English Civil Wars
By Matthew Madonna
Support
Battles
Movements
Issues
The issue which this Civil War was fought over was between who had more power; King Charles or Parliament. After King Charles tried to impose the Church of England on Ireland, Ireland rebelled. King Charles and Parliament argued over who should raise an army to oppose the Irish rebels. They could not agree, so they each made their own army and the Civil War began.
This can compare to the American Civil War by saying that both were a power struggle. In England the struggle was between King Charles and Parliament; In America the struggle was between the states and the federal government.
Precursor Events
These events are very different from the American Civil Wars. However, there is one commonality. The formation of a new Parliament to oppose King Charles can be compared to the the formation of the Confederate government, which was made to oppose the Union.
Leaders
Royalists-
King Charles I- Arrogant and self-centered, only concerned with having power. Obviously, he believed he should hold the power instead of Parliament.
King Charles II- Believed he was the rightful heir to the throne. Son of King Charles I. Outraged at the execution of his father, he waged war on Parliament.
Sir David Leslie- Led King Charles II’s army in the Third Civil War. Lost his life at the Battle of Worcester
2. Parliamentarians-
Oliver Cromwell- Creator of the New Model Army. Most important general for the Parliamentarians, winning many battles and ultimately the war. Supporter of Parliament. Led with confidence, loved by his troops.
John Lambert- Supporter of Parliament. Fought alongside Cromwell in the second and third Civil Wars.
General Fairfax- Supporter of Parliament. Commander-in-chief of New Model Army
Oliver Cromwell is similar to Robert E. Lee. They are both adored by their soldiers, and the soldiers will follow them anywhere. Their leadership qualities and strategic minds were a huge reason their army was able to win battles. They willed their troops to win, no matter the opposition. Of course, Cromwell won the war and Lee did not, but that does not take away from the important work Lee did. Cromwell can also be compared to Abraham Lincoln. Both exceeded expectations and were key figures in the war. Nobody expected Lincoln to be so strong and handle the Civil War the way that he did. Similarly, nobody expected Cromwell to have such an influence on the army since he had no military background.
King Charles I was not like anyone in the American Civil War. He was an arrogant leader who was only seeking power. In the American Civil War, the people were fighting for something that had meaning to them; they were not just looking for power.
Arms
Muskets
Cannons
Cavalry
Mortar
Army
Royalists- supporters of King Charles
Parliamentarians- supporters of Parliament
The Parliamentarians were mostly defensive. while the Royalists almost always went on the offensive. The strengths of the Parliamentarians were that they had strong military leaders, more troops, and they controlled the wealthy areas of England, including the capital, London. The strengths of the Royalists were that they had Scotland on their side in the second and third Civil Wars. Similar to the Union, the Parliamentarians have a clear advantage; they have more troops and people better equipped to lead these troops. They were also backed by the wealthy people of England.
Resources and Technology
Alliances
In the First Civil War, the Scottish people sided with the Parliamentarians, giving them an advantage. However, after they won, the Scots were unhappy and sided with the Royalists in the Second Civil War. The Parliamentarians won again, but it was harder for them. The Parliamentarians smartly cut off any support for the Royalists from Scotland in the Third Civil War, leading to their victory. The army the Scots sided with had a boost in their chances of victory. However, the Royalists still lost the Second Civil War. It is evident that the Scots influenced the war.
This can be loosely compared to the American Civil War. In the American Civil War, Britain and France opted not to align with the South, which had as much of an influence on the outcome of the American Civil War as the Scots aligning with the Royalists and Parliamentarians had on the English Civil War. Had Britain and France teamed up with the South, the South may have been able to win the war. Clearly, alliances greatly influence the outcome of a war.
Society
The disease was a commonality between the two wars; in the American Civil War, two-thirds of the deaths were caused by disease, which also caused many deaths in the English Civil War.
Graphs
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13c64VchsN9R-Zmgs2qGz3OAhFGyuWCDMxgYQIXTdhns/edit#gid=0
MY GRAPHS ARE IN THE LINK
My first graph shows the number of deaths in the war in relation to the population before the war. 2.5 percent of the population was killed in battle or from disease in the Civil Wars.
My second graph shows the casualties in the Battle of Dunbar, a major conflict in the Third Civil War that greatly affected the outcome of the war.
My third graph shows the number of troops on the Royalist side and the Parliamentarian side.