English Revolution Significant Events Time Line

English Civil War

Causes

The English Civil War raged on for many years and had many causes. In my opinion, the most significant cause is that King Charles was a very unfair ruler. This cause for the civil war was the most important because if Charles had ruled according to the law, less people would have despised him and want an uprising. Therefore, if Charles did rule according to the law, the Civil War would not have happened and it certainly wouldn’t have happened to that big of an extent. Charles being an unfair ruler had such an influence, that it is obvious that this is the main reason for the civil war.

Components

There were a lot of components to the Civil War, many battles and lots of blood. But the most significant components weren’t all battles. The construction of The New Model Army, the Battle of Naseby, and the Battle of Preston all helped shaped the course of the civil war, and I believe that those three components were the most important. The construction of The New Model army was important because if Cromwell had not constructed the New Model Army, Cromwell may not have beat the Royalist’s army, in The battle of Naseby. The Battle of Naseby was extremely important because it was a huge turning point for Cromwell’s army. The Royalists knew that there was no more hope for their cause anymore. If the Battle of Naseby never occurred, then the Royalists wouldn’t have such a hopeless case, and at The Battle of Preston, Cromwell would have never been delivered King Charles by the Scots, and end the second Civil War.

Consequences

After the Civil War ended, everything started to change. On January 30, 1649, King Charles was executed for being guilty of treason. The immediate effect of this was utter chaos. No one knew what do next and for the first time, England didn’t have a monarch. However, the long term effect of the execution was very important and had a major impact on England. If the execution did not take place, then Cromwell would not have tried make England a Republic, and then England wouldn’t have become a constitutional monarchy. If King Charles hadn’t been guilty of treason and was executed, Cromwell would have kept negotiating with Charles, and the constitutional monarchy would have never happened. Overall, England wouldn’t be the same today if this event did not happen, and that’s why this consequence is the most significant.

Cromwell and the Republic

Components

After the Execution of Charles I, Cromwell made England into a republic, completely changing the way of life in England. In December of 1653, Cromwell was given the tittle “Lord Protector”, and this had many long term effects. “Lord Protector” had a lot of the same powers that previous Kings had, and most can argue that Cromwell was a very strict ruler. Cromwell was a Puritan, and imposed strict laws onto England called the “Blue Laws”, which forced Puritan ways on England. Cromwell became quickly unpopular by non-puritans and was disliked to a wide extent. Due to Cromwell becoming Lord Protector, he enforced the “Blue Laws”, and many people wanted him gone, therefore, both these components were extremely significant.

Charles II and The Restoration of The Monarchy

 Components

England turned into a Constitutional Monarchy after Charles II, The son of Charles I, was established by Parliament to become the King. This event is a turning point because the military dictatorship in England finally ended, and Cromwell’s harsh way of ruling was coming to a close. One can imagine that when Charles II arrived back in England, people welcomed him. When Parliament established him as a monarch, the immediate effect was positive and made a positive impact onto the people of England. As for the long term effects, England is still a Constitutional Monarchy today, so the long term effects of Charles II restoring the monarch, has really changed the way England rules.

James II and the Glorious Revolution

Components

James II only ruled for a short period of time until he was overthrown. He was constantly fighting with Parliament, one of the reasons being that he was Catholic. But that’s not the only reason, James II violated the Test Act and selected Catholics for government position. He also believed that he was above the law and should not have to rule with Parliament. To that extent, he was very similar to Charles I, and that’s why Parliament wanted to get rid of him. This was a very important immediate effect of James II breaking the Test Act. From the start, Parliament wanted to get rid of him, and in December of 1688, James II steps down from the throne, therefore creating the Glorious Revolution. The short term effect of James II stepping down from the throne was positive, and was the whole reason why the Glorious Revolution occurred.