came to an agreement with the Covenanters, Scottish Presbyterians who were strongly opposed to the Church of England. Parliament agreed to make Presbyterianism the established religion, and the Scots agreed to fight Charles.
Meanwhile, Oliver Cromwell was recruiting Puritans from the eastern counties to form a cavalry force. This force soon became one of the best fighting units in England and its troops were called “Ironsides” because they seemed unbeatable.
Parliamentary forces began conquering Royalist territory in 1644. The victory of Cromwell's cavalry at the Battle of Marston Moor (1644) gave Parliament control of most of northern England. Cromwell's men formed the nucleus of the New Model Army, organized in 1645. Sir Thomas Fairfax was chosen as commander in chief, but Cromwell as the field general was in actual control during most of the war. The new army defeated Prince Rupert at the Battle of Naseby (1645). Meanwhile, the Covenanters defeated a force of Royalist Scots. The capture of Charles in 1646 ended the fighting.
1648–52
Charles escaped in late 1647. He promised to make Presbyterianism the established religion in England for a period of three years and thereby gained the support of the Covenanters and many English Presbyterians. Revolts in support of the king broke out in England, and the Scots sent an invading force. Cromwell put down the revolts and defeated the Covenanters at Preston (1648), and Charles was recaptured. Presbyterians were barred from Parliament, an event called Pride's Purge, after Thomas Pride, the army colonel in charge of carrying out the action. The remaining members, constituting what was called the “Rump” Parliament, tried Charles for treason and found him guilty. He was beheaded on January 30, 1649. The Commonwealth was created with Parliament as the ruling authority, but the real power rested with Cromwell and his army.
During 1649–50 Cromwell's army ruthlessly put down a Royalist rebellion in Ireland. Meanwhile Charles's son, who had been proclaimed Charles II by the Scots, landed in Scotland. Cromwell hurried back from Ireland, and his forces, though outnumbered, defeated the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar (1650). One year later they routed the Scots at Worcester, and Charles fled to France. Scotland was subdued in 1652. In 1653 Cromwell dismissed Parliament and assumed the title Lord Protector of England, becoming virtual dictator. (
