The English Civil War was a series of bloody battles fought in England from 1642 to 1651. The conflict grew out of disagreements between Charles I and Parliament over who should rule the country. Charles believed that kings should have absolute power, while Parliament believed that kings had to share power with Parliament. When Charles tried to raise money without Parliament’s approval, they refused to pay taxes, which caused Charles to attack them. The Civil War began when Charles raised an army to fight against Parliament.
Many people were killed during the war, including many of those who supported Charles. After his defeat at Naseby in 1645, he was forced to sign an agreement known as the Solemn League and Covenant with Scotland (which had sided with him against Parliament) and Ireland (which supported him). This allowed him to hire Scottish soldiers known as Covenanters and Irish soldiers known as Catholic Confederates, but it also meant that Scotland would have a Presbyterian Church and Ireland would be ruled by Catholic landowners instead of Protestants like Charles wanted!
Charles fled London but was captured at Hampton Court Palace in November 1647 by Parliamentary forces under Oliver Cromwell. He was put on trial for treason in January 1649 and executed at Whitehall on January 30th.
